Kim Cheol-woo, Bosung County Governor, "We Will Promote Three Major SOC Projects Worth 1 Trillion Won and Five New Deals"

Focusing on Realizing Boseong-type Blue Economy

Linking Existing Projects to Attract Large-scale Projects Responsible for the Next Generation

[Boseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Cheon-seok] Kim Cheol-woo, the governor of Boseong County, announced the vision and plans to lead Boseong County in 2021 through his New Year's address.

Governor Kim stated, "From the new year, we will actively promote three major SOC projects worth 1 trillion won and five New Deal initiatives."

He also presented concrete plans not only for culture and tourism but also for basic infrastructure and residential environment improvements to prepare for the upcoming high-speed rail era and to leap forward as the largest marine leisure tourism destination in the South Coast region.

▲ Three Major SOC Projects That Truly Appeal to Residents (SOC)

The three major SOC projects that truly appeal to residents, with a budget of about 700 billion won, are divided into three areas: ▲Living and Infrastructure SOC, ▲Environment and Energy SOC, and ▲Metropolitan and Marine SOC.

First, the Living Infrastructure SOC will inject vitality into the old downtown through the construction projects of △Boseong County Complex Community Center and △Beolgyo Cultural Complex Center, which will begin full-scale construction this year. These will be developed into multiplexes offering residents a life with leisure, linked with the ongoing △Urban Regeneration New Deal projects.

△Hosting the 4th Jeollanam-do Sports Festival, △Beolgyo Comprehensive Sports Facility Construction Project, △Boseong Multipurpose Stadium Construction Project, and △Installation of Night Lighting Towers at Beolgyo Ecological Park will lay the foundation for residents' healthy lives and establish the area as a sports mecca.

△Small stream maintenance projects in Boseong-eup, Deukryang-myeon, and Hoecheon-myeon, △Drainage improvement project in Dogae district, △Basic living base projects in Miryeok-myeon and Deukryang-myeon, △Specialized development projects in Gaeksan, Gunhak, and Seokgan villages, △Rural central area revitalization projects in Nodong, Gyeombaek, Yureo, and Ungchi, △All-weather gateball court construction in Gyeombaek, and △Deukryang neighborhood-type national sports center will improve living conditions not only at the eup (town) level but also at the myeon (township) level.

△Modernization of Beolgyo traditional market facilities and parking environment improvement project, and △Modernization of Beolgyo daily market facilities are expected to revitalize the local commercial district.

The Environment and Energy SOC project strengthens infrastructure to provide a pleasant living environment.

The 10-year wish of Boseong residents and the largest single project ever, △Boseong-eup city gas supply project (74 billion won) will be actively promoted.

△Development of rural living water and village sewage and sewer pipe maintenance projects (140 billion won), △Boseong-eup urban flooding prevention project, and △Water supply modernization project will establish a foundation for clean water and a stable living environment. The △Boseong-eup ecological stream restoration project, which will become Boseong County's Cheonggyecheon, will be completed this year and returned to the residents.

Through the Metropolitan Marine SOC project, a marine tourism belt extending from Hoecheon-myeon to Beolgyo will be established, creating the largest marine leisure representative tourist destination in the South Coast region and realizing the Boseong-type Blue Economy.

The largest infinity pool in Korea and the deepest scuba diving facility will be equipped in the △Yulpo Marine Leisure Tourism Hub Project, which will break ground this year. The △Jeollanam-do Teachers' Education and Cultural Facility is also in the final stages of preliminary procedures.

In the Beolgyo area, the △Beolgyo-Jangdo integrated tourism theme road project is newly promoted, and the △Yeoja Bay Beolgyo mudflat marine theme park and △Making the Island You Want to Visit projects are underway.

△Fishing Village New Deal 300, △Local Fishing Port Geumnong Port Development Project, △Deukryang Bay Clean Fishery Regeneration Project, and △Comprehensive Island Development Project will dramatically improve the residential environment of fishing villages, enhancing both tourism infrastructure and fishermen's living conditions.

The five New Deals of Boseong are core tasks that will increase household income, improve welfare awareness, and enrich the overall lives of residents in five areas: ▲Smart New Deal, ▲Welfare New Deal, ▲Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock New Deal, ▲Youth and Population New Deal, and ▲Tourism New Deal.

First, the Smart New Deal improves information accessibility and guarantees residents' right to know through △Public data opening, △Public Wi-Fi installation on rural buses and Sarangho buses, △High-speed internet network construction, and △SNS capacity enhancement.

To respond quickly and accurately to disaster situations, an integrated △Smart City platform based on the 119, 112, and CCTV control centers will be established, and a △Early warning system for disaster-prone areas will create a safe society using big data.

△Smart water network management infrastructure construction, △Smart factory construction projects, and △ICT smart farms with new livestock technologies will integrate smart technologies into industrial sites for efficient operation and create a future-oriented industrial environment.

The Welfare New Deal creates a welfare environment where no resident is left out, fostering a Boseong where everyone raises children together and a healthy Boseong without medical expense worries.

