Laos’ Attapeu Province Seeks South Korean Support for 580-Hectare Industrial Zone

Authorities in Attapeu, a province in southern Laos, discussed possible South Korean support for a 580-hectare industrial zone during a November 11 meeting with Ambassador Lee Jeong-hyop, according to the Laotian Times. The zone was one of several provincial priorities raised in the talks; the report did not say that financing or a development agreement had been secured.

The talks also covered three South Korean private investment projects valued at a combined $411.2 million, the Laotian Times reported. Two involve power generation, while the third is a road proposed under a build-operate-transfer arrangement, in which an investor operates the road for a set period before transferring it to the Lao government. The report did not identify the power technologies or provide individual project values.

Attapeu officials also sought support for processing agricultural products for export and outlined a plan to develop Road 18B as a trade corridor linking the province with neighbouring Vietnam and Cambodia, according to the Laotian Times. Provincial plans include logistics facilities intended to improve access to export markets. The reported discussions did not establish a construction timetable for the industrial zone or the road corridor.

South Korea already has an investment presence in Laos. The Lao Investment Promotion and Management Committee said in 2025 that South Korean companies had invested in 272 projects worth more than $914 million across sectors including energy, services and construction. Separately, the Laotian Times reported that a 2024 cooperation agreement called for a feasibility study on vegetable growing, silk production and a small processing facility in Attapeu.