Jeonnam National University Hospital has highlighted the need to establish a Southwestern Biohealth Complex Cluster to foster Gwangju and Jeonnam as a strategic hub for South Korea's biohealth industry.
According to Jeonnam National University Hospital on July 13, Shin Jung, the hospital's president, attended the "Forum for the Establishment of the Southwestern Advanced Biohealth Complex Cluster" held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on July 9. At the event, he stated, "The biohealth industry is undergoing an unprecedented period of change, driven by innovations in artificial intelligence, precision medicine, and regenerative medicine technologies." He emphasized, "The Southwestern Biohealth Complex Cluster must serve as a national strategic hub that organically integrates research, clinical practice, and industrialization, going beyond the concept of a simple industrial complex."
This forum was co-hosted by Democratic Party lawmakers Ahn Dogeol, Jeon Jinsook, Shin Jeonghun, and Seo Mihwa, and co-organized by Gwangju City and Jeonnam Province. Kang Daehee, Chairman of the Korea Future Medical Innovation Association, served as moderator. Panelists included Sun Kyung, head of the K-Health Future Initiative, Shin Jung, president of Jeonnam National University Hospital, Lee Jejoong, CEO of Phaxelbio, Choi Jongil, professor at Chosun University, Kim Hansook, director of the Health Industry Policy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Choi Yunhee, senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade. They proposed various measures to foster the digital and bio-medical industries as national strategic industries in the rapidly changing healthcare environment, amid super-aging and low growth trends.
At the forum, President Shin proposed, "It is necessary to focus regional investment on AI-based advanced medical device demonstration and regenerative medicine R&D infrastructure." He suggested, "To resolve bottlenecks in the industrialization process of research outcomes, we should establish a one-stop platform that integrates R&D, clinical trials, data linkage, and business support, and foster it as a national expansion-type pilot model."
He also emphasized the need to actively promote the expansion of the pharmaceutical industry ecosystem in the therapeutic vaccine sector, based on Hwasun’s vaccine-specialized industrial district.
Gwangju and Jeonnam can become the center of the biohealth industry due to their outstanding medical and research infrastructure. Jeonnam National University Hospital and Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital have consistently achieved the highest level of results in precision medicine and cancer treatment in Korea. Institutions such as Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Jeonnam National University, and Chosun University have also produced excellent achievements in basic research. The presence of large hospitals within the biohealth complex cluster, which can conduct clinical trials and demonstrations for medical devices and pharmaceuticals, makes this location optimal. Furthermore, from the perspective of balanced regional development, establishing the Southwestern Biohealth Complex Cluster in Gwangju and Jeonnam is essential.
President Shin presented a differentiated strategy for Gwangju and Jeonnam: the "Urban-Concentrated AI+Bio Convergence Medical Cluster." Gwangju possesses technology for developing AI-based advanced medical devices, while Jeonnam has expertise in vaccine and active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing, making the combination of these technologies possible. He explained that the geographical proximity and functional complementarity between Dong-gu in Gwangju, which has AI-based research capabilities and national-level clinical capacity, and Hwasun in Jeonnam provide optimal conditions for establishing an AI+Bio Convergence Medical Cluster. This aligns perfectly with the government’s digital healthcare policy direction and maximizes the strategic value of Gwangju and Jeonnam as a core piece of South Korea’s bio-belt.
Accordingly, Jeonnam National University Hospital has demonstrated outstanding research achievements and capabilities compared to other regions, having obtained the only first-phase research-oriented hospital certification in the southwest, being selected for the national regional healthcare capacity enhancement project, and for the establishment of a digital bio smart clinical support platform. Through these, it is leading the foundation for biohealth industrialization, such as a health data integration platform based on genomics and life logs, a regenerative medicine research hub, and a collaborative ecosystem with businesses. President Shin stressed that it is now time to expand these achievements throughout the region, connect them to national strategies, and translate them into tangible results.
Shin Jung, president of Jeonnam National University Hospital, stated, "Gwangju and Jeonnam are no longer just regions that complement the capital area, but are now leading partners shaping the future of the global biohealth industry." He added, "Medical institutions will be at the center, realizing a healthcare ecosystem where research, industry, treatment, and data are organically connected, and contributing to strengthening the future competitiveness of South Korea’s biohealth sector."
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