Korea a world beater in bacteria discoveries

Already a leader in the global information and technology industry, Korea has emerged as a world power in researching microscopic organisms, the basis of the biotechnology industry. Citing a report in the latest edition of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, a British publication, the Ministry of Science and Technology said yesterday that Korea ranked first in a survey measuring the number of bacteria species discovered by 31 countries this year. Korea has found 68 new species of bacteria while Japan, which came in second, discovered 59. The United States came third, with 44 new types of bacteria to its name. Korea has shown steady improvement in the rankings, coming fourth in 2003, and second, behind Japan, last year. Among local research centers, the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, found 41 species, the same number as Germany, which came fifth behind China. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology was next with 14 findings. In the fiercely competitive world of biotechnology research, snagging the No. 1 spot in the rankings gives Korea a crucial edge over its rivals, opening the possibility of developing more groundbreaking technologies. Research and development of drugs, for one, is expected to benefit handsomely from the growing expertise in bacteria. Already, bacteria used in making antibiotics and compounds such as amino acids are in mass production. “Recently, proposals for joint research or requests for information on microscopic organisms have been flooding in from overseas,” said Oh Tae-kwang, head of the Microbial Genomics and Application Center under the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology. Until 2002, Korea was not among the top ten bacteria-discovering countries. But since then, the government has been investing around 10 billion won ($9.8 million) a year in such research. by Kwon Hyuk-joo