Jangheung County Selected for “Establishment of a Full-Cycle Standardization Hub for Natural Materials” Project

Leap Toward Becoming the Center of Korea’s Natural Materials Industry

Jangheung County in South Jeolla Province (Governor Kim Sung) announced on March 25 that it had been finally selected for the “Establishment of a Full-Cycle Standardization Hub for Natural Materials” public project promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on March 24, securing 15 billion won in national funding out of a total project cost of 35 billion won.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs invited local governments nationwide to apply for the project, resulting in a fierce competition among four local governments across the country.

In the first round of document and presentation evaluations, two regions-Jangheung in South Jeolla and Jinju in South Gyeongsang-passed. In the subsequent second round, which involved on-site assessments of location conditions, infrastructure, and site status, Jangheung in South Jeolla was ultimately selected.

Jangheung County Office Building Exterior View

The selected “Establishment of a Full-Cycle Standardization Hub for Natural Materials” project aims to standardize information and technology throughout the manufacturing process for new industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals produced using South Jeolla’s abundant natural materials.

The county plans to serve as a control tower supporting the entire process from production to processing and standardization of natural materials, in cooperation with organizations such as the Jeonnam Jangheung Bio Promotion Institute’s Natural Resources Research Center, GAP/GMP Drying Support Facility, Small-Scale CMO for Natural Medicine Ingredients, Cosmetics Natural Oil Foundry, Natural Resources Research Center Startup Incubation Center, Natural Materials Bio Venture Sharing-Lab Knowledge Industry Center, and the National Institute for Korean Medicine Development.

South Jeolla boasts the nation’s largest cultivated area at 27,400 hectares (19%) and the highest smart farm adoption rate (24% for facilities, 38% for open-field smart farms), as well as one of the largest reserves of natural biological resources in the country. Based on these resources, the province plans to ensure a stable supply and standardization of natural materials.

Through this public project, a total investment of 35 billion won will be made by 2029 for construction and equipment, establishing a Full-Cycle Standardization Hub Center for Natural Materials within the Jangheung County Bio Food Industrial Complex. The center will be built on a 16,465-square-meter site with a building area of 6,065 square meters, and will comprise manufacturing process standardization facilities, analysis and verification facilities, and cleaning, drying, and storage facilities.

The county has set a vision of “Realizing world-class agricultural demonstration support through fostering a global natural materials industry cluster.” It plans to prioritize demonstration support for mutual growth between farmers and businesses. Accordingly, it will establish five core functions and detailed projects to strengthen the global competitiveness of the natural materials industry.

Governor Kim Sung stated, “This public project will serve as a vital catalyst for Jangheung County to emerge as a green bio-innovation hub,” adding, “We will continue our efforts to make Jangheung the center of Korea’s natural materials industry.”