Pohang Emerges as the Hub of K-Animal Pharmaceuticals... Selected as Green Bio Industry Promotion Zone by Ministry of Agriculture and Food

A city once known for steel is now transforming into a city of life sciences.

On December 1, Pohang City was finally selected for the 'Green Bio Industry Promotion Zone' competition organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Following its designation as a bio-specialized complex last year, this marks another important step forward for the growth of the local bio industry.

Pohang City Selected for the 'Green Bio Industry Promotion Zone' Competition. Provided by Pohang City

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The newly selected promotion zone consists of the Pohang Advanced Research and Development District in Jigok R&D Valley, Nam-gu, and the Pohang Convergence Technology Industrial Zone in Iin-ri, Heunghaeeup, Buk-gu.

Pohang City has made every effort to secure the designation of the Green Bio Industry Promotion Zone by leveraging the capabilities of leading local educational institutions such as POSTECH and Handong Global University, the Green Vaccine Demonstration Support Center-a core green bio industry hub-and promising regional green bio companies with advanced technologies in the green vaccine field.

With this designation, Pohang will receive several benefits: eligibility to participate in national infrastructure projects related to the green bio industry by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; preferential evaluation points for companies located within the promotion zone when applying for green bio business support programs; and priority in competitions centered on designated strategic facilities. Building on these advantages, Pohang plans to strengthen research and development and business support to establish itself as a leading city in the emerging green bio industry.

Currently, Pohang is home to a variety of bio infrastructure facilities, including the Green Bio Venture Campus-a hub for green bio venture startups, the Green Vaccine Demonstration Support Center for animal pharmaceutical production, an advanced analysis system for discovering new drug candidates for animal pharmaceuticals, and an industrialization hub for the mass production of green bio-based animal pharmaceuticals.

The city plans to actively utilize these resources to establish a collaborative system among industry, academia, and research institutes, aiming to complete the full-cycle industrial ecosystem and lead the national green bio industry.

Mayor Lee Kangdeok stated, "We will support the growth of local green bio companies and the expansion of jobs so that the green bio industry can play a central role in Pohang’s new development and leap forward," adding, "We will strengthen the cooperation system among key institutions to actively support Pohang’s emergence as a hub of the K-animal pharmaceutical industry."

This year, 11 metropolitan cities and provinces, including North Gyeongsang Province, participated in the competition. A total of seven regions were selected. North Gyeongsang Province participated with the aim of becoming a global hub for the green bio industry by linking three specialized areas: animal pharmaceuticals in Pohang, insects in Sangju and Yecheon, and natural substances in Andong, Sangju, and Uiseong.

Among them, Pohang was highly evaluated for its unique and largest plant vaccine infrastructure in Korea and its strong, technology-intensive corporate ecosystem. It is now recognized as the region with the greatest potential to become the hub city for the national animal pharmaceutical industry.

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