Korean Meteorological Administration to Support Entire Process for Domestic Meteorological Equipment, from Development to Exports... KRW 34.7 Billion to Be Invested Over Five Years

[Financial News]  
The Korean Meteorological Administration will support the entire process for domestically manufactured meteorological equipment, from research and development (R&D) and field demonstrations to entry into the public market and overseas exports. The initiative aims to help domestic meteorological equipment companies that struggle to commercialize products because they cannot find sites to verify performance or secure initial sales channels after developing the technology. About KRW 34.7 billion will be invested over the next five years, starting this year, to develop core meteorological equipment for which reliance on foreign products remains high.
On the 21st, the Korean Meteorological Administration announced the "Measures to Strengthen Commercialization Through Full-Cycle Support for Meteorological Equipment R&D." The key is to reorganize support into four stages: R&D, performance enhancement, sales-channel development, and integrated management. While previous efforts focused on technology development, support will now extend through the stage at which the developed equipment is launched on the actual market.
First, it will strengthen R&D for core equipment with high dependence on foreign products, reflecting public-sector demand and field requirements. Key projects include mobile and remote observation technologies for responding to hazardous weather, upgrades to high-density observation systems, and the localization of the space weather payload for Cheollian Satellite-5.
It will also expand opportunities for field demonstrations, long cited as a weakness of domestically manufactured equipment. The Korean Meteorological Administration will operate a "public-led field demonstration support system" under which it directly uses developed equipment to verify its performance. When private companies conduct performance tests themselves, the government will support testing facilities and incidental costs and waive fees for using state-owned property. It will also pursue a plan requiring public institutions, such as educational and research institutions, to use meteorological equipment that has received national type approval. For equipment used outside legally designated observation networks, it plans to introduce a purpose-specific performance certification system.
Public procurement will be used to secure initial sales channels. Excellent domestically manufactured equipment will be designated as a "Korean Meteorological Administration Outstanding R&D Project" and linked to cross-ministerial commercialization programs, while the Korean Meteorological Administration will purchase the equipment directly through the Public Procurement Service's Innovative Product Pilot Purchase Program. For companies expanding overseas, it will provide R&D funding needed for technology development tailored to local conditions and for obtaining overseas certifications, along with performance evaluation results that meet international standards.
The measures stem from an assessment that, despite the localization of major meteorological equipment, advanced equipment and key sensors remain highly dependent on foreign suppliers. Recent exchange-rate fluctuations have driven up the cost of introducing foreign-made equipment and increased supply uncertainty. There has also been a problem in which domestic companies develop prototypes but cannot secure demonstration opportunities or sales channels, preventing them from commercializing their products.
The Korean Meteorological Administration plans to review commercialization performance regularly and select companies with strong records in registering and managing results as "outstanding commercialization companies," providing them with incentives. Korean Meteorological Administration Administrator Lee Mi-sun said, "We will build a robust support system so that domestically manufactured meteorological equipment can be used at actual observation sites beyond laboratories and advance into global markets."
[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter