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South Korea’s biotech sector attracts global partners with advanced therapies, platform-based innovation, gene and cell therapy, and AI drug discovery.
South Korea is fast emerging as a key participant in the global biotechnology investment arena and is attracting pharmaceutical companies and investors seeking collaboration. The country’s biotechnology industry is gaining recognition for its advanced technologies in areas like antibody-drug conjugates for targeted cancer treatment and next-generation drug delivery technologies with blood-brain barrier penetration capabilities.
An analysis of data presented at the East-West Biopharma Summit Seoul reveals that a considerable percentage of biotechnology licensing transactions in Asia, excluding China, originate in South Korea. Simone Fishburn, editor-in-chief of BioCentury, stated that “compared to other regions in Asia, Korea is at the forefront in terms of developing first-in-class therapeutic platforms and is therefore unique in the Asian biotechnology marketplace.”
Executives of global companies highlight Korea’s strong clinical research capabilities and access to high-quality medical data as key drivers for collaboration with companies in Korea. Gunnar Riediger, GM of GSK Korea, stated that Korea’s strengths help address global unmet medical needs. New therapeutic modalities such as targeted protein degradation therapies and hybrid degraders and antibody conjugates are also gaining popularity worldwide. Lee Sung-joo, CEO of Orum Therapeutics, stated that "domestic investors are willing to invest in platform-based businesses," which is why there is a trend of creating new biotech platform businesses instead of individual assets.
South Korea is also gaining attention in gene and cell therapy innovation, and businesses are using artificial intelligence in drug discovery to develop new drugs. Hwee Juin Lee of Flagship Pioneering stated that "collaborations in target discovery, biological research, and next-generation therapeutic modalities are gaining popularity." Chang Seung-joon, vice chairman of Maekyung Media, stated that "this summit is creating cross-border biotech business collaborations that connect science, capital, and talent." South Korea is ready to become a key player in biotech and pharmaceutical innovation in the world with its strong research and clinical trial environment in the early stages.
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