Specialized projects in Boseong such as △We Take Care of Our Neighborhood Seniors, △Pilot Project for Care Robots for Elderly Living Alone, △Introduction of Wandering Detection Devices for the Disabled, and △Expansion of Small Houses strengthen safety nets for vulnerable groups and focus on realizing non-face-to-face welfare services suitable for COVID-19.

To improve the quality of public childcare services, △Construction of Chodongchingu Public Daycare Center is underway, and △Support for sanitary products for female adolescents will begin. The program started this year for high school students and plans to expand the target group annually.

Medical welfare is also addressed. △The age for free shingles vaccination support will be expanded from the current 65 years and older to 60 years and older, △Children's meningococcal vaccination, △COVID-19 psychological support, and △Mobile dementia shelters will be operated.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock New Deal scales up agriculture, forestry, and livestock, the backbone of Boseong County, transforming them into high value-added industries.

As the only selected area in Jeonnam, the △Rural Agreement Pilot Project (43 billion won) will change the living landscape of Boseong County. Basic services such as health and childcare will be accessible within 30 minutes, culture, education, and medical services within 60 minutes, and emergency response systems within 5 minutes, realizing a '365 Living Zone.'

Full preparations are underway for the △10th Boseong World Tea Expo, held on an international scale in 2022. The △Eco-friendly vegetable specialized complex using green onions and the △Boseong Kiwi will be intensively cultivated as one specialized crop per city or county, nurturing new strengths for Boseong.

△Rural resource complex industrialization projects and △Wungchi All-Byeo Rice Local Industry Promotion will link the sixth industry to increase the added value of agriculture. Efforts will also be made to efficiently manage and secure sales channels for agricultural products through △Support for expanding online sales and △Installation of cold storage for agricultural products.

By enhancing the value of forest resources, new industries in the forestry sector will be opened. The △Lacquer Tree Cluster Complex Project will be completed, and a new project to △Create a Natural Healing Tourism Forest Complex will be promoted to establish a forest energy self-reliant village.

Along with the △Boseong 600 Project, which is cultivated by our neighborhood, the △Village-level specialized landscape and income forest project will create synergies and be used as a source of income for villages, helping residents grow into village enterprises working together.

To protect Boseong's premium livestock, which has been a foot-and-mouth disease-free area for 80 years and an avian influenza-free area for 10 years, △Expansion of forage production base, △Livestock manure resource recycling, △Promotion of Hanwoo cattle, dairy, bees, and eco-friendly livestock, and △Operation of village-type joint composting facilities will create a virtuous cycle structure in livestock farming.

The Youth and Population New Deal responds to changes in population structure due to low birth rates and aging, and promotes multifaceted population policies and youth support policies in marriage, childbirth, childcare, education, and employment to prepare for the era of 30,000 population.

To encourage the younger generation to stay in the region and start families without moving to cities, for the first time, △Marriage congratulatory money for young couples (2 million won) and △Childcare support for families with multiple children (500,000 won) will be provided.

For housing stability, △Interest support for newlyweds and multi-child families' homes, △Housing cost support for employed persons, and to reduce childcare burdens, △Childbirth incentives, △Childcare support funds, and △Family photo projects for families with multiple children will be promoted.

To help youth achieve economic stability, △Youth job projects such as village business and agricultural and fishery distribution activists, △Boseong Youth Startup Shop Project, and △Boseong Youth Startup Mall Project will be promoted to nurture professional young merchants, and △Hope Stepping Stone Savings Accounts will help youth accumulate lump sums.

The Tourism New Deal prepares for the era of 10 million tourists that will open with the Boseong high-speed train era.

△Boseong Tea Garden creation, △Yeongcheon tea industry revitalization project, and △Korean Tea Culture Park healing space creation, which were individually promoted, will be combined into one large-scale theme park connecting Botjae, Korean Tea Museum, Dahyang Art Valley, and Myeongnyang Tea Garden.

△Bibong Rural Theme Park Construction Project, where camping and picnicking, which have risen with non-face-to-face travel, can be enjoyed, will be completed by the end of the year and is expected to create synergy with Bibong Dinosaur Park, Deukryang Bay Sea Fishing Park, and Bibong Marina.

△Yedang Wetland Ecological Park, which will be completed this year, and the ongoing △Guduljang Healing Theme Park and △Juwolsan Eco Healing Theme Park will be organically linked to strengthen tourism infrastructure passing through Hoecheon and Beolgyo.

In Boseong-eup, △Boseong Sinheung Dongsan Comprehensive Development Project, linked with the reconstruction of Yeolseonru, and △Meta Lakeside Premium Road, connecting Boseong-eup to the four northern myeons, will be completed in December.

In Beolgyo-eup, known as the number one destination for literature and historical tours, △Taebaek Mountain Range Theme Park and △Jeseoksan Su-seok Park Construction Project will be steadily promoted, and a new public contest will promote △Modern Historical and Cultural Space Regeneration Activation Project to revitalize the literary street.

Governor Kim Cheol-woo said, "Although we went through a very difficult time last year, we prioritized the safety of residents and worked hard to revitalize the economy, resulting in securing the largest local allocation tax and national project funds ever." He added, "We will actively engage in discovering large-scale projects that can be responsible for future generations and lead positive changes that residents can personally feel."

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