The Science Ministry on Wednesday selected Naju and Cheongju as the candidate cities for the country's next-generation synchrotron radiation accelerator.

The ministry said Naju in South Jeolla Province and Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province made bids to host the facility along with Chuncheon in Gangwon Province and Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province.  

The ministry said it picked Naju and Cheongju after reviewing presentations made by all the cities earlier in the day. 

The ministry will conduct on-site inspections on Thursday and the winner will be announced Friday morning. It will then apply for a feasibility study within this year and launch the project by 2022 at the latest.

The accelerator facility can be used in the development of new advanced materials in biotech and life sciences as well as displays and semiconductors.