Ulsan Launches Pilot 'VKSEE' Open Global Startup Program

Ulsan has declared a massive transformation from its identity as a traditional manufacturing city to a global startup hub. To accelerate digital transformation and secure future growth engines, it is fully committed to attracting excellent overseas deep-tech startup talent, with the Ulsan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (UCCEI) and Ulsan College (UC) leading the charge. In cooperation with major Vietnamese universities and institutions, they are pilot-operating the innovative 'VKSEE (Vietnam-Korea Startups Ecosystem Exchange Cooperation)' program. VKSEE is a unique model that provides one-stop support for Vietnamese youth in Ulsan, covering academics, startup creation, and settlement. Through Ulsan College's Department of International Studies, Global Startup Major study abroad course (2 years), students complete Korean language and OASIS-based technology startup education, and then are helped to establish roots in Ulsan by founding deep-tech startups. In particular, participants in the 'UGIL' program receive exceptional benefits such as student visas, part-time work opportunities, scholarships, and dormitory accommodation. After graduation, comprehensive growth support is promised, including assistance with obtaining a startup visa, access to UCCEI's startup spaces, mentoring, and investment attraction linkages. Based on its unique technological capabilities and infrastructure accumulated in the manufacturing sector, Ulsan possesses the strength of providing an optimal testbed for deep-tech startups in areas such as AI, big data, smart factories, and autonomous vehicles. The plan is to resolve the challenge of a shortage of local digital professionals through the VKSEE program, connecting Vietnam's young population and excellent software technology with Ulsan's industrial ecosystem to lead a successful digital transformation. This is evaluated as a mutually beneficial win-win model that supplies core talent and technology to Ulsan while providing global startup opportunities to Vietnamese youth. Furthermore, Ulsan is expanding its cooperation network to various countries, including Thailand, Japan, and Singapore, and is promoting the establishment of a global immigration center centered around the Ulsan startup hub. It plans to establish a comprehensive support system to help foreign entrepreneurs stably settle and grow, including OASIS education for obtaining foreign startup visas, residency support, and legal/tax consultation. Kim Heon-seong, Head of the Ulsan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, expressed a strong ambition: "We will actively attract foreign deep-tech startups linked to our regionally specialized industries, thereby developing Ulsan into a truly international innovative city."