Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center (CEO Lee Byeong-seon, hereinafter referred to as Jeju Center) held the '2025 1st Jeju Startup Ecosystem Forum' event on the 27th at J-Space on the 3rd floor of Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center with the theme of 'Clean Jeju Lava Seawater and Salt Industry: Exploring Future Value'.
This event included an introduction to Jeju lava seawater and industrialization plans, a keynote speech on the salt industry from an investor's perspective, and a keynote speech and talk session on the future value of lava seawater and the salt industry for experts in each field.
Keynote speakers included ▲Jeju Technopark Yongam Seawater Center Director Jang Won-guk, ▲Jeju Salt CEO Go Gyeong-min, and ▲Blue Point CEO Lee Yong-gwan.
The keynote speech at this forum explored the high added value and differentiation of salt obtained from Jeju's lava seawater, and presented specific plans for utilizing lava seawater as a salt resource.
Jeju lava seawater is a clean resource that contains useful minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium as it is groundwater with a salinity of over 3% and is filtered through basalt layers. During the drinking water production process, desalinated water is used to produce concentrated water with a salinity of 6%, and it is suggested that by utilizing this, high value-added salt crystals can be obtained. In fact, Okinawa, Japan operates about 30 salt factories and directly produces salt, utilizing it as a tourism resource.
Recently, concerns about sea salt have been growing due to issues such as marine microplastics, climate crisis, and hygiene. In this situation, if the salt industry is fostered as a new industry model for Jeju and the innovation of startups is added to attempt a rapid transition, it can become Jeju’s future food source.
Bluepoint representative Lee Yong-gwan, who attended the forum, said, “We can find the potential of a salt industry that has the production efficiency of refined salt and is rich in minerals and nutrients in Jeju,” and emphasized, “Jeju lava seawater is not exposed to the external environment, so it is a safe and useful resource for the human body.” He continued, “If we can manufacture salt through an efficient production method and provide consumers with a special food experience, it could become the first industry in Korea.”
About 80 people including (potential) entrepreneurs, investors, and related organizations attended this forum. Students from Gachon University’s Startup College Cocone School visited to explore the potential of the salt industry and sympathize with the possibility of future entrepreneurship.
Jeju Center Director Lee Byeong-seon said, “I think it is meaningful to open the Jeju Startup Ecosystem Forum with the salt industry as the first topic this year,” and added, “I hope to create a high value-added industry in Jeju by adding the innovative technologies of startups to Jeju’s clean salt resources.”
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