Designated in 1992 and completed in 2002, the Ochang Science Industrial Complex was established to foster advanced science-and-technology industries and promote balanced regional development. Its mission has been to position Chungcheongbuk-do as a leading industrial hub by concentrating support on future-growth sectors such as semiconductors, bio, and information technology.

Despite its proximity to the Seoul Capital Area and its central location, the complex initially faced sluggish land sales due to the economic downturn during the 1997 Asian financial crisis and insufficient infrastructure.

Since then, leveraging robust transportation links—Cheongju International Airport, KTX Osong Station, and the Gyeongbu and Jungbu expressways—the complex has steadily attracted tenants as companies overcame earlier business challenges. With the designation of an on-site Foreign Investment Zone (FIZ) and proactive outreach to overseas investors, Ochang has welcomed a growing number of high-tech firms in semiconductors, secondary batteries, and biotechnology, evolving into the vibrant industrial cluster it is today.

Ochang Science Industrial Complex (including the Ochang Foreign Investment Zone) hosts 229 resident companies as of Q1 2025, anchored by leading firms such as LG Chem, EcoPro, GC Pharma, Yuhan Corporation, Stemco, and W-Scope Korea.

Building on its 2021 designation as a Specialized Complex for Materials, Parts and Equipment in the secondary-battery sector and its 2023 designation as a National Advanced Strategic Industry Specialized Complex, Ochang has emerged as Korea’s flagship battery hub.

In addition, a multi-purpose synchrotron accelerator project - awarded to Ochang in 2020 with a total budget of KRW 1.1643 trillion - is underway and is expected to surpass the performance of Pohang’s third-generation accelerator, establishing a core platform for research in advanced materials, biotechnology, and semiconductors.

In August 2025, the Ochang Science Industrial Complex Innovation Support Center opened under a program led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) and the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation (KICOX), originally selected in 2021. Serving as the complex’s innovation control tower, the Center integrates tenant services, R&D support, and enterprise assistance to deliver end-to-end, on-site support. In parallel, development of the Ochang Fourth Industrial Complex is well under way, positioning the district for integrated growth and strong synergies with the existing Science Industrial Complex.

Ochang Science Industrial Complex is a landmark example of a regional industrial complex that has overcome its regional constraints to become a high-tech industrial hub. By pursuing diversified growth drivers—enterprise-support infrastructure, research institutes and enabling agencies, improved livability and residential amenities, and the targeted attraction of new industries—it is compounding sustainable growth and shaping a future even more promising than today. Looking ahead, Ochang aims to rise beyond being “the heart of science and technology” in Chungcheongbuk-do to become a powerful engine propelling Korea, and the world, into the next era of advanced industry.