Two of Wonju’s Key Industries Selected as Growth Engines for Gangwon Region, Providing New Momentum for Advanced Industries

【Financial News Wonju = Reporter Kim Ki-seop】Two of the three growth-engine sectors selected by the government for the Gangwon region are directly linked to Wonju’s key industries, creating new momentum for the city’s advanced-industry development.
According to Wonju-si on the 2nd, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) selected three sectors as growth engines for the Gangwon region at the 10th Central Government–Local Government Cooperation Council, held on August 26 under the chairmanship of the president: smart bio and medical devices; specialty semiconductors and ceramics; and clean resources and tourism. Of these, smart bio and medical devices and specialty semiconductors and ceramics are directly connected to Wonju’s core strategic industries. The selection is being viewed as official government recognition of the industrial foundation and policy efforts that Wonju has built over the years.
The two sectors can immediately leverage Wonju’s long-established medical-device and digital-healthcare ecosystems, as well as its advanced-industry base, allowing them to generate synergies without the need to build additional foundations. Wonju has one of the country’s strongest support systems, with medical-device companies, universities, hospitals, and research and support institutions closely clustered to provide assistance throughout the entire process, from development to testing, certification, and commercialization.
In a representative project, Wonju-si was selected by the Ministry of Science and ICT for a project to establish a Gangwon medical AI transformation industry demonstration hub. From 2026 to 2030, the project will invest a total of 45 billion won, including 30 billion won in national funding, to build a medical AI transformation hub specialized for the Gangwon region. Led by the Wonju Medical Device Industry Promotion Agency, the project focuses on three demonstration pillars—assistants covering cancer diagnosis and treatment, robotics supporting medical care, and edge technologies for daily management—as well as the creation of a demonstration environment for medical AI data. It is expected to create synergies with the growth-engine designation by laying the groundwork for shifting the medical-device industry from a hardware-centered sector to an AI-based software and data industry.
In the semiconductor sector, Wonju-si has expanded the technology-development and demonstration foundations for medical-device semiconductors and sensors, as well as related materials and components, through its medical-device semiconductor demonstration platform and advanced semiconductor ceramics technology-development project. Following the selection of specialty semiconductors and ceramics, the city plans to accelerate efforts to attract companies and upgrade its demonstration infrastructure by linking existing projects with government policy.
The government will concentrate seven policy-support packages—including fiscal and financial assistance, tax benefits, institutional support, technology, talent, and infrastructure—on the selected growth engines. It will also establish region-specific development plans led by local governments by the end of this year. In cooperation with Gangwon State and relevant institutions, Wonju-si plans to ensure that the city’s industrial foundation and major projects are reflected in the follow-up development plan. The city also aims to make the digital-healthcare industry centered on the medical AX demonstration hub, along with the semiconductor materials, components, and equipment industry, new growth pillars through the discovery of follow-up projects, investment attraction, and securing national funding.
Wonju Mayor Koo Ja-yeol said, "This is an exceptionally good opportunity for our key industries, medical devices and semiconductors, to take a major step forward." He added, "Following the attraction of the medical AX demonstration hub backed by 30 billion won in national funding, the selection as a growth engine gives us additional momentum. In cooperation with Gangwon State, we will deliver results that lead to business growth, investment, and quality jobs."

[email protected] Reporter Kim Ki-seop Reporter