Outlook for Korea's 13 Flagship Industries in 2026

Sungjin Kim
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Sungjin Kim: Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade

Industrial Economic Review from Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade

Abstract: In 2026, South Korea's 13 flagship industries are expected to follow divergent paths against a backdrop of moderate global growth, a slow recovery in world trade, and accelerating technological change. The information technology (IT) and emerging industries sectors-comprising the semiconductors, information and communications technology (ICT) devices, secondary batteries, and biohealth industries-are projected to lead growth on the back of strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles (EV), while growth in the machinery sectors (automobiles, ships, general machinery) should pick back up slightly. Growth in the materials sectors (steel, petrochemicals, refined oil, textiles) looks to remain subdued amid slack external demand and China's newfound self-sufficiency in materials production. Korea's export portfolio is likely to become more concentrated than ever in high value-added IT and biohealth products, while shipments of materials and general machinery stay weak or even contract.

Keywords: economic outlook; economic forecast; industrial outlook; flagship industries; artificial intelligence; AI; tariffs; global trade; carbon neutrality; China; global value chains; GVCs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E66 F01 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 15
Date: 2025
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Published in KIET Industrial Economic Review Vol. 30, No. 6

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