DAEGU — The Daegu Metropolitan Government said it will redraw its industrial growth strategy around high-tech sectors as part of a broader economic overhaul.
The city said on the 17th that it inaugurated the Daegu Advisory Council on High-Tech Industry Development at the Daegu Center for Creative Economy and Innovation, marking the start of the panel's work on a blueprint for nurturing advanced industries.
The council will assess the current state of Daegu's industrial base, analyze its strengths and limitations, and use that review to propose a direction for industrial growth along with core strategies.
Chaired by the Daegu mayor, the council is made up of 22 members.
They include 10 outside experts representing high-tech fields such as semiconductors, robotics, mobility, artificial intelligence and biotechnology, along with 11 heads of major regional industrial research institutions, including the Daegu Policy Research Institute, the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology and the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement.
At the kickoff meeting, Park Chul-woo, vice president of Tech University of Korea, said a linkage strategy that allows existing mainstay industries to grow alongside Daegu's core sectors is important. "In particular, if we focus on nurturing 'physical AI,' which combines AI with robotics, we can also drive innovative growth in existing mainstay industries such as materials and components, which form the core value chain," he said.
Mook Hyun-sang, chief executive of NewPathBio, said Daegu has unrivaled medical infrastructure, including its advanced medical complex. "In particular, if the city strategically nurtures the synthetic pharmaceuticals sector, it can deliver clear results from research and development through to production," Mook said.
Lee Jong-ho, a professor at Seoul National University, said the key to fostering industry is making the most of a region's strengths. "If Daegu combines its differentiated sensor technology with AI, it can create new industrial synergies," Lee said.
The city plans to convene the council regularly and to set up a standing working group under it, so that the views raised at the council translate into actual policies and projects.
Choo Kyung-ho, mayor of Daegu, said the city's industry now stands at a critical crossroads. "It is time to make a hard-headed assessment of whether Daegu is riding the mainstream of global industrial trends or lingering in a tributary, and to rebuild our growth strategy around high-tech industries," he said.
