Changwon City and Defense Acquisition Program Administration Accelerate Efforts to Promote 'Defense Innovation Cluster Project'

Changwon City announced on the 23rd that it will collaborate with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to accelerate the promotion of the "Defense Industry Innovation Cluster Project," which was selected as the first pilot project by DAPA nationwide. (Photo by Changwon City)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Changwon City in Gyeongnam announced on the 23rd that it has agreed to cooperate with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to accelerate the promotion of the ‘Defense Industry Innovation Cluster Project,’ which was selected as the first pilot project by DAPA nationwide.

On the same day, Changwon Mayor Heo Seong-mu held a meeting with DAPA officials, including Kim Seong-jun, Director of the Defense Industry Promotion Bureau, and Seo Yong-won, Director of the Defense Industry Policy Division, who visited the city, to discuss measures for the development of the defense industry and detailed implementation plans for the Defense Industry Innovation Cluster Project.

After the meeting, Mayor Heo visited the Defense Industry Innovation Cluster Project Group to discuss the promotion of detailed projects such as the construction of the Gyeongnam Changwon Industrial Promotion Center.

He then attended a meeting on the operation plan of the Defense Venture Center following the promotion of the Defense Industry Innovation Cluster Project and a technical meeting with the Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology. Afterwards, he visited Hanwha Defense and other companies to jointly explore ways to expand defense exports.

The city is recognized as the largest concentration of defense industry nationwide. It hosts 19 companies, accounting for 21% of the national total, making it advantageous for identifying and meeting domestic parts localization needs. It also possesses all the infrastructure for industry-academia-research-government collaboration, including institutions such as the Army Comprehensive Maintenance Depot for open R&D and 4th industrial revolution applications, universities like Changwon National University, research institutes such as the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, and testing and evaluation organizations.

Mayor Heo said, “We will align with the government’s policy direction, which is actively striving for defense industry development, and the government’s determination to provide economic support and actively invest in domestic defense companies operating under crisis management systems due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. We will make our best efforts through close cooperation with related organizations such as the Ministry of National Defense and DAPA.”