Gwangju Metropolitan City is launching a collaboration system among industry, academia, research, and government to enhance the competitiveness of the local food industry and promote the K-food sector.
On August 26, Gwangju and the Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency held the first meeting of the 'Gwangju K-Food Innovation Forum' at the Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency's Food Center to discuss support for local food companies and the development direction of the food convergence cluster.
This forum follows the selection of the Gwangju region for the '2026 Food Convergence Cluster Creation Pilot Project,' organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency.
About 20 representatives from Gwangju Metropolitan City, the Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency, the Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency, universities, research institutions, and business support organizations attended the meeting.
Participants shared strategies for fostering the local food industry and discussed the progress of the food convergence cluster project, focusing on support measures tailored to the growth stages of local food companies.
In particular, they agreed to strengthen collaboration to establish a comprehensive support system that reduces challenges faced by companies during product development and commercialization, starting from prototype production to validation, production, analysis, quality certification, commercialization, market access, and exports.
They also discussed ways to connect the technologies, expertise, facilities, and equipment of each institution to meet the actual needs of businesses. The aim is to lower product development time and cost burdens while increasing the feasibility of commercialization by jointly utilizing research and production infrastructure that individual companies find difficult to establish on their own.
The direction for building shared factories that reflect the characteristics of the local food industry was also a key agenda item. Attending institutions agreed on the need to expand the production base for food companies while organically linking business support functions to create a sustainable foundation for the food convergence cluster.
Gwangju Metropolitan City plans to continuously identify challenges faced by businesses and new support needs, incorporating these into next year's project expansion and food convergence cluster development strategies.
Park Sang-mi, head of the Agricultural and Food Distribution Division of Gwangju Metropolitan City, stated, “This meeting marks a meaningful starting point for establishing a comprehensive support system that local food companies can feel in the field. We will further solidify industry-academia-research-government collaboration through the K-Food Innovation Forum to ensure Gwangju becomes a hub for K-food innovation.”
Yang Wan-gil, acting head of the Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency, remarked, “By integrating the excellent agricultural and marine resources of Gwangju with research and development and processing and production technologies, we can elevate the competitiveness of local food companies. We will actively utilize our specialized personnel and research and production infrastructure to support tangible results from product development to commercialization, market access, and exports.” He added, “We will develop the K-Food Innovation Forum into a collaborative platform that connects the capabilities of industry, academia, research, and government, ensuring that the Gwangju food convergence cluster becomes a cornerstone for the growth of local companies and the expansion of the K-food industry.”
Meanwhile, the 'Gwangju K-Food Innovation Forum' is a collaborative body aimed at identifying the challenges faced by local food companies and new support needs while linking the specialized capabilities and infrastructure of various institutions. It will operate biannually, with the second meeting scheduled for November to review project progress and refine plans for next year's initiatives and the development direction of the food convergence cluster.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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