Jeonbuk Gunsan-Type Job Project 'Groundbreaking'... Groundbreaking Ceremony Held

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gunsan-type job model in Jeonbuk, which will serve as a catalyst for the revival of the Jeonbuk economy, held a groundbreaking ceremony and began full-scale factory construction.

On the 16th, Jeonbuk Province announced that five participating companies of the Gunsan-type job project?Edison Motors Co., Ltd., Daechang Motors Co., Ltd., MPS Korea Co., Ltd., Costec Co., Ltd., and Isak Special Vehicles Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as participating companies)?held a joint groundbreaking ceremony at the Gunsan Saemangeum Convention Center with about 100 attendees including central government officials and Gunsan citizens to establish the Saemangeum electric vehicle cluster.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Moon Sung-hyun, Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council; Hwang Deok-soon, Senior Secretary for Jobs at the Blue House; central government officials; Song Ha-jin, Governor of Jeollabuk-do; Kang Im-jun, Mayor of Gunsan; Kim Hyun-sook, Administrator of the Saemangeum Development Authority; Kim Kwan-young, Member of the National Assembly; Jo Jeong-kwon, Vice President of the Small and Medium Business Corporation; Park Ho-seok, Vice President of Myungshin Co., Ltd.; and about 100 Gunsan citizens.

This groundbreaking ceremony is the result of continuous and substantial efforts by local economic actors and participating companies to promote the project after the Jeonbuk Gunsan-type job win-win agreement, enabling the Gunsan region to emerge as an advanced base for electric vehicle production.

The companies participating in the joint groundbreaking ceremony plan to accelerate the progress of the Jeonbuk Gunsan win-win job project, closely cooperate with local economic actors, and complete factory construction and facility investment on 390,000 square meters in the first section of the Saemangeum Industrial Complex by October.

The participating companies of the Jeonbuk Gunsan-type job project, including Myungshin Co., Ltd., are expected to invest a total of 412.2 billion KRW by 2022 when the phased investment plan is completed, creating about 1,900 new jobs. This is expected to restore jobs lost due to the closure of the GM Gunsan plant and realize the dream of economic re-leap through job creation in Gunsan, which has suffered severe economic recession.

In particular, with plans to hire about 640 new employees on a large scale starting this year, the previously stagnant surrounding commercial districts and related service industries are expected to regain vitality, leading to a rapid economic recovery effect.

Kang Young-kwon, CEO of Edison Motors Co., Ltd., said, “I remember when we first discussed the Saemangeum electric vehicle cluster creation plan in September 2018 at the National Assembly with the Small and Medium Business Corporation and 10 parts suppliers of the GM Gunsan plant,” adding, “The joint groundbreaking ceremony is the result of the Jeonbuk Gunsan-type job labor-management-government win-win agreement reached through multiple public discussions involving the government, local governments, and local labor-management-civil groups with concessions and compromises.”

Notably, Park Ho-seok, Vice President of Myungshin Co., Ltd., which acquired the former GM Gunsan plant, attended the groundbreaking ceremony to congratulate and encourage the five companies taking new steps, demonstrating mutual solidarity and a spirit of coexistence among the participating companies of the Gunsan electric vehicle cluster.

The five companies that held the joint groundbreaking ceremony with Myungshin are core companies of the electric vehicle cluster win-win council and have signed a win-win agreement for co-growth, including joint R&D among participating companies, regional joint talent development, and horizontal trade agreements.

Song Ha-jin, Governor of Jeonbuk Province, said, “Jeonbuk is fostering the future eco-friendly commercial vehicle industry centered on electric and hydrogen vehicles as a new growth engine,” adding, “We will surely succeed in the Jeonbuk Gunsan-type job project to recover the jobs lost so far and revitalize the regional economy.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.