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 facility 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 annu