Energy Tops New Business Plans Among Korea’s 1,000 Largest Listed Firms

A humanoid robot performs at Humanoid Summit 2026 Seoul, held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 22, 2026. Roughly three out of every ten new business entries identified by major South Korean listed companies as future growth opportunities are concentrated in renewable energy and robotics. The findings reflect the growing importance of energy transition driven by carbon-neutrality policies and the adoption of robotics to improve manufacturing efficiency, both of which have become core corporate strategies. The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) released its findings on Oct. 12 after analyzing newly added business purposes in the articles of incorporation of South Korea’s 1,000 largest listed companies by assets. According to the analysis, energy accounted for the largest share at 31.1%, followed by manufacturing and mobility at 19.8%, artificial intelligence at 12.3%, and ICT and digital at 12.3%. Together, these four major sectors accounted for 75.5% of the total. By specific category, renewable energy recorded the highest share at 18.9%, followed by robotics at 11.3%, bringing the combined share of the two sectors to 30.2%. The FKI attributed the growing demand for renewable energy procurement to the government’s finalization of its 2035 nationally determined contribution (NDC) and plans to establish RE100 industrial complexes. Interest in robotics also reflects companies’ expectations of synergies with their existing core businesses, supported by advances in artificial intelligence technology. The pattern of new business pursuits differed markedly by company size. The top 500 companies by assets are pursuing an average of 2.1 new businesses, compared with 1.3 among the bottom 500, meaning larger companies are pursuing about 1.6 times as many. In terms of diversity, the top 500 companies showed a broad distribution across 22 specific sectors, while the bottom 500 were concentrated in just 15 sectors. The bottom 500 companies were particularly dependent on energy and manufacturing and mobility, with those two sectors accounting for 61.5% of their new business entries, indicating a greater concentration in specific industries. While larger companies are expanding into software- and service-based businesses, smaller companies tend to focus on hardware-oriented areas such as renewable energy and robotics. Companies are also exploring a range of other areas beyond energy and robotics, including software applications and cybersecurity at 8.5%, knowledge services at 6.6%, and AI convergence services at 5.7%. However, concerns remain over insufficient institutional support. Strategic sectors such as secondary batteries at 4.7% and aviation, space and defense at 3.8% also continue to account for single-digit shares. Lee Sang-ho, head of the FKI’s Economic Division, said companies’ expansion into new industries remains concentrated in certain sectors, with disparities also evident by company size. He emphasized the need for more proactive government support, including expanded research and development (R&D) tax incentives and more effective regulatory sandboxes for emerging industries, to help companies explore diverse business opportunities and strengthen their long-term competitiveness.