As Gyeongsangnam-do Province was finally selected as the first government-designated Green Bio Industry Promotion Zone, the foundation for future industries is expected to be established in the western inland area centered on the Jirisan area.

South Gyeongsang Province announced on the 3rd that the “Gyeongnam Green Bio 10th Industrial Promotion District” will be selected in a public contest by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and will start a full-fledged business. This was the first district designation under the Green Bio Industry Promotion Act, which took effect in January this year, and was highly praised for its plan to establish a full-cycle industrial system that extends to research, demonstration, commercialization, and market entry.

The Yuseong district encompasses five cities and counties at the foot of Jirisan Mountain, including Namhae, Hadong, Sancheong, and Hamyang, centering on Jinju City. The key is to focus on fostering natural products and food materials based on specialized crops and biological resources in each region such as strawberries, white beans, perilla seeds, wild herbs, garlic, green tea, wild ginseng, and sericulture.

Agricultural products in these regions have already secured GAP, geographical indication, and eco-friendly certification. In addition, Hadong Green Tea and Persimmon have been recognized for their international brand value as FAO World Important Agricultural Heritage. Hamyang Wild Ginseng is active in industrialization of health functional foods and cosmetics based on more than 60 patents, and Sancheong Wild Ginseng has a high value of new silk protein materials.

Corporate and research infrastructure are also concentrated in the region. Of the 84 green bio companies in Gyeongnam, 61 are concentrated in western Gyeongnam. In addition, 24 research institutes and four universities, including the Korea Silk Institute, the Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services Institute of Pharmaceutical Resources, and Gyeongsang National University, are active in fostering professional manpower and joint research between industry and academia.

Gyeongnam Province plans to complete the Jeonju Industrial Ecosystem by linking the ‘Green Bio Venture Campus’ worth 33.8 billion won in Jinju with the ‘Natural Material Electricity Standardization Hub’ to be promoted next year with the development district. Support for start-up childcare, technical commercialization, fostering small and medium-sized companies, and entering overseas markets will also be promoted in stages.

The province has held more than 25 working-level meetings and signed business agreements with 18 industrial, academic, research, and government agencies in August to establish a cooperative system. “The government’s designation of a fostering district is the result of the national recognition of Gyeongnam’s biological resources, research capabilities, and industry-academic cooperation base,” said Lee Jung-gon, head of the agricultural administration bureau in Gyeongnam Province. “We will grow western Gyeongnam into a green bio center and lead to high value-added agriculture in the future.”