Manufacturing shifts further toward Seoul capital region

South Korea's manufacturing output has concentrated sharply in the Seoul capital region, rising from 29.4% to 33.2% of national output between 2014 and 2024, driven by semiconductor expansion from Samsung and SK hynix. Traditional heavy manufacturing regions in the southeast and Daegu have lost significant share, whilst Taiwan has become South Korea's second-largest semiconductor export market as AI chip demand surges.

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