Gwangju-type Job Automobile Factory, Selected as the Nation's First Win-Win Regional Job Model

Minister Sung Yun-mo: "Youth Job Creation and Domestic Complete Car Production Turning Point Hold Great Significance"

Mayor Lee Yong-seop: "Overcoming Confrontational Labor-Management Relations to Create a New Leap for the Korean Economy"

On the afternoon of the 15th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, explained the progress of the Gwangju-type job initiative at the 'Win-Win Regional Job Deliberation Committee' held in the main conference room of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in Sejong City, attended by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy and vice ministers of central government departments. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gwangju Metropolitan City’s Gwangju-type job automobile factory project, which has been a key focus during the 7th local government administration, has been finally selected as the nation’s first government-recognized win-win regional job project and will receive government support.

On the afternoon of the 15th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a win-win regional job review committee meeting at the Ministry’s main conference room in Sejong City and officially selected the Gwangju-type job automobile factory as the first win-win regional job project nationwide.

During the evaluation, the Gwangju-type job automobile factory received high marks for the sustainability of the project and job creation aspects.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop explained the meaning and value of the Gwangju-type job project, stating, “The Gwangju-type job project is a socially integrated labor-management win-win job initiative where companies create jobs by employing workers at appropriate wage levels, and the government and local authorities provide social wages through housing, childcare, and education to workers, thereby improving their real income and quality of life.”

With this selection, the Gwangju-type job automobile factory is planned to receive government corporate support such as local investment promotion subsidies (up to 15 billion KRW in national funds) and preferential investment tax credits.

Currently, Gwangju City is establishing a labor-management co-growth support center to create a labor-management win-win industrial ecosystem in the Bitgreen Industrial Complex, and an industry-academia convergence zone for customized on-site workforce training. National funds have also been secured for the establishment of a hub-type public workplace daycare center, joint workplace daycare centers, an open gymnasium, and the construction of an access road to the Bitgreen Industrial Complex, all of which are currently underway.

Gwangju Global Motors Co., Ltd. was launched to realize a globally unprecedented labor-management win-win job model, and plans to operate as a company that opens a sustainable future through coexistence and innovation and contributes to the local community by creating the value of coexistence.

The construction of the complete vehicle factory currently shows a progress rate of 24.3% (as of June 10). Starting with the installation of production equipment in September this year, the company is focusing its efforts on factory construction and establishing a foundation for management stabilization to achieve the goal of trial operation in February 2021, test production in April, and mass production of compact SUVs by September 2021.

The Gwangju-type job project, based on social grand compromise, is a sustainable regional job creation initiative confirmed as one of the Moon Jae-in administration’s 100 national tasks and is being promoted as a core project to realize the 7th local government’s industrial vision of “inclusive innovation growth centered on jobs.”

A panoramic photo of the Gwangju-type job. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

Currently, Gwangju City is developing an eco-friendly parts cluster and an eco-friendly automobile parts certification center in the Bitgreen National Industrial Complex, where the complete vehicle factory will be located, and is promoting the establishment of Gwangju’s eco-friendly automobile industry production base as a future-oriented automobile convergence ecosystem encompassing complete vehicles, automobile modules, parts, and materials industries.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Sung Yun-mo said, “The Gwangju-type job project is the first to bear fruit as a win-win job through labor, management, government, and civic social grand compromise, and it is being exported to other regions. It has great significance in three aspects: making young people return to find jobs through Gwangju’s core automobile industry, and constructing a complete vehicle factory domestically for the first time in 23 years, marking a turning point in domestic complete vehicle production.” He added, “The government will continue efforts to spread the Gwangju-type job model nationwide and discover win-win jobs in other regions to revitalize the Korean economy.”

Mayor Lee Yong-seop stated, “With the Gwangju-type job model’s first project, the complete vehicle factory, being selected as the nation’s first win-win regional job project, a foundation for government support for workers and companies has been established. Gwangju City will succeed in the unprecedented local government-led social grand integration Gwangju-type job project in unison with labor groups, GGM, and Hyundai Motor Company, create many local jobs, and overcome Korea’s high-cost, low-efficiency structure and confrontational labor-management relations to provide a turning point for the Korean economy’s leap forward.”

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