Jeollanam-do Province has launched a systematic strategy to build the nation's only laser industry ecosystem ahead of the inauguration of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City. High-power lasers are a core elemental technology used across advanced manufacturing industries, including space and defense, shipbuilding, steel, semiconductors, e-mobility and ceramics, and the province plans to lead innovation in Korea's manufacturing sector through this technology.
According to Jeollanam-do on Wednesday, the province has established a "Basic Plan for Building an Industrial High-Power Laser Cluster" to secure source technologies for industrial high-power lasers and to respond preemptively to government projects. The plan, prepared in collaboration with Jeonnam Technopark and through consultations with the Korea Photonics Technology Institute and laser-related companies, calls for pursuing six detailed projects across three sectors over 10 years from this year through 2035, with a total project cost of 162 billion won.
Major projects include: building high-power laser demonstration centers and testbeds for space and defense, precision manufacturing and nuclear power plant decontamination applications; developing localized technologies for core optical components and systems; and fostering specialized personnel and building industry-academia-research cooperation networks.
About 50 domestic laser-related companies have submitted letters of intent to participate in this cluster development plan. Based on this, Jeollanam-do plans to enhance the competitiveness of the laser industry by building a corporate concentration and technology cooperation ecosystem.
Behind Jeollanam-do's active push to nurture the high-power laser industry lies the weak competitiveness of Korea's domestic laser industry. Currently, the domestic laser industry depends on imports for more than 90% of core optical components, and its technology level stands at only 50% of that of advanced countries. As a result, building an industrial ecosystem at the national level has emerged as an urgent task.
Jeollanam-do intends to take preemptive action to resolve such national tasks by leveraging the synergy effects from the launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City on July 1 and the region's excellent infrastructure.
In fact, Gwangju and Jeonnam are considered Korea's largest photonics industry hub. World-class photonics convergence research infrastructure is concentrated in the region, including the Korea Photonics Technology Institute, Korea Institute of Energy Technology, GIST Advanced Photonics Research Institute and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).
In addition, the region hosts the Laser Industry Center at Jeonnam Technopark — Korea's only laser technology support organization — as well as related specialized companies such as Korea Electric Optics and Green Optics, making it evaluated as the optimal location for a high-power laser industry cluster.
Furthermore, the Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), the world's only energy-specialized university, is cultivating specialized personnel, enabling the establishment of a consistent industrial ecosystem from research and development to workforce supply.
Based on such infrastructure, the province believes that Gwangju and Jeonnam have a high possibility of growing into the central axis of the high-power laser industry once a demonstration foundation and a specialized personnel training system are put in place together.
"High-power lasers are evaluated as a core technology that will determine the competitiveness of future advanced manufacturing industries," said Cho Young-jin, director of the Future Energy Industry Division at Jeollanam-do. "We will actively support Gwangju and Jeonnam in growing into a hub of Korea's high-power laser industry by building an industrial ecosystem that links research and development, demonstration and corporate support."
