The Korea Chemical Bank: Over 25 years of national chemical infrastructure alongside KRICT 's 50‐year journey

Abstract

Abstract Since its establishment in 2000 under the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), the Korea Chemical Bank (KCB) has evolved into the nation's largest public compound library. It serves as the official national R&D repository for chemical research outputs and the central bank of the synthetic compound cluster. Through national deposition, custom synthesis, and curated procurement under rigorous quality‐control standards, KCB has established a collection of >780 000 compounds, featuring 103 677 unique Bemis–Murcko frameworks (29%) not found in ChEMBL, EU‐OPENSCREEN, NCATS, or commercial catalogs. To enhance its utility for the research community, KCB provides customized focused libraries together with precision cherry‐picking services for compound selection. In 2020, KCB launched a dedicated web portal that enables researchers to search, request, and analyze compounds, as well as manage their own screening datasets. The translational value of this infrastructure is exemplified by a hit compound identified through high‐throughput screening of the KCB representative library, which has since advanced to global Phase 2 clinical trials in partnership with a domestic pharmaceutical company. Ultimately, as a pivotal national hub for innovative drug discovery, KCB is dedicated not only to managing physical resources but also to empowering AI‐driven drug discovery research utilizing its vast bioactivity data, thereby continuously accelerating the nation's pharmaceutical R&D ecosystem.