Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, is one of the world's top five silk producing areas. Jinju silk is famous enough to be used when constructing clothes for kings during the Goryeo Dynasty. In the 1900s, factories that mass produce silk began to be built, and even now, a "silk industry cluster" is formed, accounting for about 80% of domestic silk production.
Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, a hub of the silk industry, is preparing to become a "high-tech global aerospace city," focusing on the "Space Aviation Administration," a space development control tower that will open this year. The Gyeongnam Jinju Steel and Steel Special Zone, which was designated in 2019 and has fostered numerous technology startups and driven regional growth, plays an important role in this change.
Gyeongnam aims to establish a space environment test facility (Jinju) and a satellite development innovation center (Sacheon) for the success of the space industry cluster triangular system and to create a "global aerospace complex city" with various conditions such as transportation, business, research, education, and culture.
Jinju City is planning to complete the 'Future Aircraft (AAV) Demonstration Center' next year to foster the future aerospace field, and together with Gyeongsang National University and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KTL), it launched Jinju-Sat, the first small satellite in the country. Jinju City said, "We will focus more on creating an ecosystem of the aerospace industry by launching Jinju Sat, completing the AAV demonstration center, and establishing a space environment test facility."
The Gyeongnam Jinju Steel Special Zone is the only strong special zone in the aerospace field in Korea, and Gyeongsang National University was designated as a key technology institution in 2019. Under the leadership of the Gyeongnam Jinju Steel Special Zone Support Center, various projects were carried out to foster clusters in the aerospace parts and materials sector, such as commercialization of technology transfer and start-up support. Over the past four years, 83 technology transfers, 36 research institute companies, and 47 technology start-ups have been established. As of the end of last year, corporate sales in the special zone reached 75.76 billion won and 424 new employees.
Gyeongnam Jinju Steel Special Zone is inducing growth as an innovative technology company as well as delivering large companies and global airlines through electric support such as the establishment of research institute companies, follow-up support, and network activities. Representatively, Livework, a research institute company, was registered as the primary partner of Hyundai Motor and Kia through technology transfer and follow-up support, and SD Aero received a multi-year delivery contract for the aircraft's central rear fuselage from a global airline. The Gyeongnam Jinju Steel and Steel Special Zone has also been promoting the conversion of traditional companies into high-tech materials companies by utilizing silk technology, a traditional and marginal industry in Jinju. The local silk industry has discovered new customers through corporate growth support projects such as the development of economy-class seat covers for emotional civil aircraft, and has achieved results such as a $30,000 export contract for a Vietnamese antenna shop construction project and a business agreement to commercialize silk production in Uzbekistan.
Moon Yong-ho, head of the Gyeongnam Jinju Steel Special Zone Support Center (Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Kyungsang National University), said, "We will build the Gyeongnam Jinju Steel Special Zone as the first AAV production base in Korea in the future and expand it to a level that leads the commercialization of core technologies for eco-friendly future aircraft and the spread in Korea."
Due to the systematic operation of corporate development programs in Jinju Special Zone in Gyeongnam, 12 participating companies were selected as "Regional Specialized Project Legend 50+" promoted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and 17 metropolitan governments nationwide, and through collaboration with local investment companies, they attracted a promising company with resource recovery technology, Reset Company, and MRO comprehensive platform company, Alt, in the special zone.
In addition, the Aviation ICT Convergence Industry Technology Research Association was established with Jinju City, Gyeongnam Investment Administration, and research institute companies to conduct joint technology research and development and human resource training. It provides opportunities for shared growth by linking large and medium-sized companies and startups that want to enter new industries through open innovation programs. Based on the value chain based on the demand-based value chain of large corporations established through this program, it delivered to 10 large corporations in connection with sales of about 49.6 billion won.
The Gyeongnam Jinju Steel Special Zone Support Center plans to develop and commercialize core technologies for eco-friendly future aircraft that do not emit carbon by converting aircraft propellants to eco-friendly hydrogen fuel or electricity base as a future development strategy. "Gyeongsang National University was selected for the Glocal University 30 project based on its specialization in the aerospace field, and the Korea Aerospace University and the Aerospace Exploration Science and Technology Institute, which were established for the first time in Korea, are expected to be the cradle of aerospace innovation technology that will lead the Korean space economy," said Moon Yong-ho, head of the center. "In particular, as this year is the time when the Korea Aerospace Exploration Agency begins its work in earnest, the Gyeongnam Jinju Power Station Special Zone will be able to help the Korea Aerospace Exploration Agency make a soft landing."
"The need for secondary batteries with improved performance and stability is more emphasized due to the trend of high-end and large-scale electric vehicles and the rapid growth of the future aviation mobility industry," said Park Ji-hoon, CEO of Everinders, a secondary battery company that specializes in secondary batteries that moved into the Jinju Special Zone in Gyeongnam. "We need a strategy to revitalize the local industrial ecosystem through organic cooperation between industry, academia, research, and government, and we will continue to actively participate in the project."
