For Korea, risky innovation is the safest option — a Perspective

Korea biotech has no room for me-better or me-too programs. To build a vibrant hub, given China’s large shadow, it must lean into its ability to uncover new biology and advance new modalities into fresh terrain. Emerging from this year’s BioCentury-BayHelix East-West Biopharma Summit in Seoul, there’s every sign that this kind of risky innovation is becoming the hallmark of Korean biotech.

With China’s rise as a dominant biotech center, the challenge for the rest of Asia is to benefit from its tailwinds while also differentiating in value. That’s the tightrope China’s neighbors need to walk if they are to attract investors and partners and grow their own regional ecosystems...