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Korea's venture investment soars 34% in Q1

Published: 20 May. 2025, 19:12

The K-Startup promotion booth at CES 2025 in Las Vegas on Jan. 7 [MINISTRY OF SMES AND STARTUPS]

Korea's investment in startups jumped 34 percent from a year earlier in the first quarter, government data showed Tuesday.

A total of 2.62 trillion won ($1.88 billion) was invested in promising venture firms and startups during the January-March period, up from 1.96 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

It was the second-highest amount ever recorded for a first quarter, following 3.98 trillion won in 2022, when local startup investment surged amid a global venture boom.

By industry, investment in film, performance and music increased significantly, while investment in the chemical and materials sector declined in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.

Of 26 unlisted startups that attracted investments of over 10 billion won each, 10 companies were based on AI or biotechnology, the ministry said.

The amount of newly created venture funds rose 20.6 percent on year to 3.1 trillion won in the first quarter.

The formation of new venture funds was led by the private sector, with private contributions totaling 2.6 trillion won, up 31.1 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

Yonhap