![Daegu city officials and academics pose after securing the bid to host Metabolomics 2027. Pictured from right: Han Dong-yeop, a professor at Kyungpook National University; Lee Dal-li, a manager at EXCO; Ku Gang-mo, a professor at Korea University; Warwick Dunn, president of the Metabolomics Society; Park Seong-ryul, head of the MICE industry team at Daegu's international trade division; and Park Eun-gyeong, an administrative officer. [Daegu city government]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/22/news-p.v1.20260622.b872ab6341774f289d9e78700617615c_P1.jpg)
Daegu has become the first city in South Korea to win the right to host the World Metabolomics Conference, the most prestigious international academic gathering in the field of metabolomics.
The Daegu city government announced Sunday that the selection was made at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Metabolomics Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, local time Saturday, where Daegu beat out competing bids from Australia and the Philippines to be named the 2027 host city.
The win is the result of two years of active bidding efforts by a joint delegation formed by the Daegu city government, EXCO and the Korean Metabolomics Society.
The World Metabolomics Conference is the largest international academic event dedicated to metabolomics, a core research discipline within the life sciences and biotech and healthcare sectors.
The 2027 conference is scheduled to run for five days in June 2027 at EXCO in Daegu.
The event is expected to draw around 1,500 attendees — including more than 1,000 international participants from 40 countries — comprising metabolomics researchers and professionals from the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
The city government expects the conference to generate 4.6 billion won (about $3.02 million) in production-induced effects and 2 billion won in value-added effects.
"Winning the bid for the 2027 World Metabolomics Conference is a meaningful achievement that will showcase Daegu's capabilities in the biotech and healthcare industry to the world," said Kim Jeong-gi, acting mayor of Daegu. "We will provide full support to ensure the event's success and make it a turning point for global research collaboration and the advancement of the region's medical industry."
kbj7653@heraldcorp.com
