The North News
Chandigarh, December 9
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has urged leading South Korean companies to invest in Punjab, pitching opportunities in renewable energy, infrastructure, technology, defence manufacturing and food processing during a series of high-level meetings in Seoul on Monday. Meeting senior executives from Daewoo E&C, GS Engineering & Construction, Nongshim, the Korea Defense Industry Association (KDIA), the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) and others, Mann said Punjab was seeking long-term partnerships to support the state’s industrial expansion and emerging tech ambitions.
During discussions with Jung Won Joo, Chairman of Daewoo E&C, Mann highlighted investment prospects in offshore wind projects, solar power plants, hydrogen production and large-scale energy infrastructure, including LNG terminals and petrochemical complexes. He also underscored opportunities in urban development, smart city planning and civil infrastructure such as roads, railways, ports and airports.
At the meeting, Mann promoted Punjab’s “Unified Regulator” framework under Invest Punjab, calling it a streamlined system for global businesses. He urged Daewoo E&C to explore collaborations in modular construction, industrial townships, and ESG-aligned green hydrogen ventures.
In talks with GS E&C Vice President Young Ha Ryu, the Chief Minister reiterated Punjab’s interest in renewable energy, green hydrogen, smart cities and advanced engineering services. He assured full support to Korean firms seeking to enter key sectors. Mann also met leaders from Nongshim Holdings, a major packaged foods and beverages company, and encouraged joint product development tailored to Indian consumer tastes. He suggested collaboration on expanding Nongshim’s retail presence across India and exploring eco-friendly packaging and plant-based food research.
With KDIA Vice Chairman Lee Sung-kyu, Mann discussed possible cooperation in defence manufacturing, cybersecurity, robotics, unmanned systems and skill development programmes for Punjabi engineers.
He later met SBA’s startup division to explore partnerships in incubation, global marketing support and innovation-ecosystem development. Mann said that Punjab’s startups would benefit from Seoul’s experience in international branding and certification programmes such as the Seoul Awards.
At a roundtable on ease of doing business, Mann presented Punjab as one of India’s most attractive investment destinations and outlined recent policy reforms to representatives from major Korean law firms, financial institutions, robotics associations and trade bodies. He invited feedback from industry leaders to improve investment facilitation mechanisms.
Mann also visited Pangyo Techno Valley — often described as Korea’s Silicon Valley — to study its integrated innovation ecosystem. He said the model of specialised accelerators, testbeds and research-oriented clusters could be adapted to strengthen Mohali’s growing startup landscape.
The Chief Minister said the Seoul roadshow formed part of a broader effort to attract global investment ahead of the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit 2026. He added that Punjab was committed to fostering partnerships across manufacturing, technology, food processing and research to support innovation-driven growth.
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