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From Seafood Startups to Competitive Blue Food Companies… Busan Metropolitan City to Hold “Blue Food Value-Up Day”

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it will hold “Blue Food Value-Up Day” tomorrow, September 29, at 2:00 p.m. in Event Hall D at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center to share innovative achievements by seafood companies and expand outstanding cases across regions.

Around 100 participants are expected to attend, including representatives from Busan Metropolitan City, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheongnam-do, and Gyeongsangnam-do, as well as seafood companies, academia, related institutions and organizations, and experts. The event is hosted by Busan Metropolitan City, organized by Busan Techno Park, and sponsored by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The event has been organized to share regional achievements of the Seafood Company Scale-Up Support Project and expand outstanding company cases from Busan and other participating regions.

The Seafood Company Scale-Up Support Project has been implemented by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries since 2024 to support seafood companies with growth potential in transforming their business models and strengthening competitiveness. Six metropolitan and provincial governments nationwide, including Busan, are participating in the project.

The program will proceed with an opening ceremony, an expert keynote lecture, a presentation on the overall achievements of the Seafood Company Scale-Up Support Project in Busan, viewing of blue food products on display and networking, and presentations on the achievements of outstanding companies.

In the keynote lecture, Lee Ki-won, Chair of the World FoodTech Council, will share the latest trends in blue food technology and its future development under the theme “Busan × Blue Food Tech × Culture Platform.”

Nam Byung-hyuk, Head of the Blue Food Center at Busan Techno Park, will then present the overall achievements of the Seafood Company Scale-Up Support Project in Busan and introduce cases in which support from the central and local governments in areas such as product development, technology advancement, and commercialization led to tangible corporate growth.

During the outstanding company performance presentations, five participating companies from Busan, Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheongnam-do, and Gyeongsangnam-do will directly present their respective growth cases achieved through participation in the project, including product development and branding.

From Busan, Cheongsan-e Foods Co., Ltd. will present its development of a highly processed organic seaweed snack using organic grain ingredients, while Myeongseong Foods will present its development of a gluten-free fish snack made with powdered rice.

Other cases to be introduced include Buil Co., Ltd. of Gyeonggi-do and the launch of its “Mohyeon Sanghoe: A Smart Choice for Everyone” brand; Taekyung Foods of Chungcheongnam-do and its development of a seaweed-based snack product; and W Seafood of Gyeongsangnam-do and its development of “Tongyeong Haejang,” made with shellfish from Tongyeong.

Busan Metropolitan City expects the event to provide an opportunity to share accumulated business-support achievements and field experience from each region and to expand outstanding practices to other regions and companies.

Through the Seafood Company Scale-Up Support Project, Busan Metropolitan City has supported the growth of local seafood companies in areas including new product development, technology advancement, and commercialization.

To date, a combined KRW 3.3 billion in national and municipal funding has been invested to provide customized support to 26 local seafood companies in areas such as new product development, technology advancement, branding, and sales promotion.

As a result, the project achieved outcomes in 2024 and 2025 including the development of 26 new products, 14 cases of securing technological capabilities, and the creation of new jobs. In particular, major domestic retailers’ product planners were connected with participating companies from the early stages of the project to support customer-oriented product development and expanded sales channels. This resulted in KRW 4 billion in new sales and laid the foundation for participating companies to grow from startups into competitive small and medium-sized enterprises.

Shim Jae-min, Assistant Mayor of Maritime Capital Strategy Office, said, “I hope this event will provide an opportunity for local governments and companies across the country to share Busan’s achievements and create new opportunities for cooperation and business.”

He added, “Busan Metropolitan City will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and actively support Busan seafood companies so that they can achieve sustained growth across the entire process, from technology development to commercialization, market expansion, and exports.”