Recognition of Hong Seung-eok, CEO of Osang Healthcare, and Others for Contributions to 'COVID-19 Diagnostic Kit Development and Export'

'2021 Bio Entrepreneurs Day' Held

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Fifteen contributors, including Hong Seung-eok, CEO of Osang Healthcare, who contributed to the development and export expansion of COVID-19 diagnostic kits, will receive the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Commendation on the 8th in celebration of the '2021 Bio Entrepreneurs Day.'

On this day, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea Bio Association, and Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology announced that they will hold the '2021 Bio Entrepreneurs Day' event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, where they will conduct awards for contributors and presentations of major achievements.

Park Jin-gyu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, mentioned in his congratulatory speech that bio exports surpassed $10 billion for the first time last year and are expected to break the record again this year. He plans to commend the efforts and spirit of challenge of entrepreneurs who responded swiftly to the COVID-19 situation and turned it into business opportunities.

According to the Ministry, the cumulative bio export amount from the beginning of this year to October is $12.93 billion. This means $1.293 billion worth of exports per month, and if this trend continues, the annual export amount for 2020 is likely to exceed $13.89 billion.

At the commemorative ceremony, awards will be given to contributors who have contributed to the development of the bio industry and job creation. CEO Hong and Choi Ui-yeol, CEO of Bodytech Med, will receive the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Commendation for their contributions to export increase. The Ministry will award commendations to contributors in various fields including job creation, regional development, workforce training, innovative growth, and research and development.

Vice Minister Park said, "We will spare no support for stable supply of raw and subsidiary materials, supply of specialized production personnel, and attraction of investment from leading companies." He added, "The government plans to expand investment in synthetic biology and advanced bio, which are promising future fields expected to have a huge ripple effect across the entire bio industry, and actively promote the development of digital therapeutics, which are gaining attention as next-generation medicines, and AI-based personalized healthcare services."

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