The Gangwon Free Economic Zone Authority has opened its eighth call for hydrogen energy investors in the Bukpyeong district of Donghae, and selected companies will get priority for places in a long term lease complex. Applications run for three days, from 19 to 21 October 2026, and the call was announced on 14 October.
Who can apply and what selection brings
The call is for the district’s core strategic industry, hydrogen energy, and is open to hydrogen specialist companies, general hydrogen companies and hydrogen conversion companies, meaning firms that already work in hydrogen or are moving into it. Eligibility details and the documents to submit are on the authority’s notice board. Companies selected through the call are given priority in the move in process for the Bukpyeong long term lease complex, which the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation’s Donghae branch is running.
The authority says the aim is to improve conditions for hydrogen companies to move in, widen investment in Bukpyeong and strengthen cooperation among the firms there. Kim Hyung-jin, head of the authority’s general headquarters, said he expects the call to make investment and move in more active and to strengthen links between companies, in order to raise the competitiveness of the regional hydrogen industry and build a sustainable ecosystem.
The three categories are defined by the activity. Hydrogen specialist and general hydrogen companies already conduct hydrogen related business, and hydrogen conversion companies are firms pursuing a shift into the sector. That breadth lets established industrial companies enter through conversion, and the three day window rewards applicants who prepare their documents early, since the application period is only three days. The priority is in the move in process; the announcement does not say how many plots are reserved.
Bukpyeong at a glance
| Item | What earlier announcements by the zone authority say |
|---|---|
| Role in the zone | Hydrogen energy is the district’s core strategic industry, alongside tourism at Mangsang and advanced materials at Okgye; the zone selected 40 industry classification codes across its three core industries in 2021 |
| Linked projects | A renewable energy based electrolysis (power to gas) demonstration, a liquid hydrogen regulation free special zone and a hydrogen storage and transport cluster |
| Incentives for core industries | Land sold below development cost, negotiated contracts, rent reductions, dedicated sites and local investment subsidies |
| Lease complex | Completed in December 2022, filled through repeated calls |
A call that has become a routine
The call is the eighth under the programme. By early 2023 the first three calls had produced four selected or contracted companies for the lease complex, three that signed move in contracts after the first two calls and one more chosen in the third, while two companies already operated in the national industrial complex. A programme that reaches its eighth call has kept running through several rounds, which is itself a sign that the district’s hydrogen role is a continuing policy and not a single announcement.
The regional context supports the district’s pitch. A liquid hydrogen regulation free special zone covering about 254,000 square metres across Samcheok, Donghae, Gangneung and Pyeongchang was designated with 23 businesses and agencies taking part in demonstrations of liquid hydrogen production, containers and storage tanks, charging stations and fuel cell ships. Gangwon has also set up a hydrogen specialised complex task force for Donghae and Samcheok, in which hydrogen industry experts from universities and companies work on infrastructure, research and development, and corporate innovation and workforce training.
What to watch after the window closes
The next facts will come from the selection: how many companies apply and are chosen, what each plans to build, and when the long term lease complex is occupied. The announcement gives no number of available plots, no investment threshold and no selection date, so the dated check for now is the three day application window of 19 to 21 October. For other Korean regional hydrogen frameworks announced this week, see Chungbuk’s hydrogen ordinance rewrite and the Jeonju symposium on Hyundai’s Saemangeum hub. Sources: announcement of the eighth Bukpyeong hydrogen energy investor selection, 14 October 2026, and earlier announcements by the Gangwon free economic zone authority.
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