2024.09.23
[Tminsa News, Reporter Jeong In-ho] GGL Leadership Group announced on the 23rd that Kim Min-su, the CEO of the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute, will receive the grand prize at the 'Harvard University World Classics, Kangtokol Reading Award' on September 28th. CEO Kim gave a presentation on Richard Dawkins' 'The Selfish Gene' and received the most votes from the attendees and judges.
Let's learn about CEO Kim Min-su, who won the Gangto-kol Reading Award. CEO Kim is a 'fish doctor' who founded the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute with a dream of creating a shrimp kingdom. After graduating from the Department of Aquatic Life Medicine at Pukyung National University, he accumulated scientific knowledge through various aquaculture research and projects, and while working at a shrimp farm, he gained field experience and laid the foundation for creating a shrimp kingdom.
Why did CEO Kim dream of a shrimp kingdom? Shrimp is a high value-added fish species that is mostly produced through aquaculture, and is one of the most preferred seafood products by people all over the world. In particular, the shrimp market is a large market worth about 72.6 billion dollars, and is expected to grow by 6.6% annually. So, in this large market, he dreamed of creating a shrimp kingdom by creating a company that produces and distributes shrimp all over the world, focusing on the Asian market.
[Photo source = Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute]
◎ Shrimp are farmed in the ‘mountains’ rather than the ‘sea’?
The Korea Fisheries Research &Development Institute is currently a team that is raising shrimp using smart aquaculture technology in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do and Yeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. However, CEO Kim is always asked this question while doing business. “Why do you raise shrimp in Chuncheon and Yeongju instead of the ocean?” The Korea Fisheries Research and Development Institute develops standardized smart shrimp farms near cities instead of the ocean in a B2B/B2C format, and provides solutions necessary for shrimp production and operation, providing fresh shrimp to consumers in about an hour.
The Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute is a company that excels at water quality, growth, and disease management required for aquaculture production. It has a smart aquaculture solution that is scalable and has problem-solving capabilities, which purifies polluted water used in aquaculture within 30 minutes, and produces aquaculture without discarding water, thereby increasing productivity by more than 10 times compared to traditional aquaculture farms, and reducing installation and operating costs by more than 70%.
◎ Nothing is easy from the beginning. How did you overcome the crisis?
To start a business, you need three elements: capital, land, and labor. In the early days of his business, CEO Kim worked at a company in the morning and ran a store in the evening to make capital, and based on this, he started his first business. However, the business did not last, and he had to temporarily give up his dream of creating a shrimp kingdom.
There seems to be no law that says you have to die. With the help of an acquaintance who supported CEO Kim’s dream, he worked at a fish farm to pay off his debt and prepared for his second business. At this time, he was able to start the business again by lending him land for free. Thanks to this, he was able to gather talented people, and these friends who had been working all over the country gathered in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do to realize their dream of creating a shrimp kingdom. They are currently working together in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk-do. These three elements of capital, land, and labor fortunately came together to start a business.
[CEO Kim Min-su, third from the right on the bottom row, photo source = Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute]
◎ In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, which is becoming increasingly sophisticated, what measures should the fishing industry take in response to the climate crisis?
The fisheries industry is shifting from catching to farming due to the decrease in catch. In fact, the amount of fish consumed is much higher in farmed fish than in wild fish. In particular, smart aquaculture technology is being introduced to aquaculture to escape from the natural environment such as the climate crisis. Most smart aquaculture was a one-time project that provided only equipment, or the equipment was focused only on sensing, monitoring, and control, and was a problem-finding-oriented industry. Perhaps because of this, the smart aquaculture penetration rate was only 2.5%. In order to solve this, the more solutions tailored to the problem-solving ability of managing water quality, growth, and disease to improve productivity are developed, the more sustainable the fisheries ecosystem can be created.
◎ Concerns about marine food are growing. What are your views and strategies on this?
One of the important aspects of seafood consumption is the safety of seafood. In order to produce sustainable seafood, the paradigm of aquaculture is changing from ocean-based aquaculture to land-based aquaculture. In a market that is rapidly growing at an annual average of 15.7%, the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute also aims to become a company that provides sustainable, fresh, and trustworthy seafood based on land-based smart aquaculture technology.
◎ The company's core values are 'mutually beneficial partnership' and 'a company that grows together'. What exactly does this mean?
The Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute is currently focusing on the midstream of the aquaculture value chain. Therefore, we believe that sustainable growth is possible only when we create a structure where aquaculture hopefuls/returnees/founders in the upstream can make money through a win-win partnership. I believe that the growth of the aquaculture industry is not only about the growth of aquaculture fishermen, but also about our team members and the company growing together to provide better products and services to customers and create a healthy ecosystem.
◎ What difficulties are there in recruiting and developing talent, and how are they being overcome?
It seems that startups always have to worry about recruiting and nurturing talent. In the end, we need to gather people who believe that we can change the world through our dreams and visions, and we put a lot of effort into persuading, selecting, and nurturing such employees, taking from a few months to a few years.
[Photo source = Tminsa News, with staff from the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute]
◎ What advice would you give to the readers of Tminsa News and the Jalpa Generation?
As the trend in the fisheries industry is changing from catching to farming, and especially farming is changing from sea-based to land-based, I hope that through Tminsa, I can sensitively understand and accept the trend, apply it in a way that suits my aptitude and job, and grow and develop together in the future.
