President Office at 'BioUSA': "Bio is Soon Security"

Visit to Event Venue by 3rd Deputy Director of National Security Office
Discussion on Supply Chain Issues and Other Topics at Multilateral Talks

"Until now, bio has not been viewed from a biosecurity perspective. From now on, I feel the need to consider it from the standpoint of health security." (Wang Yoon-jong, 3rd Deputy Director of the National Security Office, Presidential Office)

Choi Seon, Deputy Minister of Advanced Bio, and Wang Yunjong, Third Deputy Director of the National Security Office (from left in the front row), along with other personnel from the Presidential Office, visited the booth of Lonza, a Swiss Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), at the San Diego Convention Center in California, USA, where the BIO International Convention (BIO USA) is being held, and received a briefing on the current status from the officials.
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

The world's largest bio and pharmaceutical conference, BIO International Convention (BIO USA), has become a stage for security competition amid international tensions. Officials from the Presidential Office, including the 3rd Deputy Director of the National Security Office responsible for economic security, personally visited the event venue on the 4th (local time) and made remarks emphasizing the need to view the bio industry as a security issue.

Prior to the event, the U.S. pushed for the Biosecurity Act to sanction China's bio industry, leading to Chinese companies declaring their absence. Meanwhile, the U.S. Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), which organizes the event, has invited a series of former U.S. military special operations commanders as speakers. Presidential Office officials who visited the venue, including Deputy Director Wang, Chief Secretary Choi Seon of Advanced Bio, and Secretary Kim Hyun-wook of Economic Security, reportedly came to San Diego for a high-level meeting scheduled on the 5th with allies such as South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and India.

Choi Seon, Deputy Minister of Advanced Bio, and Wang Yunjong, Third Deputy Director of the National Security Office (from left in the front row), along with other personnel from the Presidential Office, visited the booth of Lotte Biologics, a domestic Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) company, at the San Diego Convention Center in California, USA, where the BIO International Convention (BIO USA) is being held, and received a briefing on the current status from the representatives.
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

They visited booths of domestic companies such as Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, Lotte Biologics, Chong Kun Dang Bio, Alteogen, as well as Lonza and Cytiva, and received status briefings. Particularly, when visiting Lonza, the world's top contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) by sales, they focused on questions about supply chain stabilization. When Secretary Choi inquired about the pharmaceutical supply chain, Hennick Peterson, Lonza's Global Head of Business Development, responded, "We had a supply chain in Shanghai, China, but it was shut down during the pandemic." Deputy Director Wang asked, "If there is a problem with the supply chain, doesn't it disrupt product manufacturing?" and further questioned, "Is there a possibility to diversify and stabilize the supply chain?"

At the high-level meeting scheduled for the following day, allied countries, which view such supply chain issues as security concerns, are expected to continue related discussions. Secretary Choi said, "Our government also holds a strong commitment to bio," adding, "We will realize this commitment through tomorrow's multilateral talks." Regarding the background of this meeting, he explained, "It is a follow-up to the first Korea-U.S. Next-Generation Core Emerging Technologies Dialogue held last December," and added, "Both sides consider it important, and although it started as a bilateral Korea-U.S. meeting, it has become a multilateral meeting including Japan."

Jung Eun-young, Director General of Health Industry Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Cha Soon-do, President of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, Choi Seon, Advanced Bio Secretary at the Presidential Office, Wang Yoon-jong, 3rd Deputy Director of the National Security Office at the Presidential Office, and Lee Seung-gyu, Vice Chairman of the Korea Bio Association (from the third person from the left) are taking a commemorative photo at the Korea Pavilion set up at the San Diego Convention Center, where the BIO International Convention (BIO USA) is being held.
[Photo by BIO USA Joint Press Corps]

However, they cautioned against interpreting this situation as exclusion of China. Secretary Choi explained, "We need to proceed cautiously," and said, "Rather than excluding any country, Korea, China, and Japan should actively cooperate on important issues regardless of the country."

Meanwhile, many domestic companies recognized this situation as an opportunity and attended BIO USA in large numbers. Especially, Chinese CDMO company Wuxi Biologics, considered one of the global 'Big 4,' was included in the sanctions under the Biosecurity Act, which domestic CDMO companies see as a favorable development. Samsung Biologics, which has the world's largest biopharmaceutical production capacity, along with Lotte Biologics, ST Pharm, and Prestige BioPharma, attended this BIO USA. Additionally, Celltrion, SK Bioscience, and SK Biopharm also set up booths.