Seoul

A day after inviting automobile major Kia to expand its EV and hybrid vehicle ecosystem, Andhra Pradesh IT, Electronics and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh on Friday urged Hyundai to establish a shipbuilding cluster in the State.

As part of his investment promotion visit to South Korea, Lokesh held a meeting with Kwon Younghoon, Global Business Director, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KOSE), and Hong Sunjoon, Team Leader, in Seoul to discuss investment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh’s maritime and shipbuilding sector.

During the meeting, the Minister showcased Andhra Pradesh’s advantages for establishing world-class shipbuilding and marine engineering facilities. He highlighted the State’s nearly 1,000-kilometre coastline, strategic location on India’s east coast, operational and upcoming deep-water ports, world-class logistics infrastructure, competitive industrial ecosystem and investor-friendly policies.

Explaining the Government’s “Speed of Doing Business” philosophy, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh has built a governance model that enables investors to establish projects quickly through fast approvals, proactive facilitation and seamless coordination across government departments.

Citing the successful experience of Korean companies such as Kia Motors, its supplier ecosystem and LG Electronics, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh has consistently demonstrated its ability to execute large industrial projects in record time.

He also highlighted recent marquee investments, including the Google Data Centre, the ArcelorMittal integrated steel plant and the fighter aircraft manufacturing project, saying these reflect the growing confidence of global companies in the State’s industrial ecosystem.