Reporter Jeong In-ho
View the Full Article Text
2024.09.23
[Tminsa News, Reporter Jeong In-ho] GGL Leadership Group announced on the 23rd that Kim Min-su, the CEO of the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute, will receive the grand prize at the 'Harvard University World Classics, Kangtokol Reading Award' on September 28th. CEO Kim gave a presentation on Richard Dawkins' 'The Selfish Gene' and received the most votes from the attendees and judges.
[Photo source = Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute]
[CEO Kim Min-su, third from the right on the bottom row, photo source = Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute]
[Photo source = Tminsa News, with staff from the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute]
Let's learn about CEO Kim Min-su, who won the Gangto-kol Reading Award. CEO Kim is a 'fish doctor' who founded the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute with a dream of creating a shrimp kingdom. After graduating from the Department of Aquatic Life Medicine at Pukyung National University, he accumulated scientific knowledge through various aquaculture research and projects, and while working at a shrimp farm, he gained field experience and laid the foundation for creating a shrimp kingdom.
Why did CEO Kim dream of a shrimp kingdom? Shrimp is a high value-added fish species that is mostly produced through aquaculture, and is one of the most preferred seafood products by people all over the world. In particular, the shrimp market is a large market worth about 72.6 billion dollars, and is expected to grow by 6.6% annually. So, in this large market, he dreamed of creating a shrimp kingdom by creating a company that produces and distributes shrimp all over the world, focusing on the Asian market.
◎ Shrimp are farmed in the ‘mountains’ rather than the ‘sea’?
The Korea Fisheries Research &Development Institute is currently a team that is raising shrimp using smart aquaculture technology in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do and Yeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. However, CEO Kim is always asked this question while doing business. “Why do you raise shrimp in Chuncheon and Yeongju instead of the ocean?” The Korea Fisheries Research and Development Institute develops standardized smart shrimp farms near cities instead of the ocean in a B2B/B2C format, and provides solutions necessary for shrimp production and operation, providing fresh shrimp to consumers in about an hour.
The Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute is a company that excels at water quality, growth, and disease management required for aquaculture production. It has a smart aquaculture solution that is scalable and has problem-solving capabilities, which purifies polluted water used in aquaculture within 30 minutes, and produces aquaculture without discarding water, thereby increasing productivity by more than 10 times compared to traditional aquaculture farms, and reducing installation and operating costs by more than 70%.
◎ Nothing is easy from the beginning. How did you overcome the crisis?
To start a business, you need three elements: capital, land, and labor. In the early days of his business, CEO Kim worked at a company in the morning and ran a store in the evening to make capital, and based on this, he started his first business. However, the business did not last, and he had to temporarily give up his dream of creating a shrimp kingdom.
There seems to be no law that says you have to die. With the help of an acquaintance who supported CEO Kim’s dream, he worked at a fish farm to pay off his debt and prepared for his second business. At this time, he was able to start the business again by lending him land for free. Thanks to this, he was able to gather talented people, and these friends who had been working all over the country gathered in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do to realize their dream of creating a shrimp kingdom. They are currently working together in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk-do. These three elements of capital, land, and labor fortunately came together to start a business.
◎ In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, which is becoming increasingly sophisticated, what measures should the fishing industry take in response to the climate crisis?
The fisheries industry is shifting from catching to farming due to the decrease in catch. In fact, the amount of fish consumed is much higher in farmed fish than in wild fish. In particular, smart aquaculture technology is being introduced to aquaculture to escape from the natural environment such as the climate crisis. Most smart aquaculture was a one-time project that provided only equipment, or the equipment was focused only on sensing, monitoring, and control, and was a problem-finding-oriented industry. Perhaps because of this, the smart aquaculture penetration rate was only 2.5%. In order to solve this, the more solutions tailored to the problem-solving ability of managing water quality, growth, and disease to improve productivity are developed, the more sustainable the fisheries ecosystem can be created.
◎ Concerns about marine food are growing. What are your views and strategies on this?
One of the important aspects of seafood consumption is the safety of seafood. In order to produce sustainable seafood, the paradigm of aquaculture is changing from ocean-based aquaculture to land-based aquaculture. In a market that is rapidly growing at an annual average of 15.7%, the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute also aims to become a company that provides sustainable, fresh, and trustworthy seafood based on land-based smart aquaculture technology.
◎ The company's core values are 'mutually beneficial partnership' and 'a company that grows together'. What exactly does this mean?
The Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute is currently focusing on the midstream of the aquaculture value chain. Therefore, we believe that sustainable growth is possible only when we create a structure where aquaculture hopefuls/returnees/founders in the upstream can make money through a win-win partnership. I believe that the growth of the aquaculture industry is not only about the growth of aquaculture fishermen, but also about our team members and the company growing together to provide better products and services to customers and create a healthy ecosystem.
◎ What difficulties are there in recruiting and developing talent, and how are they being overcome?
It seems that startups always have to worry about recruiting and nurturing talent. In the end, we need to gather people who believe that we can change the world through our dreams and visions, and we put a lot of effort into persuading, selecting, and nurturing such employees, taking from a few months to a few years.
◎ What advice would you give to the readers of Tminsa News and the Jalpa Generation?
As the trend in the fisheries industry is changing from catching to farming, and especially farming is changing from sea-based to land-based, I hope that through Tminsa, I can sensitively understand and accept the trend, apply it in a way that suits my aptitude and job, and grow and develop together in the future.
Reporter Jeong In-ho
View the Full Article Text