By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee
 

As the biohealth industry rapidly emerges as a key future growth engine for the nation, the importance of a comprehensive support platform spanning the entire lifecycle is growing rapidly.

 

The Osong Advanced Medical Industry Promotion Foundation (KBIOHealth), located in Osong, Chungcheongbuk-do, is Korea's only comprehensive bio support institution. It supports the entire process from research and development (R&D) through non-clinical studies, clinical trials, prototype production, quality control, licensing, commercialization, and global expansion—ensuring bio products successfully reach the market.

 

 

Amid this trend, former National Assembly member Lee Myung-soo, who previously served as Chair of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, a Blue House administrative officer, and held key positions in local government, was appointed as the foundation's new chairman last October. Upon taking office, he established the ‘K-Bio Square Future Strategy’ and is accelerating the foundation's innovation and global leap to make Osong the capital of K-Bio.

 

In this interview, the Diplomacy Journal engaged in an in-depth discussion about KBIOHealth's current status, future plans, and strategies in the global market.

 

The followings are Q&As with Lee Myung-soo, chairman of KBIOHealth.

 

-Please introduce the purpose and functions of KBIOHealth. What role do you believe KBIOHealth plays within Korea's biohealth innovation ecosystem?

 

"KBIOHealth is the only public institution in Korea providing full-cycle support for research, development, and commercialization in the biohealth sector, including advanced medical devices, new drugs, and cell/gene therapies.

 

The Osong Foundation has built an innovation ecosystem encompassing all stages—from early-stage startups to clinical trials, productization, and global expansion—to propel Korea into a leading nation in healthcare and biohealth.

 

The biohealth industry is directly linked to the lives of our citizens and is also a future growth engine for the nation. KBIOHealth aims to fulfill its role as a robust ‘platform’ based on public service and expertise, enabling the innovative capabilities of the private sector to bear fruit. As a ‘hidden partner safeguarding the health of our citizens,’ we will be the central axis accelerating life science innovation behind the scenes."

 

 

-Please share the reason you took on the role of Chairman of KBIOHealth and your resolve at that time.

 

"Having served as Chair of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, an Administrative Officer in the Presidential Secretariat, and Deputy Head of a local government, I have gained close experience with Korea's overall healthcare policies. I believed KBIOHealth offered a position where I could fulfill the mission of simultaneously safeguarding public health and revitalizing national industry, leveraging my accumulated experience. It was with this profound sense of responsibility that I decided to accept the appointment. Upon taking office, my foremost thought was that ‘protecting the lives of our citizens is the very reason for the foundation's existence.’ I believe in harmonizing public interest with expertise. Having experienced both policy-making and the field, I am striving to elevate the foundation's functions and organization by integrating administrative insight with industrial understanding."

 

-What has been your primary strategic focus since taking office? Among the innovation initiatives underway, what tangible results have been achieved?

 

"My primary focus since taking office has been redefining the foundation's identity and functions, centered around the ‘K-Bio Square Future Strategy’. In the rapidly changing global technology landscape, I determined the foundation must evolve beyond a simple support agency to become a platform connecting industry, academia, research institutes, hospitals, and government—a strategic control tower. To achieve this, we have pursued structural innovations such as organizational redesign, expanding the regulatory science foundation, and establishing a specialized talent development system. As a result of these efforts, the effectiveness of our customized corporate support has also significantly improved. Recently, a smart wearable medical device (smart glasses) supported by the Foundation achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Gold Award at the 2024 Edison Awards in the United States. This represents a symbolic achievement that goes beyond mere technology development, demonstrating the competitiveness of Korea's biohealth technology in the global market."
- How do you identify and support promising bio ventures and startups? Could you share success stories of resident or supported companies?

 

KBIOHealth has established a customized support system for discovering and supporting promising biotech ventures and startups. First, we provide comprehensive support from the earliest stages of entrepreneurship, including technology commercialization assistance, clinical trial coordination, and regulatory compliance. To achieve this, we operate the ‘InnoLabs’ venture startup support center, a corporate regulatory science support team, and a customer support team.”

