BJFEZ Redraws the Investment Playbook with “BJ-INVESTIA”

 

- Connecting the Full Investment Journey: Legal, Accounting, Finance, Logistics and Workforce, All in One Network

- Public and Private Experts Join Forces to Build an End-to-End Investment Support System

- Chairman Park Seongho: "Investment Attraction Is a Comprehensive Art — and Network Is the Competitive Edge"

 

The rules of investment competitiveness are changing. Location and financial incentives once decided where global companies chose to invest. Today, the deciding factor is how quickly a region can connect a company to the specialized services it needs — legal, accounting, finance, logistics, workforce and technology. That is why investment attraction is often described as a “comprehensive art.”

 

The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority (BJFEZ) is accelerating that shift with BJ-INVESTIA, an investment support platform designed to connect every stage of a company's investment journey into a single network. By combining the administrative reach of the public sector with the specialized expertise of private professional firms, BJFEZ aims to deliver the right service at the right moment — from initial due diligence through the successful establishment and operation of a business.

 

Global companies weighing where to invest no longer look at location and tax incentives alone. They ask how fast legal risk can be resolved, how stable funding, customs and logistics channels are, and whether the workforce they need is available. What companies ultimately need is not a single agency's service, but a network of partners that can address the entire investment process. BJ-INVESTIA was built to answer that demand, weaving public administration and private-sector expertise into one connected network.

 

A Platform Built Around the Full Investment Lifecycle

The name BJ-INVESTIA combines “Invest” with “-ia,” a suffix associated with space or territory — reflecting a platform designed to cover a company's entire investment lifecycle. The platform organizes support into six areas: site selection and design; investment and incorporation; finance and incentives; customs, logistics and trade; workforce and settlement; and innovation growth. Specialized institutions in each area are linked so that companies can access every service they need in one place. The core shift is structural: rather than routing every request through BJFEZ alone, the model creates two-way information sharing and joint problem-solving among companies, BJFEZ and expert institutions.

▲Previous model: Individual consultation and support between a company and BJFEZ

▲BJ-INVESTIA model: Two-way information sharing and collaboration among companies, BJFEZ and specialized institutions

 

Expanding the Network, One Sector at a Time

BJFEZ is building out this ecosystem in stages, starting with the area of highest early-stage demand: legal services. On June 25, BJFEZ signed its first BJ-INVESTIA public-private cooperation agreement with Kim & Chang, establishing an advisory framework covering foreign investment registration, corporate incorporation, contract review and regulatory response. A second agreement followed on July 9 with Bae, Kim & Lee LLC. In August, the network expanded further with Busan-and-Gyeongnam-based firms Kukje Law LLC, Jeongin Law LLC and Seonghyeon Accounting Corporation joining the platform. Shin & Kim and Samil PwC subsequently joined as well, broadening support into corporate law, finance, fair trade and regulatory compliance. By bringing leading legal and accounting expertise directly into the investment process, BJFEZ is steadily reducing the uncertainty companies face when entering the market.

 

The network's reach extends beyond national firms. On August 3, Kukje Law LLC, Jeongin Law LLC and Seonghyeon Accounting Corporation joined BJ-INVESTIA, giving companies faster access to legal and accounting support from firms based directly in the Busan-Gyeongnam region. The approach combines the expertise of nationwide professional firms with the accessibility of locally based firms — while also building a mutually beneficial relationship with the region's professional services industry.

 

BJFEZ plans to keep expanding the network into finance and incentives, customs and logistics, workforce and settlement, site selection and design, and patents and technology commercialization. Commercial banks, regional financial institutions, customs and labor and patent firms, construction companies and appraisal firms are expected to join in the months ahead, with an integrated partnership event bringing participating institutions together by year-end. Partner organizations will operate under the "BJ-INVESTIA Official Partner" designation, with an ongoing system designed to keep companies and expert institutions connected — turning one-time cooperation into a sustainable investment ecosystem.

 

The best place for a company to invest isn't simply the place with the best site conditions — it's the place where it can find the right solutions fastest. Through BJ-INVESTIA, BJFEZ is building a new investment attraction model that connects public and private, national and regional, companies and expert institutions into a single network. The initiative is expected to do more than expand a list of agreements — it aims to reduce the uncertainty companies feel throughout the investment process and speed up investment decisions altogether.

 

Chairman Park Seongho of the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority said: "Investment attraction isn't completed by location and incentives alone — it's a comprehensive art that requires legal, accounting, financial, logistics and workforce expertise to come together seamlessly. We're bringing public and private capabilities into one platform so that companies can connect with the right expert the moment they need one, and building the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone into Korea's leading business-friendly investment hub."