"I Will Personally Ensure All Necessary Support
for Daejeon to Become a Global Bio Hub"
On the 28th (local time), Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, visited the Merck headquarters located in Darmstadt, Germany, and met with Jean-Charles Wirth, the new Life Science CEO (left), to discuss mutual cooperation plans. (Photo by Daejeon City)
A meeting was held to share a vision for developing Daejeon into a global bio hub, involving Merck, the German company with total sales of 21.2 billion euros (approximately 34.4 trillion Korean won) across 65 countries worldwide and more than 62,000 employees, and the city of Daejeon.
On the 28th (local time), Daejeon Mayor Lee Jangwoo visited Merck's headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, and met with Jean-Charles Wirth, the newly appointed CEO of Life Science, to discuss mutual cooperation measures regarding this vision.
This visit was arranged to solidify the partnership with Merck, which is currently constructing an Asia-Pacific bioprocessing production center in Daejeon, and to share the vision of fostering Daejeon as a 'global bio hub.'
Mayor Lee promised Jean-Charles Wirth, who took office as CEO in June, that the city would mobilize all its capabilities to support the successful construction and operation of the Merck bioprocessing production center.
Furthermore, they discussed ways for Merck to establish itself not only as a simple production base but also as an 'anchor company' leading the Daejeon bio ecosystem.
To this end, they agreed to review ways to pursue joint growth with promising companies through the 'Merck-Daejeon Win-Win Model,' which combines Merck's technological capabilities with Daejeon's innovative potential.
Mayor Lee Jangwoo stated, "What the Daejeon bio ecosystem needs right now is an anchor company," and added, "I will personally ensure that global company Merck receives all necessary support to expand from Daejeon to the world." He also said that, based on these discussions, he would further elevate the strategic partnership with Merck.
Meanwhile, Merck, a global bio company, is investing 300 million euros in the bioprocessing production center in Daejeon Dungok District, which began construction in May last year and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2026.
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