 

- How specifically is this full-cycle support—covering preclinical, GMP production, regulatory approval, and technology transfer—implemented? What are the strengths of being a domestic institution equipped with biopharmaceutical production facilities and equipment infrastructure?

 

KBIOHealth leads the enhancement of Korea's biohealth industry competitiveness through comprehensive lifecycle support for biopharmaceuticals. Key support areas include: - Preclinical support: Enhances clinical entry potential by assisting with animal testing, toxicity studies, and pharmacology testing during the preclinical phase.

 

GMP production support: Utilizes GMP-certified production facilities to support clinical sample manufacturing, process development, and quality control, possessing production capabilities for pre-commercialization stages. Regulatory support involves collaborating with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to assist with regulatory procedures such as IND submissions, clinical trial plan approvals, and product licensing. Technology transfer and commercialization support enhances commercialization potential through technology transfer negotiations with domestic and international pharmaceutical companies, licensing-out, and partnership agreements.

 

As an institution with this comprehensive lifecycle support system, KBIOHealth provides meticulous support throughout the entire process from biopharmaceutical development to commercialization.

 

-What do you consider to be the domestic and international competitive strengths of Osong Bio Valley? What is KBIOHealth's contribution role regarding the establishment of the second and third life science complexes?

 

Osong Bio Valley has established itself as the hub of Korea's biohealth industry and is an internationally competitive bio cluster. I envision making Osong the ‘Bio Capital of Korea’. Osong is a region where industry, academia, research institutes, hospitals, and government agencies converge, featuring GMP-certified production facilities, specialized personnel, and advanced research infrastructure for biopharmaceutical development. It is an innovative bio cluster favored by global companies.

 

Osong's geographical advantages (including KTX Osong Station, Korea's only high-speed rail junction, and Cheongju International Airport), the concentration of six major national agencies under the Ministry of Health and Welfare such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and the centralization of production, research, and educational infrastructure are key factors making Osong a competitive bio hub.

 

KBIOHealth plays a vital role in strengthening and expanding the competitiveness of the Osong Bio Valley. Our foundation is actively promoting activities such as establishing industry-academia-research collaboration networks, supporting global expansion, and providing technology innovation-based support to create the second and third life science complexes. Furthermore, by serving as a pivotal hub within Osong's bio-industry ecosystem, we are continuously expanding tailored support to foster the growth and competitiveness of local bio-companies. These efforts are contributing to further developing Osong into a key hub for the bio-industry both domestically and internationally."

 

- How are you developing plans to revitalize the regional economy of Chungbuk and Osong through the bioindustry? If there are programs to connect local talent with companies, please introduce them.

 

"KBIOHealth continues to contribute to economic revitalization based on the regional bioindustry. To strengthen the industrial foundation of Osong and Chungbuk, we are pursuing various strategies to maximize interaction between local companies and the bioindustry.

 

First, we are creating an environment where startups can grow within the region through locally-based innovation startup support, which directly leads to regional economic revitalization and job creation. Second, we are securing the sustainability of the bioindustry through linkage programs between local talent and companies. We operate customized talent development programs in collaboration with local universities and research institutions. This helps local talent gain practical experience in various fields of the bioindustry and enables companies to secure the specialized personnel they need.

 

- How is cooperation with Chungcheongbuk-do Province, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and AI/bio-related institutions being carried out?

 

As an institution executing Chungcheongbuk-do's flagship biohealth industry project, we are faithfully fulfilling our role in establishing the ‘K-Bio Square’. We collaborate with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to provide licensing consultation services for domestic SMEs and startups and support their industrialization processes. Furthermore, we lead domestic infectious disease response alongside the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and support R&D research with AI and bio-related companies and institutions using the foundation's infrastructure and platform technologies.

 

Furthermore, to strengthen exchange and cooperation with neighboring regions, we host the Osong CEO Forum, the Osong Biohealth Council, and the CDOS Valley Forum."

