Mokpo's First Naval Defense Contractor Designated on West Coast... Shift from Commercial Vessels to Defense

JK Heavy Industries Designated by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
A Signal for Diversification in the Shipbuilding Industry

Scenic view of Mokpo Sapjin Industrial Complex. Courtesy of Jeonnam Province

JK Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., headquartered in Mokpo, Jeonnam Province, announced that it has been designated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy as a defense contractor in the naval vessel sector. This marks the first such designation among shipbuilding companies in the West Coast region.

This designation is expected to serve as an opportunity for Jeonnam Province's shipbuilding industry to expand its focus from commercial vessels to the defense sector.

Since its establishment in 2014, JK Heavy Industries has grown its business with a focus on ship block manufacturing, ship repair and conversion, and new construction of government vessels, achieving annual sales of approximately 30 billion won. After about three years of preparation, the company was designated as a defense contractor in the naval vessel sector in February.

Jeonnam Province is working to establish a marine defense industry ecosystem in cooperation with companies and universities, prompted by the launch of the Coast Guard maintenance facility in the Heosado area of Mokpo on March 4.

To foster the global maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industry for naval vessels at local shipyards, the province has established legal grounds for support in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Administrative Integration Special Act. It also plans to participate in the naval vessel MRO project being promoted this year by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, in order to expand related infrastructure.

Kim Gihong, Director of Strategic Industries at Jeonnam Province, stated, "We are pleased that a Jeonnam-based company is entering the marine defense market," adding, "We will actively support local shipbuilding companies so that they can grow in new sectors such as defense and ship repair."

Choi Jonggeun, CEO of JK Heavy Industries, said, "With this designation as a defense contractor, we will strengthen our technological innovation and quality competitiveness, and grow into a company with a competitive edge in the naval vessel MRO market."

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