Jeonbuk Selected as "Microbial Convergence Green Bio Industry Promotion Zone"

Fostering the Center of Green Bio Innovation in Korea

Jeonbuk Province has been finally selected for the "Microbial Convergence Green Bio Industry Promotion Zone" in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' public contest for the "Green Bio Industry Promotion Zone Development Project."

Jeonbuk Provincial Government Office building. Provided by Jeonbuk Province

According to the province on December 1, this public contest project is a national strategic initiative by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to strengthen the national competitiveness of the green bio industry, which utilizes biological resources such as microorganisms, plants, and insects. The project selects regions equipped with an integrated ecosystem covering research and development, production, and commercialization, and focuses on their intensive development.

Jeonbuk was recognized for its comprehensive national strategic system, which includes its research capabilities based on microorganisms, corporate infrastructure, and industrialization experience. The promotion zone will be established as a complex industrial area spanning a total of 4,095,293 square meters across six cities and counties: Jeonju, Iksan, Jeongeup, Namwon, Imsil, and Sunchang.

In particular, the unique structure that links the research and development special zone, opportunity development special zone, and the agro-bio industrial zone into a single industrial belt-the only one of its kind in the country-was highly evaluated for generating synergy between regions and for its future growth potential.

The province has established a full-cycle industrial operation system in which each of the six cities and counties has a clear division of functions, covering everything from research and demonstration to business attraction and raw material supply. Jeongeup will serve as a hub for agricultural and livestock microorganism companies, taking charge of production and demonstration, while the county will lead the industrialization of microorganism material companies and microbiome technology.

Iksan, Jeonju, Namwon, and Imsil will each support industrial expansion and market linkage by focusing on their specialized sectors: functional foods, cosmetics, the insect industry, and dairy products, respectively.

With the designation of the promotion zone, four key strategies will be launched in earnest: research innovation, infrastructure development, professional workforce training, and the promotion of investment and business commercialization. The province aims to train 3,055 professionals, attract 116 companies, develop 50 new products, and secure 55,000 tons of regional raw materials, thereby driving innovation across the entire industrial ecosystem.

The selection in the public contest is expected to have significant ripple effects across the regional economy, including job creation, the expansion of advanced agriculture, and increased exports of bio-materials.

Jeonbuk already possesses the nation's top-level foundation for the microorganism industry. The five specialized sectors-microorganism industries in Jeongeup and Sunchang, seed industry in Gimje, food and veterinary medicine industry in Iksan, and insect industry in Namwon-are organically linked, forming the most advanced industrial map among any single region in the country.

In addition, the 187,000 strains managed by the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences' Agricultural Microorganism Bank (KACC), the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology's Biological Resource Center (KCTC), and the Sunchang Useful Microorganism Bank constitute the largest resource system in the country, providing a stable foundation for research and production.

The province also plans to maximize the attraction of domestic and international companies by shifting from individual support policies to a full-cycle support system that connects research and development, demonstration, commercialization, and export. To this end, a total project worth 361.5 billion won will be promoted in stages in cooperation with central government ministries.

The province has proactively implemented foundational projects worth a total of 189.6 billion won to establish the microorganism green bio industry ecosystem.

Representative initiatives include the establishment of GMP industrialization facilities for agricultural and livestock microorganisms, expansion of advanced analysis systems for green bio-materials, creation of a useful microorganism bank, development of a green bio venture campus, construction of shared infrastructure for the agricultural and livestock microorganism industry, and establishment of knowledge industry centers for microbiome and advanced bio-materials. Such proactive investments and systematic industrial infrastructure development are analyzed to have been decisive factors in this selection.

Min Sunshik, Director of the Agro-Bio and Livestock Industry Bureau of the province, stated, "This designation is a result of Jeonbuk's microorganism research ecosystem and industrial infrastructure being recognized as a central axis of the nation's core strategic industries," adding, "We will foster Jeonbuk as the center of green bio innovation in Korea and as a global production and research hub competing in the world market."

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