[2025 Naju Innovation Cluster Company CEO] ‘MYEONGBO ENG,’ a Specialist in Offshore Wind Energy Apparatuses, Equipment, and Installation

Kim Min Seok, CEO of MYEONGBO ENG

Its representative products are hoists and clamps for submarine cables.
Securing cost competitiveness and shortening construction time through domestic production

MYEONGBO ENG is a specialist in offshore wind energy apparatus, equipment, and installation. It was founded in August 2017 by CEO Kim Min Seok (59).

Following the installation and ultra-high-voltage jointing of Korea's first submarine cable on Wando, MYEONGBO ENG joined in the development of offshore wind farms at Gimnyeong and Woljeongri, Jeju Island. The company supplied and installed WTG hang-off systems for the 60 MW wind farm in the Southwest Sea in 2019, and performed the cable jointing work. It is currently developing various products in-house for installing submarine cables on increasingly larger offshore wind turbines.

Its representative products are submarine cable hoists (new technology, new construction methods) and submarine cable clamps (CABLE HANG-OFF SYSTEM).

Its submarine cable hoists are rollers used in equipment for laying or retrieving submarine cables used in wind power turbine towers, etc. It's capable of performing submarine cable hoisting work without being affected by the offshore climate (tidal range, weather, etc.), and also isn't affected by tension. The company has secured flexibility in its processes and can perform submarine cable work before or after nacelle installation.

The submarine cable clamps (CABLE HANG-OFF SYSTEM) are used to connect submarine cables (power lines or communication lines) to the interior components of offshore wind turbines. They ensure stable and secure jointing and also play a role in preventing corrosion.

“This device fixes cables to offset movement when connecting or jointing the interior power lines or communication lines of wind turbine towers with the interior components of generators. They block cable movement, twisting, and damage at the source to prevent trouble, and can reduce O&M costs.”

Another product is the Dynamic Hang-off submarine cable clamp. The advantage of this device is that it acts as an effective clamp for submarine cable clamp HANG-OFF systems when connecting cable conduits on floating offshore wind turbines. Developed through years of R&D, it's Korea's first floating submarine cable clamp, featuring easy assembly and disassembly. The company is meeting customer requirements by producing customized HANG-OFFs according to the different specifications of floating submarine cables.

CEO Kim said, “MYEONGBO ENG's competitive advantage is that all of its products have been developed in-house and are produced in Korea,” and added, “We have secured cost competitiveness through domestic production.” “By developing our innovative submarine cable hoists, we have also contributed to shortening construction times.”

“Crane barges are generally used for installation work, and cables can't be laid if the nacelle is already assembled on the top of the tower. Barge operation is significantly impacted by weather conditions, and the nacelle and blades must be assembled after cable laying is completed. Consequently, numerous factors affect the overall construction schedule. However, with the development of our submarine cable hoist that's installed inside the tower, cable laying work can be done anytime, regardless of the weather or whether the nacelle has been assembled. Therefore, the overall construction schedule can be shortened, and the costs can be reduced. That's our innovative contribution.”

MYEONGBO ENG is promoting its products through domestic exhibitions and personal connections. “We are making samples to show, but aren't effectively developing new sales channels. The reason is that while the SPCs of most offshore wind power companies include large corporations and public enterprises, rather than considering domestically produced products, they prefer to stick to overseas products and products they've used previously. Furthermore, offshore wind farm construction is usually contracted out to large corporations or foreign companies on a turnkey basis, and the contractors themselves show little interest in products from small and medium-sized enterprises. That is, products currently in use and overseas products are preferred, so it's challenging for small and medium-sized companies to develop new sales channels.”

What made CEO KIM decide to start a new company? “I judged that there was a need for development and domestic production regarding the parts (HANG-OFFs) and hoisting methods used in laying submarine cables. So I started the company.”

Following the launch of the startup, said CEO Kim, “After we localized overseas products, I felt the greatest sense of accomplishment when we successfully supplied our domestically produced HANG-OFF product to the 60 MW Southwest Sea offshore wind farm—Korea's first— and completed cable laying and jointing work using a cable hoist.”

Regarding future plans, CEO Kim said, “I'm not satisfied with the products we have developed so far. So I plan to continue with product development,” and added, “We are currently working on technology that will integrate AI into cable hoists to monitor loads and prevent cable damage.”

Date of Establishment: August 2017
Main Business: Offshore wind energy apparatus, equipment, and installation; railway power feeder line jointing; etc.
Performance: Supplied domestically produced HANG-OFFs to 60 MW WTG in the Southwest Sea and performed installation and jointing; laid 154 VA submarine cables (onshore section) for the Nakwol Offshore Wind Farm, the first of its kind in Korea

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com