Korean Plant Genome Data Shared with Korean Bio Industry to 

Raise its Competitiveness   

On 3 August 2021, NIBR signed the MOU with 6 government institutions* that manage

 Korean biological resources and 6 bio-industry associations** to establish and share big data

 of the Korean plant genome. The purpose of the MOU is to help Korean biotechnology companies facilitate their utilization of these data.  

*National Institute of Ecology, Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources, 

National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, National Institute of Forest Science, 

The Korea National Arboretum, and National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea

**Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization, Korean Seed Association, 

Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, Korea Health Supplements Association, 

Korea Agricultural Big Data Association, and Nurseryman Association of Korea 

The importance of biological information on Korean native plant species has arisen since 

the entry into the Nagoya Protocol that ensures sovereign rights over genetic resources. 

To enhance effective and industrial utilization of the Korean plant species, it is essential to secure not only 

physical resources but also genetic sequence data on the species.  

In this regard, the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, 

Rural Development Administration, and Korea Forest Service have built 

“the National strategy for establishing big data of plant species on the Korean Peninsula’. 

The strategy was approved by the 17th Science and Technology Ministerial Meeting in April this year. 

As of April 2021, the industrial utilization rate of plant sequence data is less than 

1% (46 species) of the total 8,073 species stored by the government institutions. Under the big data strategy, 

the Korean government plans to increase the rate from 1% to 16% (1,035 species) by 2032 through securing 320,000 specimens genome 

data of 1,317 Korean plant species and discovering more than 800 genetic materials, recognizing biotechnology as a future growth engine.  

Under the MOU, the 7 government institutions including NIBR collect 

Korean plant species and create genetic information of the species to share the data with Korean biotech companies. 

The enterprises then research and develop commercial products and biomaterials based on the shared data. 

Moreover, the 7 institutions will listen to Korean companies’ opinions on the plant 

big data to meet their needs so that the companies can increase their productivity and reduce patent royalty burdens. 

Dr. Jin-Young Park, director-general of NIBR Biological Resources Research Department said: “NIBR and the government instiutions will strive to help Korean

biotech industry sharing Korean plants genomic bio data to forest their competency and competitiveness related to biotechnology."