To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the research and development special zones system and the Korea Innovation Foundation, industry, academia, research, and government gathered to explore the direction for leapfrogging in the next 20 years. Bae Kyung-hun, Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "We will actively support at the government level to ensure that corporations emerging from the special zones, currently valued at 73 trillion won, can create values exceeding 100 trillion won."
On 4th, the Ministry of Science and ICT held the '2025 Global Forum on Research and Development Special Zones' at the Lotte City Hotel in Daejeon to commemorate the 20 years since the implementation of the research and development special zones system and the founding of the Korea Innovation Foundation. A talk concert was held on the themes of revitalizing the startup and investment ecosystem and attracting global talent, attended by Bae Kyung-hun, Minister of Science and ICT, entrepreneurs, and investment experts.
Kim Hyo-i, CEO of Inersia, who founded the company while studying in the doctoral program at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), noted, "It costs between 3 million won to 4 million won to use essential equipment for startups, and sometimes up to 10 million won. Thanks to the researchers I met at the Daedeok Special Zone, I was able to easily overcome hurdles. If I hadn't done research in the Daedeok Special Zone, each hurdle would have felt too high to even attempt."
Jung Ji-sung, CEO of SOSLAB, who started his business in the Gwangju Special Zone, also stated, "Gwangju has a well-developed defense industry complex and key factories, making it a launchpad for going global with an item called 'LiDAR.'"
Proposals for the next 20 years of the research and development special zones were also discussed. Lee Doo-yeon, Deputy Minister of SK Securities, remarked, "Special zones provide a good foundation for industry-academia-research to grow and develop together, but funding remains insufficient. If programs like research and development (R&D), loans, and subsidies are provided as a package, the investment ecosystem will grow explosively."
The Deputy Minister added, "Various systems like incentives or internships are also needed so that talented individuals can stay and work in the region. To broaden the awareness of corporations in the special zones, we need to increase media exposure to create a culture that allows talents to remain in the area."
Tom Steinberger, a professor at the KAIST Graduate School of Technology and Management, said, "The well-established industry-academia-research innovation network and excellent talent in the Daedeok Special Zone are attractive elements for cooperative research at home and abroad. If opportunities for collaboration among multinational and multidisciplinary researchers are institutionally expanded, it will become an innovation cluster where global talents can stay and grow in the long term."
Minister Bae Kyung-hun stated, "Currently, the main R&D items in the research special zones are robotics and bio research, and I hope that the research and development special zones will show a lot of interest in using AI in various fields to create the next 20 years."
Minister Bae expressed hope that the value of corporations emerging from the research and development special zones, which is about 73 trillion won according to KOSDAQ listing standards, can exceed 100 trillion won in the future, adding, "I will spare no support to ensure that not only the research and development special zones but also the basic R&D ecosystem continues to develop."