ROK entrepreneur's optical dream glues closer ties in NE China

CHANGCHUN, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Inside an optically clear adhesive (OCA) factory in the China-ROK (Changchun) International Cooperation Demonstration Zone in northeast China's Jilin Province, coating machines hum at high speed, applying transparent liquid onto film as thin as a cicada's wing.

The process yields a highly transparent, ultra-sticky adhesive, a crucial component in touchscreen manufacturing. "Its applications are vast, and it's precisely what brought us to northeast China," said Lee Changyong, general manager of Changchun Tianmingsheng Technology Co., Ltd.

Lee, once chief technology officer with a ROK company, now runs his business in China, drawn by the scale of the local market. "The biggest market for our industry is in China," he noted. In the first quarter of 2023, his company in Changchun launched a new, fully automated production line.

With a rich industrial heritage, including China's first optical research institute, Changchun is now advancing its optoelectronic information industry. In 2024, the sector's output surpassed 90 billion yuan (about 12.6 billion U.S. dollars), up 7.1 percent year-on-year.

Lee expressed confidence in the city's revitalization. "Northeast China's industrial foundation is regaining momentum. Changchun has a skilled workforce, strong research and development resources from universities, and a business environment that keeps improving," he said.

Established in June 2020, the demonstration zone, spanning 210 square km, focuses on high-end equipment manufacturing, health industries, and optoelectronics. This year, it plans to construct 52 projects, each valued over 50 million yuan, with a total investment of 28.13 billion yuan.

"Under the RCEP framework, the integration of Chinese and ROK industrial chains has entered a new stage," said Lee. "The northeast revitalization strategy offers us dual benefits: accessing Northeast Asian markets and integrating with the local automotive cluster, a model of bilateral cooperation."

To accelerate projects, the zone offers comprehensive "butler-style" services, including streamlined approvals. Lee credits this approach with saving over 30 percent of the time needed to get operational.

His company now supplies OLED OCA products to global leaders like Samsung, BOE, TCL, and Visionox. A second-phase expansion is expected to establish the Changchun base as a research, development, and manufacturing center for 30 million square meters of OCA annually.

Joint labs with Chinese and ROK universities will focus on cutting-edge applications like flexible displays and curved screens.

"While the company is rooted in Changchun, I have also made it my second hometown," Lee said, noting the many friends and welcoming atmosphere he has found.