Changwon Special City Establishes Win-Win Cooperation System to Strengthen Competitiveness in Defense and Nuclear Industries

Mayor Hong Nampyo, "We Will Steadily Promote Key Projects Including the Establishment of the Gyeongnam Nuclear Comprehensive Support Center"

On the 16th, Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam held a meeting with the executives of the Defense Industry and Nuclear Industry Business Council to discuss development plans to respond to rapidly changing domestic and international environments and to listen to the difficulties faced by the industrial field.

Changwon Special City Holds Executive Meeting of Defense and Nuclear Industry Business Council.

The meeting was attended by executives of the Defense and Nuclear Industry Business Council and officials from Changwon City. The attendees agreed on the need to promote sustainable growth in the defense and nuclear industries and to build an ecosystem of mutual cooperation.

In particular, Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, forecasted that defense industry exports and the construction of a new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic in the nuclear sector would proceed without setbacks, urging local defense and nuclear companies to carry out their projects steadily.

Mayor Hong also stated, “Changwon City will spare no administrative support to ensure that local companies can respond stably to rapidly changing domestic and international environments,” adding, “We will steadily promote key projects such as the establishment of a defense and nuclear convergence national industrial complex, the SMR robot-utilized manufacturing support center, and the construction of the Gyeongnam Nuclear Comprehensive Support Center.”

He continued, “We will also actively work on sharing trend information of system companies and resolving difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises.”

Oh Byunghoo, Chairman of the Defense Small and Medium Enterprise Council, said, “Although there are concerns that exports in the defense industry may be disrupted due to a decline in external credibility caused by domestic risks, the status of K-Defense remains valid,” emphasizing, “To secure sustainable growth momentum for defense SMEs, establishing a mutually cooperative system with system companies and support from the government and local governments is more important than anything else.”

Kim Hongbeom, Chairman of the Nuclear Industry Business Council, stated, “Nuclear power is now recognized as an essential industry, and I believe the phase-out nuclear policy will not be repeated. However, there are concerns as legislation for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste is delayed,” adding, “Small Modular Reactors (SMR) are an important technology that can address the globally expanding power demand, and we are actively preparing related investments.”

Meanwhile, Changwon Special City is an industrial hub where key defense industry companies such as Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Aerospace, as well as Doosan Enerbility, the only domestic manufacturer of nuclear main equipment, are located. The city fosters and supports the defense and nuclear industries as strategic industries.

The Defense Small and Medium Enterprise Council was formed in February 2019 with the goal of revitalizing the Changwon defense industry and local economy, currently involving 122 companies. The Nuclear Industry Business Council is set to be launched in February 2024, with 32 companies participating to establish a cooperative system for technology development and information sharing among nuclear power companies.

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