An Integrated Analysis of the Jinju-Sacheon Aerospace Ecosystem

Abstract

his study aims to explore strategies for revitalizing the aerospace and defense industry ecosystem in South Korea’s Jinju-Sacheon region. Although Jinju is a key hub for the nation’s aerospace and defense industry, with major corporations like Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) located there, the startup ecosystem and regional innovation network are underdeveloped. The lack of collaboration and technology transfer between large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) limits opportunities for growth, highlighting the need to revitalize the startup ecosystem and promote technological innovation and market entry. To address this, the study conducted a topic analysis on news data related to the aerospace and defense industry. Based on these findings, this research proposes a collaboration model among large corporations, SMEs, research institutes, and universities. The results are expected to diagnose the collaborative structure within Jinju’s aerospace and defense industry and contribute to the sustainable development of the regional industry by providing practical strategies to strengthen the startup ecosystem and regional innovation network.