SK Specialty Wins 'Gyeongbuk Investment Attraction Award'... Excellence Awards Go to Daeyoung Electric and 3 Others

On the 19th, Gyeongbuk Province held the ‘2023 Gyeongsangbuk-do Investment Attraction Awards’ ceremony at the provincial government multipurpose hall, attended by companies and city/county officials who contributed to job creation and regional economic revitalization through investment attraction this year, as well as distinguished public officials.

A total of seven companies were honored with the ‘Gyeongsangbuk-do Investment Attraction Awards’ this year.

The Grand Prize was awarded to SK Specialty Co., Ltd. (Yeongju), Excellence Awards went to Daeyoung Electric Co., Ltd. (Gyeongsan), Boback CNS Co., Ltd. (Gumi), and Ecopro Innovation (Pohang), while Special Awards were given to Dongcheonsu Co., Ltd. (Sangju), Dongwon Technology Co., Ltd. (Gimcheon), and Taedong Tech Co., Ltd. (Gimcheon).

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office

SK Specialty Co., Ltd., which won the Grand Prize in the corporate category, is a company that manufactures and sells specialty gases used in semiconductors and display panels. In July this year, it signed a 500 billion KRW investment memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Gyeongbuk Province and Yeongju City for the construction and expansion of a new semiconductor display material manufacturing plant.

The company maintains the world’s number one position in production volume and market share of specialty gases (such as NF3, WF6) used in semiconductor and display panel manufacturing. By making large-scale investments in the Yeongju Gahung General Industrial Complex and SK Specialty General Industrial Complex, it has contributed to numerous direct and indirect employment effects and the expansion of local finances.

Daeyoung Electric Co., Ltd., which received the Excellence Award, started as a manufacturer of internal combustion engine parts in Gyeongsan and successfully expanded its business into automotive electronic parts (LED lighting) since 2016.

The company is preparing to enter the electric vehicle motor core sector, which will be a key area in the future automotive industry, aiming to become a global automotive parts company. In October, it completed an investment of 89 billion KRW in the Gyeongsan City 4th General Industrial Complex and plans an additional 40 billion KRW investment in facilities by the end of 2025.

Boback CNS Co., Ltd. signed a 100 billion KRW investment MOU this year with Gyeongbuk Province and Gumi City for the development and mass production of insulating materials for secondary batteries.

By the first half of this year, it invested 30 billion KRW in expanding and equipping its Gumi factory. As a leading local company targeting the global electric vehicle market, it has developed various products such as battery protection insulators and cells that can prevent leakage and explosion accidents in electric vehicle batteries in the rapidly growing secondary battery market worldwide.

Ecopro Innovation is a Pohang-based company holding patents for lithium hydroxide manufacturing technology and methods for separating and recovering lithium and precious metals using waste electrode materials, which are core technologies in the secondary battery industry.

It successfully localized lithium raw materials, which were previously dependent on imports, through technological development. After signing a 73 billion KRW investment MOU in 2020, it completed the investment and plans an additional investment of about 380 billion KRW in the Blue Valley National Industrial Complex.

Dongcheonsu Co., Ltd., which received a Special Award, is an affiliate of the Dong-A Socio Holdings Group. It started with the acquisition of an existing bottled water manufacturer and expanded its business to carbonated water.

In 2021, it signed a 52 billion KRW investment MOU with Sangju City for business expansion, and in October completed the third factory of Dongcheonsu Sangju Campus, growing together as a representative company of Sangju City.

Dongwon Technology Co., Ltd. produces automotive air conditioning parts and supplies components to Hanon Systems, Bosch Automotive Electronics, and KB Autotech. Since 2011, it has been a solid company producing and supplying automotive headlamp parts to Hyundai Mobis.

In 2019, it signed an investment MOU with Gimcheon City and invested 13 billion KRW to expand its Gimcheon factory. It has contributed to regional economic revitalization by creating 44 new jobs to date.

Taedong Tech Co., Ltd. manufactures panel products used in automotive interior parts such as navigation and audio systems, with active exports. In 2021, it signed a 15.8 billion KRW MOU with Gimcheon City and is steadily investing in expanding its Gimcheon factory.

Applying nano-coating technology, it has commercialized new panel material films and started mass production of films and injection products using them at the completed Gimcheon factory.

In line with the global electric vehicle market trend and eco-friendly movement, the company is developing products applying nano-coating technology and pursuing business diversification.

The Grand Prize in the city/county category was awarded to Pohang City, Yeongcheon City, and Uiseong County, which attracted a total investment of 8.9 trillion KRW over the year, successfully led investments from representative secondary battery companies such as CNGR, Huayou Cobalt, POSCO Future M, and Ecopro, and actively resolved corporate difficulties during large-scale new investments. Excellence Awards went to Gumi City and Goryeong County, and Encouragement Awards were given to Yeongju City and Yecheon County.

In the public official category, the Grand Prize was awarded to officials from Pohang City and Gumi City, with two Excellence Awards and two Encouragement Awards also presented.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “Despite difficult domestic and international economic conditions such as the Russia-Ukraine war and high inflation era, Gyeongsangbuk-do achieved remarkable results this year, including the designation of specialized complexes for secondary batteries and semiconductors, and the selection of Andong (Bio Life), Gyeongju (SMR), and Uljin (Nuclear Hydrogen) as new national industrial complex candidates.”