South Korea's Youngone Corporation to expand investments in Uzbekistan to $40 million

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — South Korean textile and apparel giant Youngone Corporation intends to significantly expand its presence in the Uzbek market, according to a report by The Korea Herald (The Investor).

Speaking at the Korea-Uzbekistan Business Forum 2026 held in Tashkent, the President of the company, Park Jae-yong, announced plans to increase the total volume of investments in the republic's economy to US$40 million over the next three years. To date, the foreign investor has already allocated approximately US$22 million toward developing localized manufacturing capacities.

The strategic goal of the South Korean corporation is to establish a fully vertical integrated production chain within Uzbekistan. Drawing upon the country's abundant raw material base, Youngone's management aims to consolidate all stages of manufacturing into a single technological layout: from purchasing raw cotton and spinning yarn to weaving, knitting, and sewing finished garments.

Currently, the company's core production asset is localized in Samarkand. Early next year, the investor will initiate a major expansion of the value chain by commissioning new textile processing facilities.

President Park Jae-yong highlighted Uzbekistan's unique export preferences as a key competitive advantage, particularly the capability for duty-free deliveries of finished garments to the expansive European market, along with its strategic geographical proximity to the CIS and Central Asian countries.

During the initial phase, the Samarkand-based enterprise will focus on manufacturing high-quality cotton products. In the long term, however, Youngone plans to repurpose these capacities to manufacture high-tech, high-margin functional sportswear similar to the product lines of The North Face brand, which the corporation operates under license in South Korea.

In addition to ramping up industrial capabilities and providing technical training for local workers, the South Korean investor is actively integrating environmentally sustainable solutions at its Uzbek factories, including transitions to solar power generation and the utilization of biomass.

Concurrently, the company is managing humanitarian projects in the region. Youngone has assumed financial responsibility for a traditional local performance theater that had faced economic hardship and is coordinating social initiatives in partnership with Seoul National University’s social responsibility group.