Hemp, which is drawing attention as a high value-added natural product material, has vast potential for application in new drugs and other uses. However, in South Korea it is regulated as a narcotic, and its application to agricultural technology, pharmaceutical development, and the food industry remains limited.

The Korean Medical Hemp Research Association (Chair Hyun-Joo Shim, Professor, School of Pharmacy, Jeonbuk National University (JBNU)), which has been pursuing various efforts to utilize hemp's active ingredients for medical purposes, recently held the '2023 Korea Hemp Industry Joint Academic Conference' and announced on the 5th that it sought alternatives for industrialization through university laboratory start-ups and for the utilization of medical hemp.

The conference was co-organized by the Korean Medical Hemp Research Association, the Korean Society for Cannabis Research, the Cannabinoid Research Association, the Korean Pharmacopuncture Society, the Asia‑Pacific Cannabis Society, and the Gyeongbuk Bioindustry Research Institute (Foundation). It was jointly hosted by Gyeongsangbuk‑do, Andong City, and Member of the National Assembly Kim Hyung‑dong.

At the conference, Hyun‑Joo Shim, Chair of the Korean Medical Hemp Research Association, and Han‑Jeong Chae, Professor, School of Pharmacy, JBNU, served as session chairs for the session on "Domestic R&D Trends in Medical Hemp." The session featured case presentations on JBNU-related medical hemp ventures and proposed directions for industrialization, which attracted attention.

At JBNU, outstanding cases of active medical hemp ventures were introduced, including a sprout hemp venture (Jong‑Sik Jin, Professor, Department of Oriental Medicine Resource), a molecular breeding and hemp variety research venture (Jeong‑Hwan Lee, Division of Biological Sciences, JBNU), and a hemp component analysis library-building venture (Hwang‑Ui Cho, Professor, School of Pharmacy, JBNU). These examples drew significant attention from experts in related fields as potential alternatives for the industrialization of medical hemp.

Hyun‑Joo Shim, Professor, School of Pharmacy, JBNU, and chair of the Korean Medical Hemp Research Association, said, "If the industrialization strategies for medical hemp presented at this conference are consolidated, they could become the starting point for revitalizing research in the domestic hemp industry and for initiating institutional improvements. In particular, active networking between experts in the field and university laboratory start-ups is expected to stimulate the medical hemp industry."