Yangsan-si, Silant: The Ultra-Differentiated Technology Industry Achieved Through Pathos

Story of Selection for Ultra-Gap Technology Development Project of Sealant Materials for Aerospace and Defense

‘Pathos’, called ‘Paeisos’ in English, is a Greek word meaning ‘passion’ or ‘emotion’.

The selection of the high-performance sealant project and the achievements made so far are the results of the passionate (Pathos) collaboration from the Yangsan City officials in charge to the mayor.

The sealant project is a proposed initiative discovered by Yangsan City, Gyeongnam Technopark, and the Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), targeting advanced industries specialized in the region. Until the project was selected, Yangsan City and KCL have taken practical and hands-on leadership, and Yangsan City has played a key role in securing the most important national funding.

The sealant project was identified as an alternative to the ‘Elastic Material Re-advancement Project,’ a preliminary feasibility study project that unfortunately failed at the final stage in 2023. From May 2023, an industrial status and demand survey was conducted, based on which a project proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and by around July, a detailed plan involving government, research institutes, and industry was completed.

Yangsan City and Gyeongnam Province took charge of government relations for project selection and securing national funds, Gyeongnam Technopark and KCL jointly carried out infrastructure projects, and the project system was structured so that related companies discovered by KCL, Noroo Paint and Saeron Tech, are responsible for technology development in collaboration with universities and research institutes for each detailed technology (1 and 2).

Since August 2023, visits were made to local National Assembly members’ offices to explain the related project and request support, and Mayor Na Dong-yeon requested a meeting with the Budget Office Director of the Ministry of Economy and Finance to explain the necessity of the project.

The heads of the responsible departments visited the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to request an increase in the National Assembly budget, and several meetings were held to gain support from local National Assembly members. In early November, Mayor Na traveled to Seoul again to ensure the increased budget in the National Assembly and continued his full support by meeting with National Assembly members.

In December of the same year, the efforts bore fruit with the securing of 2 billion KRW in national funding, marking the first step toward the project’s success. In March 2024, the project application was submitted, and finally, in June, the Yangsan City consortium was selected as the final project executor.

Until the fruits of success are seen, Yangsan City’s Pathos will only grow stronger.

October 24, Aerospace Defense Material Industry Business Agreement Ceremony held at Yangsan City Hall.

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