Insect industry opens new Chuncheon factory

Korea’s first hub under a national insect industry development initiative opened Tuesday in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, creating a new resource for protein-based feed, health supplements, agricultural waste treatment and job creation.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said a completion ceremony for the Gangwon-Chuncheon Insect Industry Hub Complex was held the same day. The facility is jointly operated by the provincial and city governments and was built with a total investment of 20 billion won ($15 million), split equally between the central and local governments. Construction of the complex began in 2023.

Built on a 23,815-square-meter site, the facility includes a smart factory farm that performs the complex’s core operations, 33 rental smart farms that supply breeding insects to the factory farm and a building for facility maintenance and support.

At the smart factory farm, AI and robots monitor insect growth in real time and automate temperature, humidity and feeding controls. Equipped with automatic cleaning systems and industrial dryers, the farm can produce up to 1,000 tons of mealworms annually.

At the rental smart farms, insects with consistent protein and other nutritional content will be bred and supplied to the factory farm. The program will also encourage young local farmers to participate in the rental farm program.

The complex has applied Smart Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards to its entire rearing and production processes. According to the ministry, it is the country’s first HACCP-based insect production system, which is expected to strengthen consumer confidence and provide standardized ingredients to pharmaceutical and food companies.

At the ceremony, the governments of Gangwon Province and Chuncheon signed a memorandum of understanding with supplement manufacturer Hanmi Nutrition and insect food company OMO to develop industry and business models based on resource recycling.

“Until now, individual farms have produced edible insects in small quantities, making it difficult to standardize insect ingredients or secure reliable bulk supplies,” a representative of one of the participating companies said. “We expect the new hub to resolve these problems. We also plan to launch a range of new products using insects.”

The complex also plans to work with local agricultural distribution centers to turn discarded cabbages and other agricultural waste into insect feed. The ministry said the initiative will lower production and waste disposal costs while reducing carbon emissions.

“The insect industry hub will strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation between farmers and businesses and serve as a stepping stone toward making the insect industry a new engine of future growth,” Jung Kyung-seok, the ministry’s director general for food industry policy, said at the ceremony.

“The ministry will fully support the growth of the insect industry through commercialization support at all stages and regulatory innovation.”