Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok Proposes 'Expansion of Social Infrastructure Investment' to Overcome COVID-19

Requests for Active Inclusion of Key Projects Such as Roads and Railways

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, met with Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, on the 20th to request an expansion of investment in social infrastructure to overcome COVID-19.

He also asked that Jeonnam Province’s key projects be actively reflected in the mid- to long-term national plans for roads, railways, airports, and other infrastructure, which are scheduled to be finalized by the end of this year.

Governor Kim said, “I hope the second relocation of public institutions to Jeonnam (related institutions such as energy and agricultural life) proceeds smoothly,” and requested, “Please include in the national plan a total of 74 projects worth 24.8858 trillion won, including the Gwangju~Goheung Expressway, Jeolla Line high-speed railway, Goheung~Wando national road upgrade, Gurye~Hwangjeon IC national road expansion, Gwangju~Naju metropolitan road, and the construction of a dedicated airfield for training aircraft.”

These are key projects aimed at improving accessibility to Gwangju and Jeonnam over the next 5 to 10 years.

He also said, “For the Namhae Coast railway from Mokpo to Boseong, scheduled to open electrification in 2023, to connect to Busan within two hours, the electrification of the Boseong~Suncheon section of the Gyeongjeon Line must also be completed simultaneously,” and requested that construction be ordered within this year.

Minister Kim Hyun-mi of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, “We have been well aware of Jeonnam Province’s requests and difficulties through related departments,” and added, “We will carefully review each one.”

Meanwhile, Governor Kim has been continuously consulting with the central government and related agencies to resolve local residents’ requests amid busy schedules including various meetings and field inspections to respond to COVID-19.

Recently, he has been focusing all his efforts on garnering support from all sectors by preparing a Honam region response strategy that unites Gwangju and Jeonnam and Jeonbuk to attract the 4th generation circular synchrotron accelerator.

Governor Kim stated, “Jeonnam Province’s core infrastructure must be reflected in the national plan without any setbacks,” and emphasized, “Especially to create the 4th Industrial Revolution that will lead our future, the 4th generation circular synchrotron accelerator must be located next to Korea Electric Power Corporation Graduate School of Energy and Environment.”

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