GS Engineering & Construction (GS E&C) has completed the construction of South Korea’s first land-based smart salmon farm, the Busan Smart Aquaculture Cluster. The facility, located in Gijang-gun, Busan, marks the beginning of full-scale operations to produce domestically farmed salmon.
The completion ceremony, held on Friday, was attended by GS E&C CEO Huh Yoon-hong and officials from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Busan Metropolitan Government. Approximately 150 attendees toured the new facility, which features advanced aquaculture technology.
Huh Yoon-hong highlighted that the project would contribute to the growth of South Korea’s fisheries industry by expanding smart aquaculture technology and improving the competitiveness of marine plant operations. The smart aquaculture project began in 2019 with government support and has received both national and municipal funding.
The Busan Smart Aquaculture Cluster is notable for its use of South Korea’s first Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS). This closed-loop system allows salmon to be farmed on land, in contrast to traditional offshore methods. RAS filters contaminants and purifies water for salmon cultivation, enabling up to 99% of water to be reused, which enhances environmental sustainability.
GS E&C expects the RAS technology will help produce cleaner salmon, free from contaminants like microplastics and heavy metals common in offshore farming. The facility, located within the Fisheries Science Research Institute at Pukyong National University, has the capacity to produce 500 metric tons of salmon annually. The farm has already begun raising Atlantic salmon, with eggs introduced in two phases this year. Full-scale shipments are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.
