South Korean industrial giants Hyundai and Kia have expressed interest in setting up a steel mill and car manufacturing facility at the Trincomalee Harbour, a top Board of Investment (BoI) official said.

BoI Director General Duminda Ariyasinghe said this was conveyed to him by the two companies during a visit he made to the South Korea a couple of months back. Trincomalee Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world followed by the harbour in California, USA, and is the only one in Asia. The harbour has 1630 hectares of water, while the entrance channel is 500 metres wide. Since ancient times, Trincomalee Harbour has played a major role in connecting Sri Lanka to the world.