The Rural Development Administration held a "global seed hub" declaration ceremony at the National Agrobiodiversity Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on Friday.

Some 300 guests from home and abroad attended the event to celebrate the center's designation as a "world seed vault" by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Global Crop Diversity Trust.

Seed bank representatives from some ten countries, including Thailand and Vietnam, and global organization officials were also in attendance. Participants agreed to develop the center into a global seed bank for the preservation of Asia's staple genetic resources.

Myanmar is the first country to preserve its resources at the Korean center. Its initial delivery included about 200 articles for permanent preservation.

The center was built to preserve plant crops and other seeds from natural disasters and warfare.