The Era of 700 Billion Won Budget Opens for the First Time in Hwasun-gun

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Young-gyun] Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Choi Hyung-sik) announced on the 30th that since the 7th local government administration, it has carried out strategic activities to secure national funds, opening the era of a 700 billion won budget for the first time in the county’s history.

This year alone, it secured 71.8 billion won in national funds for 59 projects, accelerating progress on pending projects.

In particular, the success in attracting large-scale central government public contest projects has noticeably increased.

The projects successfully attracted include the Urban Regeneration New Deal Project (project cost 18 billion won), ▲ Living SOC Complex Project (construction of the Generational Solidarity Complex Center · 32.8 billion won), ▲ Medical-linked Forest Healing Complex Creation (5 billion won), ▲ National Immunotherapy Innovation Platform Construction Project (46 billion won), totaling 94 projects (total project cost 185 billion won).

Hwasun-gun has been externally recognized for its innovative administrative capabilities by winning 74 awards, including ranking 5th nationwide among county-level local governments in the 2018 Local Autonomy Competitiveness Evaluation by the Korea Public Autonomy Research Institute, and receiving the Best Institution Award in the 2018 Comprehensive Civil Service Evaluation by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Universal welfare policies such as expanded transportation and educational welfare, aimed at realizing a ‘Warm Welfare Community’ and ‘Happy No.1 Hwasun,’ are among the highly praised policies of the 7th local government administration both domestically and internationally.

The county began supporting school meals and tuition fees, and in 2018, it became the first in Gwangju and Jeonnam to support uniforms for new middle and high school students. Since last year, it has also supported sportswear costs, implementing three major free education programs.

The county’s education support projects, including support for overseas historical and cultural exploration linked to first-year high school trips, are regarded as a model of educational welfare.

The county’s notable policies include expanding the ‘Comfortable 100-Won Taxi’ service from seniors aged 65 and over to pregnant women, infants, multicultural families, and basic livelihood security recipients, providing farmers’ allowances, and investing 16.5 billion won this year in senior job projects.

Along with this, it has gained positive responses by implementing highly tangible policies such as ▲ establishing a mobility support center for the visually impaired ▲ additional operation of call taxis for the disabled ▲ establishment and operation of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled ▲ establishment of national and public daycare centers and expansion of all-together care centers for infant and toddler care services.

While fostering the vaccine and biopharmaceutical industries and advanced medical industries, the 7th local government administration’s vision of ‘New Economy No.1 Hwasun,’ which aims to open a new path for the regional economy by enhancing the competitiveness of agriculture, livestock, and cultural tourism industries, is also progressing smoothly.

If agriculture, livestock, and cultural tourism are traditional sectors, vaccine, biopharmaceuticals, and advanced medical industries are future growth industries.

The county has built an ecosystem for the vaccine and biopharmaceutical industry that supports all stages from research and development to production in the Hwasun Vaccine Industry Special Zone, the only one of its kind in Korea.

Especially, over the two years of the 7th local government administration, attracting large-scale national projects and public contest projects consecutively has solidified its status as Korea’s next-generation vaccine industry hub, which is its greatest achievement.

Representative projects include the National Vaccine Product Technology Support Center (project cost 28.3 billion won), the Immune Cell Therapy Industrialization Technology Platform Construction (project cost 20 billion won), and the National Immunotherapy Innovation Platform (project cost 46 billion won).

The county plans to continue step-by-step projects to establish an immune therapy hub, such as the Biohealth Convergence Knowledge Industry Center (project cost 18 billion won), and create the 2nd Biopharmaceutical Industrial Complex (project cost 41.6 billion won), laying the foundation to soar as a ‘Global Vaccine Hub’ leading the next-generation vaccine market.

Governor Choi said, “We will create a model of balanced development and coexistence between urban and rural areas and a solid future food source for the region by intensively fostering not only the vaccine and biopharmaceutical industries but also agriculture, livestock, and cultural tourism industries. We will overcome the COVID-19 crisis by rapidly promoting 58 post-COVID-19 Hwasun-type New Deal projects such as developing non-face-to-face healing and therapy tourism products and smart agriculture.”

He added, “We will respond to aging and population cliff by more solidly promoting housing environment improvement, urban regeneration New Deal projects, securing competitiveness of old downtown areas, expanding universal educational welfare, expanding Living SOC, policies for returning farmers and residents, and youth policies.”

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