Gumi Restructures Industrial Ecosystem to Become a Future-Oriented Industrial City

Accelerating the Transition to Advanced Industries
Leaping Forward as a Future City Based on Carbon Neutrality
Full-Scale Innovation in Robotics, Secondary Batteries, and Advanced Materials and Components
Major Shift Toward Eco-Friendly Industrial Structures in Carbon Neutral Industrial Complexes

On January 28, the city of Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province announced that it is restructuring its industrial ecosystem with a focus on robotics, secondary batteries, and advanced materials and components, aiming to emerge as a future-oriented industrial city.

Alongside the creation of an industrial complex leading in carbon neutrality, the city is expanding its energy self-sufficiency and welfare infrastructure, thereby concretizing its 2026 urban strategy that integrates both growth and environmental sustainability.

(clockwise) AI Factory Logistics Transfer Automation / AI Factory Manufacturing Process Automation / AI Factory Logistics Automation Process ASRS - Optimal Use of Logistics Space Intelligent Logistics Management System / AI Factory Manufacturing Process AI-Based Quality Control / Photo by Lee Ihwan

In the robotics sector, Gumi is focusing on the AI Factory project, which integrates AI-based robots and equipment into the region’s key industries, in line with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s manufacturing innovation strategy.

Beyond last year’s selection of the “K-Defense Logistics Transfer Management AI System Development” project (KRW 12.6 billion) and the “AI System Development for Advanced Defense Weapon Systems” project (KRW 10.8 billion), the city is now making a concerted effort to secure new project bids in areas such as semiconductor wafers and quartzware. Through these initiatives, Gumi aims to enhance the technological capabilities of local robotics companies and promote mutual growth by realizing autonomous manufacturing processes in key industries.

To strengthen the competitiveness of the entire secondary battery industry cycle, Gumi is actively building an industrial ecosystem that covers everything from materials, components, and equipment to the reuse of spent batteries.

The “Secondary Battery Development Hub Center” (KRW 31 billion), set to open in the first half of the year, will provide customized technical support for companies, including prototype production and advanced process technologies. In addition, the “BaaS Demonstration Infrastructure Project” (KRW 27.2 billion) will establish a safety and reliability verification system for used batteries and lay the groundwork for a subscription-based battery service.

Furthermore, the completion of the BaaS Testing and Demonstration Center and the relocation and expansion of the KTR Daegu-Gyeongbuk headquarters to Gumi in the first half of the year will improve accessibility for companies, with the goal of attracting secondary battery businesses and establishing the city as an industrial hub.

In the field of advanced materials and components, the city will leverage its existing infrastructure to shift toward demonstration and application-focused operations. The “Artificial Graphite Application Technology Research Center” (KRW 24.4 billion) will support the evaluation of artificial graphite properties-a key material for semiconductors and secondary batteries-as well as prototype production, facilitating the use of related technologies and industrial linkages. The “High-Tech Roll Advancement Support Center” (KRW 20.1 billion), which handles core parts for secondary battery manufacturing equipment, will continue to support the strengthening of domestic production capabilities through testing, demonstration, and advanced technology development.

Additionally, when the Lab Factory Center (KRW 33.2 billion) for the demonstration and advancement of manufacturing technologies for carbon materials and components in the defense, aerospace, and space sectors is completed in the second half of this year, it will serve as a core infrastructure supporting process validation and technological advancement for related companies.

In the energy sector, in line with the government’s energy policies to achieve carbon neutrality, Gumi is implementing the nation’s first “Carbon Neutral Industrial Complex Model Establishment Project” (KRW 130.2 billion), aiming to transform the structure of industrial complexes through the expansion of renewable energy, reduction of carbon emissions, and establishment of a resource circulation system. The city has also secured KRW 2.2 billion for the “Renewable Energy Convergence Support Project,” which will expand the supply of renewable energy to 179 locations.

Through the “City Gas Supply Support Project for Underserved Areas,” Gumi plans to install a 730-meter supply pipeline in four areas, including Wonpyeong-dong and Seonsan-eup, where city gas has not yet been supplied.

Additionally, the city will implement the “Village Unit LPG Pipeline Network Construction Project” for 100 households in Chogok-ri, Okseong-myeon, and 74 households in Singok-ri, Dogae-myeon, further enhancing the stability of residents’ daily lives and improving access to energy.

Gumi Mayor Kim Jangho stated, “Fostering advanced industries and transitioning to eco-friendly energy are essential foundations for preparing Gumi’s future,” adding, “I hope that the growth of eco-friendly industries that citizens can truly experience will lead to renewed vitality in the region.”

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