Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Regional Innovation Center (Director Lee Jeong-hwan) held a meeting of the Companion Animal Industry Promotion Task Force on the 10th to advance the companion animal industry in Jeollabuk-do.

The meeting was attended by about 20 university, institutional, and corporate representatives, including Min Seon-sik, Director of the Agri‑Life and Livestock Industry Bureau, Jeollabuk-do Provincial Government; Lee Jeong-hwan, Co‑leader of the Promotion Task Force and Director of the JBNU Regional Innovation Center; Guk Ju‑yeong‑eun, member of the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Council; and Chae Su‑chan, Director of the JBNU RISE Project Group. They focused on the current status of Jeollabuk-do's companion animal industry and strategies for its future development.

The Companion Animal Industry Promotion Task Force is an industry–academia–research–government consultative body that has been convened semiannually since 2023 to respond to the increase in households keeping companion animals and the expanding industrial demand. Since 2023, the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Government has supported the operation of city and county consultative bodies that utilize local agri‑life research institutions and existing industrial bases, focusing on fostering regionally specialized companion animal industries.

Currently, Iksan City and Imsil County are participating in the project. The JBNU Regional Innovation Center is identifying and planning projects tailored to each area's characteristics to support the expansion of the industrial base.

At the meeting, participants reviewed the progress and outcomes of this year's city- and county-level support projects for companion animal industry development and shared the direction for project implementation in 2026.

Iksan City presented strategies for attracting companies and industrial agglomeration based on an animal healthcare cluster. Imsil County presented plans for developing and promoting companion animal content linked to local tourism resources.

Min Seon-sik, Director of the Agri‑Life and Livestock Industry Bureau, Jeollabuk-do Provincial Government, said, 'The Companion Animal Industry Promotion Task Force is a key consultative body for fostering Jeollabuk-do's companion animal industry,' and added, 'We will do our utmost to ensure Jeollabuk-do can grow into a hub for companion animal health and life-care industries through continued cooperation and support.'