LG Electronics to create 1.5 sq km 'ocean forest' off South Gyeongsang coast using functional material

LG Electronics will apply its functional material LG Marine Balance to waters off Goseong-gun in South Gyeongsang Province to restore the marine ecosystem.

The company signed an MOU for an ocean-forest creation project Thursday at LG Smart Park in Changwon with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, South Gyeongsang Province and the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency. Under the agreement, the partners will establish an ocean forest spanning roughly 1.5 square kilometers in the waters off Deongmyeong-ri, Goseong-gun between 2026 and 2029.

The signing ceremony was attended by Choi Seong-bong, head of LG Electronics' Built-in and Cooking Solutions division; Choi Hyeon-ho, director general of fisheries policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries; Park Il-ung, administrative vice governor of South Gyeongsang Province; and Kim Jong-deok, president of the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency.

The government, local authorities and the public institution plan to apply LG Marine Balance to the Goseong-gun waters and monitor its effects on seaweed growth and the marine environment.

LG Marine Balance releases mineral ions on contact with water, supplying the nutrients needed for seaweed and halophyte growth at a consistent rate and quantity.

LG Electronics has already signed MOUs with Busan and Suncheon and is demonstrating the material's coastal and marine ecosystem restoration effects by applying LG Marine Balance to roughly 1,500 square meters each at the Nakdong River estuary salt marsh and the Suncheon Bay tidal flat.

LG Marine Balance can be tailored to specific environments in terms of mineral composition, content and physical form, making it highly versatile. It can be produced in various shapes — including hard beads and flat chips — to prevent mineral components from dispersing too quickly.

LG Electronics began researching and developing glass-powder-based functional materials in 1996 and has since secured more than 420 related patents, nurturing the segment as a B2B growth engine. The company operates a production line with an annual capacity of about 4,500 tons at LG Smart Park in Changwon and recently added a line with an annual capacity of about 2,000 tons at its production subsidiary in Haiphong, Vietnam.

The company is also expanding its application areas. Its lineup includes LG Purotech, an antibacterial and antifungal functional material added in small quantities to plastics, paints and rubber to suppress odors and contamination caused by microorganisms, and LG Mineral Wash, an inorganic-based detergent ingredient that significantly reduces the number of rinse cycles required in laundry.