Gwangju City Council Urges Government to Maintain World Kimchi Research Institute as an Independent Organization

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gwangju Metropolitan Council recently expressed concerns about the ongoing discussions by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Council of Science & Technology regarding the integration of the World Kimchi Research Institute and the Korea Food Research Institute.

On the 6th, the Gwangju Metropolitan Council stated in a press release, “Despite efforts and achievements, if the integration of the World Kimchi Research Institute and the Korea Food Research Institute proceeds under the pretext of research institute efficiency, the autonomy and independence of research will be severely compromised, clearly weakening not only the expertise as a specialized kimchi research institution but also the synergistic effects with Gwangju, the home city of kimchi.”

They continued, “Since relocating and opening in Gwangju Metropolitan City in 2012, the World Kimchi Research Institute has achieved many accomplishments such as discovering functional kimchi lactic acid bacteria, developing superior kimchi starter cultures, and automating kimchi production processes,” emphasizing, “It has continuously supported the kimchi industry, which suffers from significant technological disparities and weak competitiveness, driving the growth of the kimchi industry while making every effort to realize the national goal of globalizing kimchi.”

Furthermore, the council urged the government to ▲ maintain the World Kimchi Research Institute as an independent affiliated research institute as originally planned during the initial public offering to stabilize its functions and establish self-reliance measures ▲ establish a mid- to long-term plan to develop and expand it as an independent research institute capable of responding to national demands for fostering the kimchi industry and strengthening global competitiveness ▲ immediately halt the integration discussions by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Council of Science & Technology, which have been unilaterally pushing forward the integration without communication with Gwangju Metropolitan City.