Government to Invest 200 Billion Won in SoBuJang R&D and More to Strengthen Technological Superiority

Launch of the 1st Sobujang Specialized Complex Promotion Task Force Council

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] A council to expand communication and cooperation among members of the materials, parts, and equipment (SoBuJang) specialized complexes has been launched.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 16th that it held the "1st SoBuJang Specialized Complex Promotion Council" at the Jeonbuk Carbon Materials Specialized Complex.

The council is a regular communication channel established to build a trust-based solidarity and cooperation system among key entities of the specialized complexes, such as resident companies and research institutes, and to seek mid- to long-term development plans for the complexes. Currently, there are five SoBuJang specialized complexes: semiconductors (Gyeonggi), displays (Chungnam), secondary batteries (Chungbuk), carbon materials (Jeonbuk), and precision machinery (Gyeongnam).

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is promoting the "Materials and Parts Technology Development Project" aiming to create new markets in research and development as a support measure for resident companies within the complexes. Approximately KRW 95 billion will be supported from this year through 2026 for a total of 20 projects. The goals include maintaining a technological gap in key industries such as semiconductors and displays, and achieving technological independence for core SoBuJang items such as secondary battery pouches.

Through the "Materials and Parts Industry Technology Development Infrastructure Construction Project" to complete the value chain for each complex, about KRW 100 billion will be invested over the next three years to establish approximately 200 types of research and development equipment.

Efforts will also be made to foster talent. A "specialized training program for incumbent workers" will be operated to quickly apply new technologies and processes such as carbon composites and next-generation displays to the field and to resolve on-site difficulties of cooperating companies within the complexes. Approximately KRW 5 billion will be invested from this year through 2025 for this purpose.

Lee Kyungho, Director of Materials, Parts, and Equipment Cooperation at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "SoBuJang specialized complexes will serve as a value chain-complete cluster and play a central role in internalizing South Korea’s supply chain." He added, "We will actively review opinions from the council and reflect them in the establishment of new policies and project planning related to the specialized complexes."

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