PEAK Scientific Opens New Facility in South Korea, Hires for Multiple Roles

PEAK Scientific, a manufacturer of nitrogen, hydrogen, and zero air systems mainly for the fields of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography (GC) has opened a new facility in South Korea. The company will now have two office locations in the country in Daejeon and Seoul.

Sunset of Seoul City and Seoul Tower South Korea By kampon - stock.adobe.com

“This expansion is a significant milestone for PEAK Korea. We are thrilled to be growing rapidly and expanding our team to better serve the dynamic needs of the Korean market,” said Hyeseung Dresser, head of Sales and Service Sales for PEAK Korea. "Our commitment to excellence in customer service and market support remains unwavering, and this expansion allows us to reinforce our position as the leading provider of laboratory gas solutions across Korea and number one for lab gas worldwide."

In a press release, PEAK Korea said its new office will allow for collaboration and customer engagement. The company is also hiring for several roles including roles in sales, service, and finance.

The South Korean life sciences industry has experienced significant growth in recent years. This has been fueled by the field’s advanced research capabilities, strong intellectual property protection, and robust regulatory framework, Michael P. Bailey, president and CEO of AVEO Oncology wrote in an article for PharmaPhorum. This is part of the Korean government’s push towards five key tasks in creating new bio-health markets, he said. These tasks include promoting innovation in medical, health, and caring services; boosting bio-health export; strengthening R&D in convergence of cutting-edge technology, including AI; nurturing talent in the bio-health industry, expanding support for start-ups and venture companies; and establishing related laws, regulations, and other infrastructures. This effort has led to analytical chemistry becoming more popular in the country, with this being notable since the topic has been notable in the country for some time.

South Korea also offers many opportunities for analytical scientists. For example, the Korean Society of Analytical Sciences (KSAS) was founded in 1988 (2). This group’s research covers various fields, including chemistry, environmental, and pharmaceutical sciences. Experts in these fields hold regular academic conferences twice annually to share academic research results in each field, with special research sessions in each field being held to attract the attention of researchers. The society also publishes an academic journal, Analytical Science & Technology, every other month (3).

Several other instrument vendors have also expanded their laboratory services in South Korea over the past few years. For example, Thermo Fisher Scientific opened its Bioprocess Supply Center in 2022, with a focus on developing products and materials for manufacturing biopharmaceuticals, including vaccines (4). Agilent Technologies also holds facilities within Korea, with headquarters in Seocho-dong, Seoul. The company also has a regional office in Daejeon with approximately 390 employees (5).

References

(1) Bailey, M. P. South Korea: Emerging global leader in life sciences. EVERSANA 2023. https://pharmaphorum.com/market-access/south-korea-emerging-global-leader-life-sciences (accessed 2024-7-18)

(2) Greetings. Korean Society for Analytical Science 2024. https://koanal.or.kr/%EC%9D%B8%EC%82%AC%EB%A7%90 (accessed 2024-7-17)

(3) Analytical Science and Technology. Scimago Lab 2024. https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=21100905494&tip=sid&clean=0 (accessed 2024-7-17)

(4) Thermo Fisher Scientific Expands Investment in Bioprocessing with Breaking Ground on New Supply Center in Korea. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 2022. https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/products-and-services/promotions/about-bdc-kr/cec-announcements/korea-bioprocess-supply-center-announcement.html (accessed 2024-7-17)

(5) Agilent Korea. Agilent Technologies 2024. https://careers.agilent.com/locations/asia-pacific/korea/ (accessed 2024-7-17)