President Park Geun-hye on Friday pledged to transform Jeju into one of the world's best islands in terms of smart-tourism and energy self-sufficiency, during her visit to a new innovation center there.

    The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning joined forces with Daum Kakao Corp., the operator of the country's most popular messaging app, KakaoTalk, and the Internet portal Daum, to open the 1,924-square-meter Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center on the southern resort island of Jeju.

    The new innovation center aims to be the Korean version of Silicon Beach, providing a good environment for both resting and starting business in the fields of culture and software.

    "The Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center aims to turn Jeju into a world-class island of smart tourism and energy self-efficiency by combining information and communication

 technology with Jeju's culture and tourism and commercializing electric cars and smart grid technology," Park said at the opening ceremony of the center.

    "Jeju has tremendous potential in the cultural, software and energy fields, too."

    She said the facility, based on Jeju's superior residential environment, will push for connection and fusion between the island and the rest of the country and among the leaders of innovation in the fields of culture and the software business, including IT businesses in East Asia.

    The innovation center is the 13th of its kind in South Korea.

    South Korea has been pushing to set up such centers across the country to match up local startups and venture firms with conglomerates, which can provide resources to smaller companies so that they can turn creative ideas into real businesses.

    Park said the Jeju innovation center will provide necessary help, including networking and mentoring, to those who start culture and software businesses on the island. (Yonhap)