Naju, a city in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City that is home to the "artificial sun" — often called the dream energy source — is now pursuing designation as a fusion research and development special zone. A phased roadmap has been established, including concrete strategies for attracting research institutions and companies to lead the future energy industry, raising expectations for rapid progress.
The core strategy for securing the fusion R&D special zone designation is to actively utilize the special exception for R&D special zone designation under the enforcement decree of the Special Act on the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integration. If the exception is applied, the city could receive relaxed designation criteria by linking national research institutions within its jurisdiction with institutions slated to be attracted. This is expected to secure the objective grounds and justification needed for an independent R&D special zone designation centered on Naju.
The city also proposed strategically attracting anchor companies and research institutions in the fusion field, and operating an advisory panel of experts in science and technology, industrial policy, and regional development to strengthen industry-academia-research cooperation.
Naju said on the 9th that it held an interim briefing on the "Naju Energy (Fusion) R&D Special Zone Designation Strategy Study" based on these plans and shared its phased implementation direction.
An R&D special zone is a national innovation cluster that concentrates research institutions, companies, and support organizations to promote research and development and technology commercialization.
Naju plans to attract and cluster fusion research institutions and companies around the artificial sun research facility, building a fusion industry ecosystem that spans from R&D to technology commercialization and corporate growth, thereby securing a future growth engine.
Above all, based on the study's results, the city plans to further refine its rationale for the R&D special zone designation in line with the government's fusion policy and the construction schedule for the artificial sun research facility, and to accelerate the creation of a fusion industry ecosystem. Following its selection in December last year as the site for the artificial sun research facility, if the city also secures the R&D special zone designation, its existing energy industry base and fusion research capabilities would be organically connected. The city is expected to emerge as the nation's top fusion industry hub, where research, industry, and companies grow together.
"We will thoroughly prepare so that Naju can leap forward as a hub city leading the global fusion industry by linking the artificial sun research facility with the R&D special zone to build a fusion industry ecosystem that connects R&D, technology commercialization, and corporate growth," Naju Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said.
Fusion, called the "artificial sun" and humanity's dream energy source, is a technology that artificially replicates the sun's energy generation process on Earth. It is drawing attention as a next-generation limitless clean energy source, as 1 gram of hydrogen can produce energy equivalent to approximately 8 tons of oil.
