The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in South Korea has announced it will be spending 41.2 billion won (Approx. $37 million USD) of 2017’s annual budget to encourage the development of 3D printing across the nation.
Kang Seong-joo, an official from the ministry, says,
The 3D printing industry is the core technology that will bring about innovation in the manufacturing realm and create a new market by changing the paradigm of the industry. It is important for ministries to cooperate to actively deal with the fast-changing global trend.
3D printer preview
Here at 3D Printing Industry we saw some of the latest 3D printing tech to come out of South Korea at Formnext 2016 in Frankfurt. The South Korea experience booth at the fair showcased 3D printing systems from A.Team Ventures, Cure M, Veltz3D, Fomer’s Farm and Carima, who also announced a partnership with HP.
![Veltz3D showcase a 3D printed violin at Formnext 2016. Image via..](https://3dprintingindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screenshot-from-2016-11-18-151257-1024x576.png)
Medicine and technological developments
In February 2017, we also learned of research from the nation’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) that is taking an innovative approach to 3D bioprinting. In a paper published in ACS Nano Journal, over 11 UNIST researchers collaborate to demonstrate a light-reactive material that can promote accelerated bone regeneration.
![Professor Youngkyo Seo and Dr. Jitendra N. Tiwari who work in 3D bioprinting at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology. Image via UNIST.](https://3dprintingindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/132681_web.jpg)
South Korea’s Ministry of Science also previously invested the equivalent of over $4 million into the Electronics Telecommunications and Research Institute, that adds a 3D scanning app to it’s array of technological developments such as 3D holograms, and graphene’s use in clothing.
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Featured image shows the central district of South Korea’s capital city Seoul, viewed from Mt. Namsan Photo by zuk0 on Flickr