Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo: The Message of the 'Dinosaur Bone Sculpture' in Front of the Provincial Office is Change

Presentation of Future Vision at Press Conference Around the 2nd Anniversary of the 7th Civilian Administration

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] "With the spirit of 'Sajunggusaeng' (死中求生), meaning 'seeking life in the midst of death,' we will turn the current crisis into a new opportunity for leap forward."

On the 29th, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, presented the 'New Gyeongbuk New Deal 7+3 Project,' a plan for the second half of his 2-year term, at a press conference held at the provincial office.

Although the province is somewhat out of the direct impact zone of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), with major issues such as the construction of the integrated new airport and the administrative integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk piling up, this slogan adds another headband: "A global mega-city competing beyond Gyeongbuk."

"We have even heard that the world-renowned 'K-quarantine' is actually 'Gyeongbuk's quarantine,'" said Governor Lee, recalling several critical moments during the COVID-19 outbreak. Listing future tasks, he emphasized that the keyword for Gyeongbuk Province over the past two years has been 'change,' and expressed strong confidence by saying, "We will prove it with our capabilities."

◇ "Integrated New Airport is a historic leap opportunity; Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration will be civilian-led"

The New Deal project, a concrete content of the 'global mega-city,' consists of seven major priority tasks and three system reforms in response to the new normal era.

The seven major priority tasks are ▲ Construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk integrated new airport ▲ Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration ▲ Gyeongbuk as a business-friendly region with increasing jobs ▲ Leading Gyeongbuk-type smart new deal ▲ New normal cultural tourism era, creating a healing Gyeongbuk ▲ Food security crisis, producing and supplying Gyeongbuk agriculture and fisheries ▲ Unification era, establishing SOC super-regional transportation and logistics hubs. Additionally, three system reforms responding to the new normal are included.

Ultimately, the biggest core tasks for the next two years focus on the still uncertain integrated new airport construction and Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration.

Regarding the integrated new airport, Governor Lee said, "The airport construction alone costs 10 trillion won, and including SOC and connected cities, tens of trillions of won will be invested, marking an unprecedented great leap in Gyeongbuk's history." He appealed once again for compromise among the residents of the candidate sites, Gunwi and Uiseong counties, where conflicts are currently arising. He emphasized, "Ahead of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's selection committee on July 3, the hopes and energy of Daegu and Gyeongbuk citizens are uniting, and the province is launching a 'GA (Great Airport) all-out battle' comparable to a military operation."

Governor Lee also stressed the necessity of Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration, saying, "Although we have worked hard focusing only forward for the past two years, the population continues to decline, and GRDP (Gross Regional Domestic Product) has even been surpassed by Chungnam, making me realize the limits of Gyeongbuk's power alone." He added, "Combining Daegu and Gyeongbuk's population (5.1 million) makes it possible to compete with advanced European countries, and GRDP (165.7 trillion won) and local taxes (6.9 trillion won) can leap to third place at once." He said, "We will unify the hearts of citizens through the formation of a civilian-led promotion committee going forward."

◇ Reason for installing a dinosaur fossil sculpture at the provincial office after a business trip to the U.S.

Governor Lee enthusiastically explained future tasks such as the 'Gyeongbuk-type reshoring 3 major specialized strategies' and the 'employment stability preemptive response package project,' but cautiously described the COVID-19 situation as "still a candle in the wind."

Reflecting on several critical moments during the quarantine process, he said, "Recently, when meeting many people including the Prime Minister's Office and government ministries, their first greeting is praise that 'Gyeongbuk responded best to COVID-19,'" adding proudly, "We have even heard that the world-renowned 'K-quarantine' is actually 'Gyeongbuk's quarantine.'"

He said the keyword most frequently heard at the provincial office over the past two years was 'change,' introducing his business trip to the U.S. early last year. The dinosaur fossil sculpture he saw at Google's headquarters, one of the world's top companies, was interpreted as a silent warning that "no matter how big and strong, if you cannot adapt to the environment, extinction is inevitable." Inspired by this feeling, upon returning from the trip, he engraved the phrase "Change to survive" on the door of his office and installed a dinosaur fossil bone sculpture in the front yard.

Introducing the scale of national budget secured this year, Governor Lee said, "At the beginning of my term, I worried a lot whether I would be neglected because I am an opposition party governor or whether TK passing would become a reality, but each time I promised, 'I will prove it with my capabilities.'" He added, "Today, I am very happy and grateful to confidently show the report card of the past two years."

Gyeongbuk Province's national budget for 2020 is 4.4664 trillion won, about 27% higher than two years ago, and including amounts supported by laws such as basic pensions, it totals 8.8024 trillion won, the second largest nationwide after Gyeonggi Province.

Governor Lee emphasized, "Whether large or small, government public projects have increased by 85% at the end of last year (174 projects, 1.9867 trillion won) compared to the previous year (65 projects, 913.5 billion won), as a result of joint efforts by industry, academia, and research institutes." He said, "This is the result of running more than 10,000 km per month, running around the National Assembly and government ministries, and the precious fruits born from the sweat and dedication of provincial office officials working overnight."

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