Sejong likely to become science cluster

The government yesterday went over a plan to develop Sejong City into a center of science and education instead of an administrative town housing two-thirds of government ministries.

A panel assigned to review alternatives to the new town in South Chungcheong Province discussed designating it as the "International Science Business Belt," or a Korean version of Silicon Valley.

The panel of government officials and private experts yesterday received reports from the Korea Institute of Public Administration on the problems of relocating government agencies and from the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements on measures to increase the self-sufficiency of Sejong.



"The KRIHS examined the successful examples of Germany`s Dresden and the U.S. Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, and said that Sejong City has the conditions to become a science hub - enough land, a nearby city with universities, research institutes and high-tech companies, easy access to highways, railroads and an international airport," said panel joint chief Song Suk-koo in a press briefing.

"Sejong City`s designation as the ISBB would help develop a major research and development cluster that provides various incentives to foreign investors and raise the city`s level of self-sufficiency."

Song also said Sejong City could be developed in connection with the nearby Daedeok research and development zone, Osong-Ochang cluster of information and biomedical technology for maximum synergy effect.

Creating a science business belt was one of President Lee Myung-bak`s major campaign pledges. A special bill on ISBB was submitted to the National Assembly in February but has been put aside since.

The government`s plan is to invest 3.55 trillion won ($3 billion) in developing a 2-million-square-meter ISBB by 2015 and make it home to a world-class research institute of basic sciences and a heavy ion accelerator.

There are only five such accelerators in the world designed to help study the structure of the nucleus and interactions between nuclei, as well as help scientists conduct research on new materials, global climate change and bio-medicine.

In addition to creating up to 400 new jobs, the heavy ion accelerator is expected to attract leading scientists from around the world as well as major foreign companies and top universities. About a fifth of Nobel prizes in physics were given to research based on use of heavy ion accelerators.

The research institute of basic sciences will employ about 3,000 people in the long term, according to the plan.

The panel plans to finalize a development scheme for Sejong City by mid-December.

(sophie@heraldm.com)



By Kim So-hyun