By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Executives of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical Co., led by CEO & Chairman Choi Sung-won, visited the Embassy of New Zealand in Seoul on April 10 to strengthen industrial cooperation.

Park Il-beom, head of the R&D Center for Natural Product Convergence, visited the embassy and met with New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Dawn Bennet and Richard Dunsheath, head of the Trade and Industry Promotion Agency.

The meeting was organized through the medium of deer antler, and the participants expressed their confidence in New Zealand's systematic raw material management system and animal welfare infrastructure in the pristine nature, emphasizing the company's long-standing relationship with deer antler as the main ingredient of herbal medicines.

In 2023, Kwangdong Pharmaceutical developed individually recognized (non-clinical, human application test) ingredients targeting prostate health and fatigue and plans to introduce various products using these ingredients in the future.

“Based on the founding spirit of 'scientificization of Chinese medicine', Kwangdong Pharmaceutical has made the discovery and development of natural product materials its core competency,” said Park Il-beom. ”With the development of the first individually recognized ingredient using deer antler in Korea, we will explore various ways to cooperate to develop related industries.”

Citing a confirmation letter from the Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), Richard Dunsheath, Head of the Trade and Industry Promotion Office at the Embassy of New Zealand in Korea, expressed his appreciation that Korea (Kwangdong Pharmaceutical) is the only country in the world that has developed deer antler as a functional ingredient.

He also encouraged Kwangdong Pharmaceutical's achievement of the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's Individually Recognized Ingredient Certification for deer antler.

“I would like to congratulate Kwangdong Pharmaceutical for persevering through the long process of research and development,” said New Zealand Ambassador Dawn Bennett, ”and I hope that products using New Zealand antler will be recognized in the global market.”