Chungnam Governor Yang Seung-jo Proposes Government Support for Asan Economic Revitalization

[Asia Economy (Naepo) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungnam Province, officially requested President Moon Jae-in to prepare economic revitalization support measures for Asan, which accepted the government's decision to establish a temporary living facility for Wuhan evacuees.

According to Chungnam Province on the 5th, Governor Yang attended a Cabinet meeting presided over by the President at the Blue House the previous day.

At the meeting, Governor Yang explained the province's quarantine and prevention efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) and proposed support for special grants for emergency quarantine in Chungnam.

The requested amount for special grants totals 6.95 billion KRW, which includes costs for equipment and quarantine supplies for screening clinics, negative pressure ambulances, and quarantine supplies for 119 emergency medical teams.

Governor Yang also expressed concerns that the Asan area would suffer economic damage due to the temporary living facility for Wuhan evacuees (Police Human Resources Development Institute) and requested the government to devise economic revitalization support measures for the Asan region.

In fact, since January 28, the number of canceled hotel room reservations in the Asan area has reached 450. Additionally, weekday room reservations decreased by 63%, weekend reservations by 67%, and the hot spring sauna usage dropped by 42% on weekdays and 62% on weekends, indicating visible economic damage.

Regarding this, Governor Yang emphasized, "Tourists have noticeably decreased in the Asan area where the temporary living facility is installed," and added, "Since residents have great concerns about the contraction of the local economy, government-level consideration and attention to soothe local public sentiment are urgently needed."

Governor Yang also proposed the construction of a tentatively named National Disaster Specialized Police Hospital and the installation of an infectious disease specialized isolation facility near a regional hub airport.

He pointed out that while social disasters such as infectious diseases occur frequently, there are no specialized disaster medical or isolation facilities domestically. The proposal is to build a hospital on the Police Training Institute site that operates as a general hospital during normal times and can be utilized as a national disaster medical and living facility during emergencies, thereby enabling more effective responses to national crises.

Regarding the installation of a specialized isolation facility near the airport, he appealed concerns about the spread of infectious diseases during long-distance travel, opposition from residents in transit areas, and limitations in rapid response during emergencies, requesting a review for safe and systematic response measures.

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