South Korea will reshape its textile industry from an apparel-centered manufacturing sector into a supplier of core materials for defense, aerospace, automobiles and energy, the government said on Wednesday.
Officials said they would back advanced fiber development, expand domestic production capacity and support localization of textile materials used in public sectors such as defense and disaster safety. The pledge came at the 40th Textile Day ceremony in Seoul, organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Federation of Textile Industries and attended by about 500 officials. Read Here
Textile Day commemorates 1987, when textiles became the first single sector in South Korea to reach $10 billion in exports.
“Demand for industrial fibers is expanding across various fields amid prolonged geopolitical conflicts, artificial intelligence infrastructure investment by Big Tech firms, and the wider adoption of renewable energy and electric vehicles,” said Lee Min-woo, head of the ministry’s Office of Industrial Growth.
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Prime Minister Han Sung-soo said in a video message that Seoul would also help the industry confront rising imports, price competition from China and Southeast Asia, and technology competition with advanced economies. Plans include wider AI adoption in factories, a shift to eco-friendly processes and overseas expansion for K-fashion brands that use domestic materials.
Lawmakers are also moving. Rep. Song Jae-bong of the Democratic Party of Korea introduced a special bill on Nov. 4 to protect key domestic production processes, support small and medium-sized enterprises, and foster growth areas such as advanced fiber materials and K-fashion.
Federation Chairman Choi Byung-oh urged a cooperative framework spanning yarn, fabric, dyeing and apparel, citing carbon fiber, aramid, textile waste recycling and talent development as key tasks. The industry, he said, must also move beyond a manufacturing-centered structure toward higher-value materials and much deeper cross-industry cooperation at home.