President Park Geun-hye has declared that, "Ulsan will become the global center of marine shipbuilding. To do so, we should create an appropriate ecology, represented by environmentally friendly technologies and combined with information and communications technologies (ICT)."

Her remarks came on July 15 during the opening ceremony of the new Ulsan Center for a Creative Economy and Innovation. Regarding the future of Ulsan and the role of the new center, President Park emphasized the importance of innovation and creativity. She said that we need to turn the city into a new cradle for the marine shipbuilding industry and for the automated medicine industry, adding that we are creating a stepping stone that will lead down that path.

President Park said, "Today, we observe two big changes in the global shipbuilding industry." She said that the center will need to help construct environmentally friendly ships that will play a role in reducing emissions, and also more efficient and safer ships designed with ICT and software. She asked the workers here to focus more energy on developing these two types of ships. She continued to say that, "The shipbuilding industry will also need to join forces, release related patents and work together to improve the overall standard of technologies in the industry."


In regard to the automated medical industry, another important priority for the Korean economy, President Park said that, "We need to turn this Ulsan innovation center into a new engine of growth in the high-tech medical industry. We should encourage medical experts, startup CEOs and manufacturers to participate in every step of the commercialization process and support them in a systematic manner as they make progress. Also, the government needs to support the export of a type of 'medical package' that offers both medical robots and services."

With Ulsan City and Hyundai Heavy Industries at the core, relevant organizations will work together to establish a fund of some KRW 160 billion. This money will be used to invent new technologies that create environmentally-friendly and highly efficient ships and to develop the automated medical industry. In addition, three heavy industry conglomerates -- Hyundai, Samsung and Daewoo-- will share their 2,500 odd patents with smaller companies, boosting the creation of new shipbuilding technologies.

By Lee Seung-ah
Korea.net Staff Writer
photos: Cheong Wa Dae
slee27@korea.kr