Pohang City Breaks Ground on 'Advanced Marine Industry R&D Center' at Songdo Beach... "New Model for Economic Base-Type New Deal Project"

Completion by the end of next year... 'Core Infrastructure' Linked to Pohang Port Old Port Redevelopment

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] Pohang City has broken ground on the 'Advanced Marine Industry R&D Center,' the core anchor facility of the Pohang Port Old Port Urban Regeneration New Deal Project (760,000㎡) at Songdo Beach, signaling a revival preparing for new future industries.

The groundbreaking ceremony held on the 17th was attended by Mayor Kangduk Lee, City Council Chairman Haejong Jeong, Deputy Governor Daesung Ha of Gyeongbuk Province, Vice Chairman Heesoo Kim of the Provincial Council, and others.

'Pohang Port Old Port Urban Regeneration New Deal Project' is the only nationwide R&D-based economic foundation urban regeneration New Deal project selected in 2018. It is referred to as a 'grand design' to foster new growth industries following the decline of the steel industry and to create an ecosystem that restructures the steel-centric industrial structure.

The project plans to develop the idle port area of Pohang Port Old Port, which was the cradle of Pohang's past development, into an advanced marine industrial complex, installing a complex of various corporate facilities, startup support facilities, residential and cultural facilities.

The core anchor facility of this project, the 'Advanced Marine Industry R&D Center,' which broke ground on this day, will be built on a 9,308㎡ site with a total floor area of 9,450㎡, consisting of one basement floor and nine above-ground floors, and is scheduled for completion in 2022.

The center will be equipped with various amenities including marine leisure-related facilities, factory-type laboratories, shared meeting rooms for resident companies, co-working spaces and offices, a fitness center, and dormitory-style sleeping spaces.

Leveraging Pohang's strengths such as POSTECH and the Korea Institute of Robot Convergence, along with abundant R&D human resources and technology-holding institutions, differentiated support for resident companies will be provided, aiming to create 30 companies and over 150 jobs by 2026.

In particular, through the settlement of advanced marine industry-related research institutions, specialized R&D for developing various marine leisure materials will be promoted. The first phase of the marine leisure playground construction in the Songdo Beach area was completed last year, and the second phase has begun, with other related projects progressing smoothly.

Mayor Kangduk Lee emphasized, "I hope the establishment of the Advanced Marine Industry R&D Center will foster new growth industries and become a key hub for restructuring the industrial structure," adding, "We will do our best to make it a model case that creates new growth engines in connection with the port redevelopment plan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.