'K-Joseon Tech Alliance' Launched... 50 Top Experts from Industry, Academia, and Research Collaborate

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that, together with the Korea Institute for Industrial Technology Evaluation and Planning and the Korea Offshore & Shipbuilding Association, it held the launch ceremony of the ‘K-Shipbuilding Tech Alliance’ on the 27th at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul.

This alliance was launched as a follow-up measure to the 'K-Shipbuilding Next-Generation Leading Strategy' announced last November. It is composed of chief technology officers (CTOs) from 15 organizations including major and medium-sized shipbuilders and equipment companies such as HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, K Shipbuilding, Sunbo Industries, and KTE, as well as research institutes and academia, aiming to establish plans to secure future breakthrough technologies in shipbuilding and marine industries. The alliance operates through three working groups in the fields of ▲future eco-friendly ships ▲digital transformation ▲smart autonomous navigation, with participation from over 50 of the country’s top experts.

The alliance will first identify essential technologies for the future shipbuilding and marine industry and propose plans and priorities for securing these technologies. Additionally, through cooperation with leading overseas research institutes and universities, it plans to establish R&D linkage measures such as bold technology investments and strengthening the ecosystem value chain. Participants emphasized the importance of the technology alliance’s role, stating that securing breakthrough technologies is key to responding to strengthening international environmental regulations and recurring labor supply instability.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated that the shipbuilding industry is expected to achieve exports exceeding $21 billion this year. The order backlog has also exceeded 40 million CGT, securing 3 to 4 years’ worth of work, and more than 60% of global high value-added ships were ordered (January to November). Through improvements in the foreign labor introduction system, approximately 14,000 expected labor shortages this year were filled by the third quarter.

Lee Seung-ryeol, Director of Industrial Policy, said, "Please establish breakthrough strategies considering open innovation and global cooperation in response to the domestic and international demands of the shipbuilding and marine industry, such as steep technological pursuit by competing countries, demands for eco-friendly technologies to meet challenging environmental regulations, and digital transformation of production processes to solve structural labor shortages." He added, "The derived strategies will be actively reflected in government policies."