Singapore: Hosted co-jointly by the Korean government and the Ministry of Trade, the two-day Osong International Bio Industry Exposition is set to kick off on September 16 in Osong. Under the theme "The Secret of Life, Beautiful Future," the exhibitions is set to showcase the progresses made in Korea's biotech industry in the recent past and provide a glimpse into the future, displaying many of industry's finest innovations.

Mr Lee Si-jong, governor of North Chungcheong Province, said, "The event will help Osong to solidify its position as the Korea's biotechnology hub. My goal is to transform North Chungcheong province as one of top three biotechnology centers in the world."

Mr Si-jong added that the event would help in promoting North Chungcheong and Osong as the world's leading biotech centers. He mentioned the event will host 223 companies from the country and some 700 expo booths, including 200 from across the world.

He further stated that the expo will also host conferences with world-renowned biologists expected to attend, such as 2004 Nobel Prize winner Aaron Ciechanover, who won the prestigious prize in chemistry for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation.

Osong is already a home for the Osong lifescience cluster. The Hi-tech Medical Complex in Osong has high-end research facilities on drug discovery and testing.