Hwasun-gun Accelerates Efforts to Attract Advanced Medical Complex

Published 11 Aug.2022 13:20(KST)

[Hwasun=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Ji-woon] Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do is accelerating efforts to attract the Advanced Medical Complex District (hereinafter referred to as the Advanced Medical Complex).

On the 11th, the county held an expert meeting related to attracting the Advanced Medical Complex in the small conference room of the county office, discussing the county's role, implementation strategies, and cooperation plans with local related organizations.

Through the presentation titled "Implementation Strategy for Attracting the Hwasun Advanced Medical Complex," the county proposed ▲bio workforce development ▲formation and operation plans for the Hwasun Life Society Forum.

The county plans to promote bio workforce development by dividing it into domestic and overseas efforts.

Domestically, the plan is to attract a medical-bio convergence university in the Hwasun area to lure outstanding high school students from Jeonnam and Gwangju regions into the bio field, and overseas, to establish a medical bio training center to attract excellent foreign talent into the domestic bio sector.

The Chemical Bio Industry Human Resources Development Committee (ISC) pointed out the severity of the workforce shortage in the bio field in its "Industrial Workforce Status Self-Survey" conducted last year, citing lack of job competency as a major cause.

This means there is a shortage of personnel with the technical skills required for actual hiring among applicants from bio companies and institutions. Hwasun-gun plans to expand human resources for the Advanced Medical Complex by nurturing specialized personnel in related fields.

The domestic and international bio workforce development plans are expected to serve as a significant advantage in attracting the Advanced Medical Complex.

The county plans to form the Hwasun Life Society Forum, encompassing domestic and international expert groups, political circles, and industry-academia-research-hospital institutions, to carry out comprehensive activities to attract the Advanced Medical Complex.

Since its designation as a special zone in 2010, the Hwasun Vaccine Industry Special Zone has established a foundation supporting all stages of vaccine and biopharmaceutical development, including research and development, preclinical and clinical trials, productization, certification, and manufacturing, emerging as a biomedical hub.

The establishment of the Hwasun Advanced Medical Complex was selected as one of the "11 new joint projects for Jeonnam and Gwangju" by the Jeonnam-Gwangju Win-Win Development Committee and is part of the balanced development pledge of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration for Jeollanam-do.

The county and Jeollanam-do plan to attract the Advanced Medical Complex by differentiating it as a "third-generation advanced bio-drug specialized" complex focusing on immune cell and gene therapies.

Participants in the meeting included Gu Bok-gyu, Hwasun County Governor; Ryu Ki-jun and Im Ji-rak, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly members; Jeong Yong-yeon, Director of Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital; Beom Hee-seung, Director of Hwasun County Nursing Hospital; Cho Min, Director of the Microbial Demonstration Support Center; Ryu Jae-sang, Director of KTR Healthcare Advanced Chemical Research Institute; and Lee Yong-beom, Senior Vice President of the Korea Industrial Complex Managers Association.

Governor Gu Bok-gyu said, "Once the Advanced Medical Complex is established, Hwasun will become a groundbreaking turning point, rising as a genuine global hub for the vaccine and bio industry," adding, "We will attract and develop a 'super-regional advanced medical complex' combining Gwangju's specialized digital healthcare and Hwasun's immune therapy, making Hwasun a core axis leading the nation's future industries."