The facility secures a stable domestic supply of key biotech materials and is expected to help Daejeon emerge as a world-class biotech hub, covering development through commercial production
Global biotech company Merck held a completion ceremony Thursday for its new production center in the Dungok district of Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. The facility is expected to secure a stable domestic supply of key biotech materials that South Korea has long relied heavily on imports to obtain.
About 200 people attended the ceremony, including officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Daejeon city, Merck Life Science CEO Jean-Charles Wirth, and representatives from domestic and international industry, academia and research institutions. The event marked the facility's entry into full operation and the start of future cooperation frameworks.
Construction and equipment installation at the Dungok district site required an investment of approximately 430 billion won ($325 million), or 300 million euros — the largest single investment Merck has made in the Asia-Pacific region.
Built on a roughly 42,900-square-meter site in the Dungok district of Yuseong-gu, the production center specializes in the mass production of dry powder cell culture media, related solutions, and raw materials essential to pharmaceutical development and manufacturing.
The completion is expected to go beyond simply attracting a manufacturing facility, serving as an opportunity to forge closer cooperation with local biotech materials, components and equipment companies and build a more robust ecosystem of shared growth.
The center is projected to create more than 300 new jobs, providing quality employment opportunities for local youth, while tailored biotech workforce development programs linked to regional universities and research institutions are expected to inject new energy into the local economy.
The combination of the Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone's research infrastructure with Merck's advanced technology is also expected to accelerate global innovation and cement Daejeon's standing as a prime location for high-tech investment by global companies.
"Securing a stable supply of key materials at every stage of biopharmaceutical manufacturing is essential," Wirth said. "The Merck Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Center will deliver advanced production capabilities closer to biopharmaceutical manufacturers across the region, strengthening confidence in supply stability from development through to commercial production."
Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong said the opening of Merck's production center marks "a historic turning point for Daejeon to leap forward as a world-class biotech hub, not just for South Korea but for the world." Heo added that the city would provide full support to ensure the Daedeok Special Zone's foundational technologies and local capabilities are organically integrated with Merck's operations, and that the city would focus its administrative efforts on building a high-quality global biotech ecosystem through close collaboration among industry, academia, research institutions and hospitals.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
