Youngone Corporation seeks to expand its presence in Uzbekistan by building a broader textile and apparel value chain, betting on the Central Asian nation’s cotton resources, export access and growing manufacturing base.
Speaking at the Korea-Uzbekistan Business Forum 2026 in Tashkent, Youngone President Park Jae-yong said Uzbekistan offers both trade advantages and long-term growth potential for the Korean textile and apparel company.
“Uzbekistan has strong appeal, including trade benefits,” Park said. “It allows products to be supplied duty-free to Europe, which is one of our main markets, and also offers opportunities in the nearby Commonwealth of Independent States, Russian and Central Asian markets.”
Youngone is one of Korea’s largest textile and apparel companies by revenue. The company operates the North Face brand in Korea under a license agreement and also supplies outdoor and sportswear products to global brands including Lululemon, Patagonia and Arc’teryx through OEM and ODM manufacturing.
Park said Youngone had more than 100,000 employees worldwide as of the end of last year and produces about 100 million garments annually across its global manufacturing network. Its major production bases include Bangladesh, Vietnam, El Salvador and Uzbekistan, with plans to expand into Kenya.
The company posted global sales of about $3.5 trillion last year, Park said. In addition to its apparel manufacturing business, Youngone owns Swiss bicycle brand Scott. Park said Uzbekistan’s strength as a cotton-producing country makes it a promising base for a more integrated textile business. Our goal is to build a vertically integrated business, from cotton-based yarn to weaving, knitting and garment production.
Youngone has invested about $22 million in Uzbekistan and expects the figure to rise to $40 million within the next three years, Park said. The company currently operates a main factory in Samarkand and plans to expand the value chain into textiles early next year.
Park said Youngone is also pursuing environmentally friendly operations in the countries where it has manufacturing sites, including through solar power, biomass and other green energy sources.
Beyond manufacturing, Youngone has been involved in local community support in Uzbekistan. Park said the company took over and continues to operate a traditional performance theater that had faced financial difficulties, while also working with Seoul National University’s social responsibility group on community service activities.
Park said Youngone initially aims to produce high-quality cotton-based products in Uzbekistan, but plans to move into higher-value performance apparel similar to the products it develops for North Face in Korea.
“We will actively support and train local workers so that Uzbekistan can become a strong country in textiles, apparel and fashion,” Park said.
