The Era of "Defense Innovation 4.0"... BISTEP Charts a Course for the Maritime Defense Industry

Sharing Trends in Smart Warships and Unmanned Surface Vessel Technologies

The Busan Institute of Science and Technology Promotion (BISTEP) will host a policy seminar on "Naval Support Measures for the Development of the K-Maritime Defense Industry" on June 22, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM, at the main conference room on the 17th floor of the BISTEP building.

This seminar has been organized to explore the development direction of the maritime defense industry and to highlight Busan’s role in response to the rapidly changing international security environment and the growth of the K-Defense industry.

Recently, the government has been fostering the defense industry as a national strategic sector through "Defense Innovation 4.0" and the state agenda of "Fostering and Innovating the K-Defense Industry and Acquisition System." Amid these efforts, attention is turning to whether Busan—home to the nation's largest port and a global shipbuilding and maritime industry base—can also emerge as a new growth hub in the maritime defense sector.

The seminar will feature a keynote presentation by Colonel Yang Changhun, Head of Training Policy at the Republic of Korea Navy Information Operations Division. Colonel Yang will introduce the development trends of advanced maritime weapon systems, such as smart warships, unmanned surface vessels, and maritime surveillance and detection technologies. He will also present the Navy’s support measures to strengthen the competitiveness of the K-Maritime Defense Industry.

Following the keynote, a panel discussion will be held where field experts will discuss strategies for nurturing a Busan-style maritime defense industry from multiple perspectives. The panel will include: Kim Taewan, Head of the Shipbuilding, Maritime, and Defense Task Force at Busan Technopark; Lee Sunghwan, Head of the Defense Industry Task Force at Busan Metropolitan City; Cho Sungho, Principal Researcher at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology; Hong Sungjoon, Head of Strategic Planning at Sonatech; and Hong Junseok, Director of the Busan Defense Venture Center at the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality.

The panelists will share practical challenges and development directions experienced in the field, including securing technological competitiveness in the maritime defense industry, expanding participation of local companies, strategies for building the defense industry ecosystem, and establishing collaboration frameworks among industry, academia, research institutes, government, and the military.

In particular, the results of this discussion will serve as foundational data for future research on maritime defense industry policy formulation to be undertaken by Busan Metropolitan City, giving the seminar significant policy relevance. It is expected to go beyond a simple academic event and become a platform for substantive discussions linked to regional industrial strategies.

Kim Youngboo, President of the Busan Institute of Science and Technology Promotion, stated, "Busan is a city equipped with both naval operations and maritime research infrastructure, possessing high potential in the maritime defense sector. We will strive to ensure that this seminar leads to practical policies for establishing a Busan-style maritime defense industry strategy and advancing the regional defense ecosystem."

The defense industry is no longer confined to a single sector. It is now regarded as a convergence of advanced technology, manufacturing, maritime industry, artificial intelligence, and unmanned systems—a concentration of future industries. Whether Busan, Korea’s largest maritime city, can leverage its strengths in shipbuilding and port industries to expand into the maritime defense sector remains to be seen, but this seminar is set to become a meaningful starting point for assessing that potential.

Notice of Policy Seminar on "Navy Support Measures for the Development of the K-Maritime Defense Industry."

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