SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - South Korea is moving to strengthen customs support for Saemangeum as Hyundai Motor Group's planned 9 trillion won ($6.5 billion) investment in artificial intelligence, robotics and clean energy begins to take shape in the reclaimed industrial zone on the country's west coast.
Korea Customs Service Commissioner Lee Jong-wook visited the Saemangeum Development Agency in Gunsan on Wednesday and met agency chief Moon Seong-yo to discuss customs measures for companies moving into the area.
The two agencies discussed early designation of additional sections of the Saemangeum industrial complex as a comprehensive bonded zone. The status allows companies to import, store, process and export foreign goods while customs duties and other taxes are suspended.
The system is intended to reduce costs for export-oriented manufacturers. Companies operating inside the zone can receive duty exemptions when exporting goods. For products sold in the domestic market, firms may choose whether duties are applied to imported raw materials or finished products.
Sections 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex, covering 8.1 square kilometers, were designated as a comprehensive bonded zone in February 2025. The agencies are reviewing whether to expand the designation to other areas where companies can move in.
The customs agency also said it has established a dedicated support team for advanced strategic industries in Saemangeum, ahead of an expected increase in administrative demand from new corporate investment and the planned opening of Saemangeum New Port in early 2027.
Officials also discussed relocating Gunsan Customs to Saemangeum to improve access for companies operating in the industrial complex and nearby free trade zone. Gunsan Customs is currently more than 20 kilometers from the Saemangeum site and operates from an aging building completed in 1993.
Lee also inspected the planned site of Hyundai Motor Group's robot manufacturing cluster. The group announced in February that it would invest 9 trillion won from 2026 across a 1.12 million-square-meter site in Saemangeum, covering robotics, AI, hydrogen energy, solar power and an AI hydrogen city.
The customs agency said recent regulatory changes would allow research institutes to be designated as bonded factories, enabling companies to import research materials with simplified clearance procedures and deferred customs duties. The measure is expected to support research and development if AI and robotics laboratories are built inside Hyundai's Saemangeum cluster.
Lee said the agency would move quickly to designate Saemangeum as a comprehensive bonded zone and ease customs regulations so companies can conduct production, research and export activities with fewer administrative burdens.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.