 

- What strategies is KBIOHealth implementing to help domestic biotech companies enter global markets? Are there any collaboration cases targeting specific markets like the US, Europe, or Southeast Asia?

 

"To respond to the rapidly changing domestic and international ecosystems, we are preparing KBIOHealth's future development plans with the goal of achieving ‘sustainable fundamental change’. To this end, since 2022, we have visited Fraunhofer in Germany, LabCentral in Boston, USA, and Shonan iPark in Japan to benchmark advanced overseas cases. With Fraunhofer, we have established a continuous working relationship since signing an MOU, including hosting seminars on advancing medical device product development technology. With Japan's Shonan iPark, we opened an exchange cooperation office in both countries, hosting ‘Korea-Japan Match Days’ and ‘International Joint Seminars,’ and operating a joint booth at Bio Korea and Bio Japan."

- Are there any examples of technology cooperation or joint research initiatives with global institutions? What outcomes has KBIOHealth achieved at global bio exhibitions and forums?

 

KBIOHealth is making significant efforts to support domestic companies' overseas expansion, including activating global innovation districts and establishing joint business agreements. Notably, a representative global joint research case involves an international new drug development project with the U.S. NIH-NCATS, conducted as part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Materials, Components, and Equipment (MCE) project. This project involves a total investment of 5.85 billion won, led by KBIOHealth, with development by KAIST and two domestic companies, and verification by the U.S. NIH-NCATS. The ‘iCane’ (augmented reality-based smart glasses), which recently won an Innovation Award at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, USA, represents a major achievement for KBIOHealth at a world-class bio exhibition. Following three consecutive years of Innovation Award wins, it achieved the remarkable feat of receiving a Gold Award at the ‘Edison Awards’ this year, considered the Oscars of the innovation technology field."

 

- What is the long-term strategy to encourage youth and young adults to take an interest in the bioindustry?

 

"The future of the biohealth industry is bright. South Korea's bioindustry, in particular, holds immense growth potential. To achieve this, approaches such as providing foundational education in the bio industry and creating research experience opportunities are crucial. KBIOHealth aims to foster interest in the bio industry through linked curricula with high schools and universities, public contests, and nationwide participation events, while demonstrating the achievements of the biohealth industry through exports and global expansion."

- What is KBIOHealth's core strategy for leaping forward as a ‘Global Bio Hub’?

 

KBIOHealth will leap forward to become a global bio powerhouse by 2035. The world is achieving quantitative growth in cutting-edge technologies within the bio field, and Korea is also designating bio as a national strategic sector and providing concentrated support. KBIOHealth will establish its status as a global bio hub by building a core platform centered on the Osong Advanced Medical Complex to support the R&D and commercialization of domestic and international bio companies. The Bio 4.0 era is one that drives innovation based on the convergence of cutting-edge technologies like AI, big data, and IoT with biotechnology. We expect Korea to establish itself as a global leader in bio.

 

Meanwhile, Lee Myung-soo, Chairman of KBIOHealth and an expert in administration and welfare, officially took office on October 28 last year. His term is for three years, ending on October 27, 2027.

 

Chairman Lee, a native of Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Sungkyunkwan University. He possesses a well-rounded background as both a seasoned administrative official and an expert in the National Assembly's health and welfare sector. His career includes roles as an Administrative Officer in the Presidential Secretariat, Legal Affairs Officer at the Ministry of Home Affairs, County Governor of Geumsan, and Deputy Governor for Administration of Chungcheongnam-do. He subsequently held key positions at the Office for Government Policy Coordination and Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government, before serving as Vice President at Nazareth University and Konyang University.

 

After entering the 18th National Assembly in 2008, he served four consecutive terms until the 21st Assembly. He held key positions such as Secretary and Chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee, contributing to laying the foundation for fostering the bioindustry. Notably, during the 20th National Assembly, he served as Chairman of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, leading major policies including public healthcare, infectious disease response, and the promotion of the pharmaceutical and bio industries.