Jeju’s aging industrial complexes are being transformed into hubs for renewable energy and the bioindustry.

According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 28th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy recently selected Jeju, Gangwon, and Jeonbuk in the public offering for candidates for the “2027 Aging Core Industrial Complex Competitiveness Enhancement Project Zones.” This public offering was prepared to go beyond improving infrastructure and working conditions to promote digital and eco-friendly transition, thereby reorganizing aging industrial complexes into bases for regional innovation. In Jeju, a total project budget of KRW 323.2 billion will be invested over three years starting next year to renew and upgrade the old industrial complexes. Jeju Province applied for the public offering with a competitiveness enhancement project plan that links the Lava Seawater Industrial Complex and the Gujwa, Daejeong, and Geumneung agro-industrial complexes with the High-Tech Science and Technology Complex as the hub. In particular, the Gujwa, Daejeong, and Geumneung agro-industrial complexes were established in 1989, 1991, and 1994, respectively, and are facing serious deterioration of basic infrastructure. In the case of the Lava Seawater Industrial Complex, the province is envisioning a transition to a so-called “100% Renewable Energy (RE100) Industrial Complex.”

Accordingly, Jeju Province participated in this public offering with a plan to apply the renewable energy and bioindustry technologies possessed by the High-Tech Science and Technology Complex to the aging industrial complexes. The project vision is “Building a Jeju-style Sustainable Industrial Ecosystem through Energy and AX Grand Transition,” with three key priorities: △ a major transformation of industrial complexes based on energy and artificial intelligence transition (AX) △ advancement of competitiveness in Jeju’s specialized bioindustry △ creation of an industrial complex environment where young people want to come and stay.

Jeju Province expects that this selection will enable it to implement a renewable energy-based clean bioindustry on the ground in the industrial complexes and accelerate AI transition across industries, thereby enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of tenant companies. Going forward, the province will establish a Competitiveness Enhancement Promotion Council chaired by Jeju Governor Wi Seong-gon, and, with consulting support from specialized institutions and private experts, will flesh out the implementation measures and details of the specific projects. In addition, after consultations with relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, once the competitiveness enhancement project plan is supplemented and finalized, the province plans to secure designation as a project zone in the first half of next year and proceed with the project.

Governor Wi stated, “With this selection, it has become possible to materialize the 9th popularly elected administration’s vision of a ‘climate economy capital’ on the ground in the industrial complexes,” adding, “We will steadily promote the project as an industrial complex innovation model that leverages Jeju’s unique strengths, so as to enhance the competitiveness of local companies and provide quality jobs for young people.”

Meanwhile, this selection is also aligned with the government’s “National Land Great Transformation Promotion Strategy.”

Last month, the government selected △ renewable energy convergence systems △ small satellite systems △ clean bio-wellness as Jeju’s growth engines and announced plans to develop Jeju into a “future industry frontier testbed.”

Popular News