Pohang City Establishes 'Smart Aquaculture' Cluster in Janggi-myeon... Annual Production of 10,000 Tons of Salmon

Final Confirmation of 'Aquaculture Cluster' Project Utilizing ICT-Based Technology
Ministry of Land Chooses 'Smart City Challenge Project,' Double Celebration

Pohang Janggi-myeon Smart Aquaculture Backland.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-ho] Pohang City is rising as a ‘smart business specialized city’ by being consecutively selected for the government’s smart city contest project and the smart aquaculture cluster development project.

Pohang City's 'Smart Aquaculture Cluster Development Project' has passed the feasibility evaluation by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Following the government’s smart city contest project, the city will receive national funding for the smart aquaculture cluster development project, raising expectations that it will stand out as a ‘smart business specialized city’ in the future.

Through the smart aquaculture cluster development project, Pohang plans to invest 40 billion KRW over four years starting in 2021 to develop a 230,000㎡ (70,000-pyeong) site in Janggi-myeon, Nam-gu. The site will include a smart aquaculture testbed for salmon production, large-scale fish farms, processing facilities, and distribution and sales facilities.

In line with Pohang’s status as an advanced science and industrial city, the project will utilize Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as recirculating filtration systems, information and communication technology (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and big data to drive innovative growth in the aquaculture industry.

The planned site in Janggi-myeon is adjacent to the sea and the Janggi Stream, making it advantageous for sourcing both freshwater and seawater for aquaculture use. The area also boasts excellent transportation and logistics infrastructure, including highways (Daegu-Pohang Expressway, Donghae Expressway), an airport (Pohang Airport, 8 km away), and railways (KTX Pohang Station, 20 km; Shin-Gyeongju Station, 25 km).

Notably, the Pohang-style smart aquaculture cluster development project aims to establish the Korean-style recirculating aquaculture system (K-RAS Smart system). The recirculating filtration facility purifies and reuses water used in aquaculture, reducing water consumption and discharging treated water, making it environmentally friendly.

Once the cluster applying the Korean-style recirculating aquaculture system is established, it is expected to foster salmon production and nurture local smart aquaculture experts, leading to large-scale job creation, population inflow, and revitalization of the local economy. Additionally, it will enable the domestic mass production of salmon, which has been entirely dependent on imports, with an annual production scale of 10,000 tons worth approximately 130 billion KRW.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok expressed his pleasure, saying, "Pohang City is delighted to have been finally selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Smart City Challenge project and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ Smart Salmon Aquaculture Cluster Development Project. We expect to achieve smartification in the fisheries sector and new innovative growth in the aquaculture industry, establishing a sustainable growth foundation for fisheries."

Meanwhile, Pohang City was previously selected on the 26th as a finalist in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s ‘2021 Smart City Challenge’ contest project. Accordingly, as a pilot project, the city will invest 1.5 billion KRW of national funds this year to build and operate pilot systems such as a road surface detection system using IoT sensors, shoulder and sidewalk space recognition systems, and demand-responsive transportation systems. If selected for the main project next year, the city will secure a total project budget of 20 billion KRW (50% national funding).

Smart Form Testbed.

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