The government has launched an interagency control tower to oversee bio-health policies, signaling a major push to enhance the nation’s global competitiveness in the sector.
On Thursday, the government held the inaugural meeting of the National Bio Innovation Committee at the Government Complex Sejong, presided over by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. The new body serves as a unified governance structure, integrating the previous National Bio Committee and the Bio-Health Innovation Committee to streamline and coordinate national bio policies.
The government held the first meeting of the National Bio Innovation Committee at the Government Complex Sejong on Thursday. (Captured from KTV)
The committee will move beyond a deliberative body, functioning as a practical control tower with authority to coordinate and decide on policies and projects. Government officials and private-sector experts serve on the committee. It aims to break down ministerial silos and foster public-private partnerships.
At the first meeting, members discussed three key agendas: the committee's vision and operational plan, the innovation strategy for national bio clusters, and the regulatory rationalization roadmap for the bio-health sector.
The committee unveiled its vision to become a global bio leader through so-called super-gap technologies. To achieve this, it will promote open innovation through cooperation among industry, academia, research institutes, hospitals, and the government. The goal is to provide full-cycle support from R&D to commercialization to produce world-class outcomes.
The committee plans to set up subcommittees and special committees to address specific sectors and issues, aimed at strengthening policy implementation. It will announce the “Republic of Korea Bio Innovation Strategy” in the first half of the year, followed by the “K-Beauty Industry Development Strategy” and the “Bio Data Innovation Plan.”
The bio-cluster policy was also identified as a key priority. To leapfrog into a global bio leader, the committee proposed establishing a “Korean-style bio cluster” by fostering regional hub clusters that integrate industry, academia, research institutes, and hospitals, and by linking individual clusters.
Given that current Korean bio clusters face limitations—such as insufficient concentration, functional overlap, and a shortage of talent and infrastructure—the committee will promote the development of a full-cycle ecosystem in which infrastructure and research, clinical, and production functions are organically connected. It also plans to strengthen inter-cluster linkages and build an integrated platform to enable the sharing of research equipment and facilities.
A “Regulatory Rationalization Roadmap” to strengthen the competitiveness of the biohealth industry was also announced. The roadmap consists of four strategies and 24 tasks, including redesigning regulations to be innovation-friendly, supporting rapid market entry, conducting value-based evaluations, and transitioning to a regulatory service agency.
Specific measures include developing a new evaluation system for technologies that replace animal testing. The committee will also improve procedures for listing AI-based medical devices and orphan drugs under the national health insurance program.
"This marks a critical turning point in elevating the national bio-policy implementation system," Prime Minister Kim said. "The government will mobilize all resources to produce tangible results that the public can feel."
Kwak Sung-sun
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