Naju-si Selected for 34 Public Contest Projects This Year... Secures 97.1 Billion KRW in Project Funding

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yuk-bong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 28th that 34 projects were selected this year in competitions hosted by central government ministries and Jeollanam-do, securing a total project budget of 97.1 billion KRW.

In particular, the achievements of various construction and development projects aimed at the mutual growth and balanced development of the old downtown and the Innovation City are noteworthy.

Notably, the “Namdo Uibyung Historical Park Development Project” led by Jeollanam-do was selected, securing a project budget of 48 billion KRW.

This large-scale project aims to honor the loyal spirits of the Uibyung (righteous militia) who led the national defense and to inspire pride and honor among the residents. It plans to develop a Uibyung museum, theme park, and historical forest on a 330,000㎡ site around the Yeongsang Theme Park in Gongsan-myeon, Naju City.

The city was selected as the venue for the 11th Korea Uibyung Day ceremony scheduled for June 1 next year, solidifying its reputation as the righteous hometown (義鄕) of Honam, which produced the most Uibyung and decorated veterans in the region.

Securing 7.9 billion KRW in national funds for the “Living SOC Complex Center Construction Project” to improve residential conditions in Bitgaram Innovation City is also considered a major achievement.

The city plans to invest a total of 15.7 billion KRW, including national funds, by 2023 to build a children (family)-specialized Living SOC Complex Center equipped with a “Children’s Theme Library” and “Childcare Support Facilities” on 1,325㎡ of city-owned land (with a total floor area of 6,300㎡) next to Bitgaram-dong 383 (beside LH Phase 2 apartment complex).

The center’s construction is expected to enhance childcare convenience for young parents in the Innovation City, who have long awaited cultural and experiential community facilities necessary for child care.

In the science and industry sector, the selection of the “Jeonnam VR·AR Production Hub Center Construction Project” (11 billion KRW) and the “SOS Lab Construction and SW Service Development Project” (9.3 billion KRW) is evaluated as laying the foundation for a new growth hub and job creation base to lead the national 4th industrial revolution by establishing an immersive content industry ecosystem.

The Jeonnam VR·AR Production Hub Center Construction Project will be built over three years starting this year with about 10 billion KRW, utilizing the existing infrastructure of the Naju Immersive Media Center.

In agriculture, Geumcheon and Noan Nonghyup were selected for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ “Next Year Agricultural Product Production Area Distribution Center Support Project,” securing a total project budget of 5.8 billion KRW, including 1.7 billion KRW in national funds.

In response to the rapidly changing agricultural product distribution environment, the expansion of cold storage, packaging automation, and establishment of processing facilities will contribute significantly to increasing farmers’ income through standardized packaging and improved product quality.

Additionally, all six applications for the Cultural Heritage Administration’s “Regional Cultural Heritage Utilization Project” were selected (1.13 billion KRW), along with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Naju Pear Museum Renovation Project” (250 million KRW), and the Ministry of Education’s “Adult Cultural Education Support and Lifelong Education Activation Support Project” (125 million KRW), steadily accumulating achievements to support citizens’ cultural enjoyment and lifelong education realization.

This year, the city received a total of 25 institutional commendations: 10 from central government ministries and the National Assembly, 12 from Jeollanam-do, and 3 from the private sector.

Above all, the city has fully blossomed the achievements of the “Naju-type Jobs” policy, which was a key focus to stabilize the employment market, which had been stagnant due to COVID-19.

Notably, this month, Naju was the only local government in Gwangju and Jeonnam to be listed in the “Korea Job Merit Institution” commendation by the Presidential Committee on Jobs, officially recognized by the government for its core job policy achievements in national governance, proving its competitiveness as a local government in the nationwide job sector.

Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “The selection of projects and institutional evaluation achievements this year are valuable results achieved despite the prolonged difficulties caused by COVID-19, made possible by the unwavering support and cooperation of 120,000 citizens. Next year, we will do our best to strengthen citizen safety and stabilize the local economy, and through the full-scale implementation of the five leading policy tasks, prepare for Naju’s next 100 years.”

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