Gwangju City Holds Policy Meeting with Newly Elected Members of the National Assembly

Mayor Lee Yong-seop: "Support Active Labor Participation to Overcome Gwangju-type Job Crisis"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the afternoon of the 17th that it held a ‘Policy Meeting with the Elected Members of the 21st National Assembly from the Gwangju Region’ to seek solutions to current issues such as the Gwangju-type jobs project.

The meeting was held with the participation of seven elected members, including Song Gap-seok, Chairman of the Gwangju City Party of the Democratic Party of Korea, as well as Yoon Young-duk, Lee Byung-hoon, Cho Oh-seop, Lee Hyung-seok, Lee Yong-bin, and Min Hyung-bae. The agenda included explanations of Gwangju city’s current issues and discussions.

In particular, Gwangju requested the political sector to actively come up with solutions regarding the recent declaration by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Gwangju Regional Headquarters to suspend participation in the Gwangju-type jobs project and terminate the agreement.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop stated, “Since the approval of the labor-management-government council’s labor-management win-win development agreement on January 30 last year, progress has been made with the automobile factory investment agreement, the establishment of GGM Co., Ltd., and the groundbreaking of the Gwangju factory. However, on the 2nd, the sudden declaration by the labor sector to break the win-win agreement and withdraw has put the Gwangju-type jobs project in crisis,” adding, “The Gwangju-type jobs project has come this far overcoming numerous rivers and mountains, so we must not yield to any difficulties and must succeed.”

He also said, “Gwangju City is ready to discuss all demands from the labor sector,” and reiterated the proposal for dialogue, saying, “Let’s sit at the negotiation table and engage in fierce debate and discussion within the labor-management-government framework to reach a conclusion.”

He continued, “For the Gwangju-type jobs project to succeed, the efforts of Gwangju City alone have limitations,” and requested, “We ask the local political sector to actively assist.”

In response, the elected members expressed deep concern about the difficulties facing the Gwangju-type jobs project and pledged to put their heads together to normalize the project as soon as possible, as the future of local youth depends on it.

Elected member Lee Byung-hoon said, “We must bring the labor sector to the dialogue table and find alternatives through continuous dialogue.”

Elected member Lee Yong-bin said, “It is a great experiment of social grand compromise based on labor-management coexistence in Gwangju, but it is shaking, which is regrettable,” and added, “I hope to listen to the voices of the labor sector and create good jobs through dialogue.”

Song Gap-seok, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea Gwangju City Party, said, “The success of the Gwangju-type jobs project is an issue that the local political sector cannot avoid even if it tries,” and stated, “With the new framework established through this election, an opportunity for new dialogue has been created, so we will not miss this precious chance and will work together to find a solution as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, at the policy meeting, Gwangju City reported on next year’s national budget projects and requested the elected members’ interest and cooperation regarding two local issues: ▲successful support for the Gwangju-type jobs project and ▲the AI-centered city creation project; three legislative needs: ▲expedited promotion of the Gwangju military airport relocation project, ▲establishment of the Korea Culture Technology (CT) Research Institute as a national institution in Gwangju, and ▲creation of the National Trauma Healing Center for Violence; as well as other projects including ▲attracting national cultural facilities befitting the cultural capital, ▲active fostering of future cutting-edge R&D projects, ▲SOC projects for urban development, and ▲urban regeneration projects for balanced urban development.

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