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Fostering Busan as a K-Dental Hub Through the Attraction of the National Dental Research Institute… Busan Metropolitan City Holds Dental Industry Support Committee Meeting

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk, announced that it held the “2026 Busan Metropolitan City Dental Industry Support Committee Meeting” at 2:00 p.m. on May 15 in the conference room on the 7th floor of City Hall to discuss this year’s plans for fostering and supporting the dental industry, as well as strategies for attracting the National Dental Research Institute to Busan.

The meeting was organized to strengthen the growth foundation of the dental industry, which is being called upon to transition into a high-value-added industry based on advanced technologies, and to systematically 추진 related policy initiatives.

First, the City presented the “2026 Dental Industry Promotion and Support Plan” and introduced policy directions under the vision of “Busan, a Global Leading City for the Dental Industry.”

The City plans to pursue four strategic directions and nine detailed projects:
[Growth] commercialization of advanced technologies based on digital convergence and cultivation of outstanding talent;
[Expansion] strengthening industrial competitiveness by promoting global expansion of K-Dental;
[Hub Development] building a full-cycle dental industry ecosystem connecting research, demonstration, and commercialization; and
[Innovation] strengthening research capabilities based on the southeastern regional network and leading technological innovation.

In particular, this year the City plans to actively identify advanced convergence-type dental R&D projects by expanding collaboration among public and private research institutions. It will also newly 추진 a supra-regional industry-academia-research-hospital cooperation network project aimed at establishing a sustainable industrial foundation.

During the subsequent discussion on the “Current Status and Future Plans for Attracting the National Dental Research Institute to Busan,” researcher Yoo Jin-ho of the Busan Institute of Science and Technology Promotion (BISTEP) delivered a presentation sharing government policy trends and the progress of attraction efforts, followed by discussions with attending experts on future response strategies.

Busan Metropolitan City has continuously strengthened the policy foundation for fostering the dental industry. It established the nation’s first dedicated dental industry task force in 2017, enacted the “Busan Metropolitan City Ordinance on the Promotion and Support of the Dental Industry” in 2018, and has operated the Dental Industry Support Committee since 2019.

In addition, Busan currently hosts more than 1,800 dental medical and industrial institutions, including 1,358 dental clinics and hospitals and 487 dental laboratories, with a workforce of 5,305 employees. Excluding the Seoul metropolitan area, this represents the largest dental industry base in the nation. As a result, Busan is regarded as a city equipped with the research and industrial infrastructure, workforce, and foundational facilities necessary for establishing the National Dental Research Institute.

Centered around the Pusan National University School of Dentistry, Busan possesses research and clinical infrastructure, the capabilities of leading companies, and excellent living conditions, making it possible to establish a full-cycle dental ecosystem connecting research, industry, and exports.

Furthermore, as a global hub city equipped with logistics and MICE infrastructure, Busan also possesses favorable conditions for establishing a national research hub for the medical sector in the southeastern region.

Kim Kyung-duk, Acting Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “The dental industry is a key future industry that simultaneously advances citizens’ health and the regional economy through digital healthcare and advanced medical technologies.” He added, “Through cooperation among industry, academia, research institutions, and the medical community, we will do our utmost to attract the National Dental Research Institute to Busan, establish the southeastern region as an innovation hub for the dental industry, and lead the K-Dental industry in the global market.”