À̹ÌÁö È®´ë South Korea will establish a biomedical cluster that includes hospitals, companies and research centers in Hongneung, northern Seoul in a bid to seek the next-generation growth engine for the country as its long-time backbone industries - shipbuilding, shipping and steelmaking - are all floundering.
The Korean government announced Wednesday that it will set up a biomedical cluster like the Boston Bio Cluster in the United States by 2018 as part of strategies to foster bio and health care industry as the country¡¯s next growth engine.
Hongneung is already home to the nation¡¯s renowned hospitals such as Korea University Hospital and Kyunghee University Hospital, as well as more than 140 startups and Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). Being in the country¡¯s capital city, the cluster will likely have a good access to quality talents and infrastructure.
The government aims to create 960,000 new jobs and achieve exports of 20 trillion won ($18 billion) by 2020 by promoting the healthcare industry encompassing medicine, medical supplies and cosmetics.
By Won Ho-sup
[¨Ï Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]