Jeon Nam Provincial Assembly Member Lee Hyun-chang Points Out Development Issues of Jirisan National Park and Measures for Population Decline Areas

'Three Governors of Jirisan Area Gather to Actively Seek Concrete Implementation Plans' Requested

Lee Hyun-chang, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] On the 19th, Jeonnam Provincial Council member Lee Hyunchang urged the development of eco-friendly tourism in Jirisan National Park, including the installation of a cable car and the introduction of electric trains, during the 341st extraordinary session's provincial government questioning. He also raised concerns about the response to the depopulation crisis in Jeonnam's local areas.

Council member Lee Hyunchang stated, “The installation of a cable car and the introduction of electric trains in Jirisan National Park have not progressed due to a lack of agreement among local governments and no clear plans being presented,” adding, “The three provincial governors of the Jirisan area need to meet as soon as possible to jointly explore concrete implementation measures.”

He also pointed out, “The eco-friendly tourism development of Jirisan National Park has long been a cherished wish of the residents of Gurye-gun,” and criticized, “Although there have been continuous demands for the cable car and eco-friendly mountain trains, the government's passive response has led to stagnation.”

Governor Kim Youngrok responded, “Once the park plan change project being conducted in Gurye-gun is completed, we will propose the project to the Ministry of Environment together with Gurye-gun,” and added, “We will strive to establish reasonable measures that allow the three cities and provinces in the Jirisan area to achieve mutual development.”

Council member Lee Hyunchang further emphasized, “Regarding the response to the depopulation crisis, for cities and counties with populations under 30,000, Jeonnam Province urgently needs to prepare special measures with a serious awareness of population extinction,” and pointed out, “Policies biased toward certain areas result in neglecting balanced regional development, and ultimately, underdeveloped areas will disappear.”

Governor Kim Youngrok replied, “We will propose the enactment of a special law to support depopulated areas to the government and the National Assembly, and work to ensure balanced development across all regions within the province.”

Meanwhile, it is known that Council member Lee Hyunchang has been actively involved in eco-friendly tourism development in Jirisan by leading proposals and publishing articles in the media, and has continuously advocated for measures to address depopulation.

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