[Edaily Reporter Shin Su-jeong] Pulmuone is building a research and development (R&D) center in the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex in North Jeolla Province to validate its land-based seaweed farming technology. The project aims to expand seaweed production—traditionally centered on marine aquaculture—to land-based operations to establish a year-round production system and, in the future, build an industrialization model in collaboration with local fishermen.

#Pulmuone announced on the 9th that it has broken ground on a land-based seaweed aquaculture R&D center at the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex. The company explained that this marks the first time a dedicated R&D center for land-based seaweed aquaculture has been established in Korea.

The center is being developed in conjunction with a national project by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries aimed at producing high-quality, sustainable seaweed seeds and developing land-based cultivation technologies. It will serve as a test bed to demonstrate technologies for the stable land-based production of seaweed and evaluate their commercial viability.

The site covers a total area of 9,473 square meters. Pulmuone plans to construct aquaculture facilities, seawater intake and discharge systems, pretreatment facilities, and research and support facilities in phases. In the first phase, the company will first build core infrastructure, including the land-based seaweed aquaculture building, seawater treatment facilities, and an office building. Subsequently, based on the results of the pilot project, the company will proceed with the second-phase expansion.

In Phase 2, additional land-based seaweed cultivation facilities will be built, along with a warehouse, a processing building, and an R&D building. The size of the cultivation tanks will also be expanded. Through this, Pulmuone plans to establish an industrialized system that integrates production, processing, and distribution.

The land-based seaweed cultivation facility will introduce a bioreactor system based on aquaculture tanks. A bioreactor is a facility that produces seaweed by controlling growth conditions such as temperature, light, and nutrients. The company announced that it will build the largest such system in the country.

Using the R&D center as a hub, Pulmuone will advance the core processes of land-based seaweed farming and promote technology standardization. The developed industrialization model will be shared with local governments and regional fishermen to encourage its adoption in the field. The company is also considering a system where Pulmuone purchases fresh seaweed produced at nearby aquaculture complexes and commercializes it.

Previously, Pulmuone signed a joint research agreement with Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province in 2022 to secure land-based seaweed farming technology. In February of this year, it signed a mutual growth agreement with the Saemangeum Development Agency, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, Gunsan City, and local fishermen. The agreement included plans to secure land for the expansion of the Saemangeum Comprehensive Aquatic Food Export and Processing Complex and the establishment of a land-based seaweed farming complex.

Land-based seaweed farming is a technology that produces seaweed by creating an environment similar to the ocean indoors. It is gaining attention for its potential to reduce production volatility caused by climate change and shifts in the marine environment. Pulmuone began developing the relevant technology in 2021 and received a license for land-based tank-type seawater aquaculture from the Pulmuone Technology Institute in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, last March. The company is also conducting demonstration research using a 10-ton tank in Taean, South Chungcheong Province.

Ahn Deok-jun, Head of Pulmuone’s Food Tech Business Division, stated, “The Saemangeum R&D Center will serve as a crucial turning point for demonstrating land-based seaweed farming technology and establishing a foundation for its industrialization.” He added, “Based on our food tech-driven innovation capabilities, we will build a sustainable fisheries model and develop it into a future seafood industry that leads the global market.”