2.42 Trillion Won K-Food Export Hub to Be Built in Saemangeum

Confirmed in the government's Saemangeum Master Plan
Connecting agricultural production to processing and exports

A K-Food export hub is set to be established in Saemangeum, Jeonbuk, bringing together agri-food production, processing, storage and export operations in one location. The “Saemangeum K-Food Export Hub Complex” project, a key initiative of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, has been incorporated into the government’s Saemangeum Master Plan (MP).

Conceptual diagram of the Saemangeum K-Food Export Hub Complex. Provided by the Jeonbuk State Government.

The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province said on November 6 that “developing a global food valley based on eco-friendly smart agriculture” was included as one of five key strategies in the revised Saemangeum Master Plan, recently approved by the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Saemangeum Committee.

The Saemangeum K-Food Export Hub Complex is a 10-year project running from 2027 to 2036, with a total investment of 2.42 trillion won. The project is expected to receive 540 billion won in government funding and 1.88 trillion won in private investment.

The project’s core components include developing Coolport, a 60-hectare temperature-controlled logistics facility on land behind Saemangeum New Port, and building a 120-hectare processing complex specializing in agri-food exports near the waterfront city.

Public infrastructure, including site development, a joint research and development (R&D) center, and integrated customs clearance and quarantine facilities, will be funded by the government. Processing plants, logistics centers and grain storage facilities will be developed through private investment.

Once the project gets underway in earnest, an export system will be established to process and store locally raw materials imported from overseas and agricultural products grown on Saemangeum’s agricultural and bioscience land, before supplying them to domestic and international markets.

K-Food is currently growing in global markets, but integrated infrastructure connecting raw material sourcing, processing, storage and overseas shipping remains limited. Saemangeum is expected to help address these shortcomings by combining extensive agricultural and bioscience land with port, airport and rail infrastructure.

The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province plans to seek related government funding, including funding for a preliminary feasibility study in 2027, as the project aligns with the government’s policy agenda to “develop the national food industry as a strategic industry” and its vision for globalizing K-Food.

Min Seon-sik, Director General of the Agriculture, Food and Livestock Industry Bureau at the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, said, “With the global food hub confirmed as a Phase 1 Saemangeum project, we can accelerate efforts to establish a K-Food export base. We will combine the agricultural and bioscience land with the logistics advantages of Saemangeum New Port to develop Saemangeum into an agri-food export hub.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.