Gwangju City Appoints Kim Jin-cheol as First Commissioner of Economic Free Zone Authority

Choi Dong-seok from Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency Appointed as Head of Investment Attraction Department

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 31st that Kim Jin-cheol has been appointed as the inaugural Commissioner of the Gwangju Free Economic Zone Authority, which will open on January 1 next year, and Choi Dong-seok as the Head of Investment Attraction Department.

Kim Jin-cheol, the new Commissioner of the Gwangju Free Economic Zone Authority, graduated from Korea University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and is a businessperson with over 40 years of experience working at foreign companies, including serving as CEO of Solvay Silica Korea.

He is known as an economic and industrial expert with excellent insight, investment network capabilities, and experience, having served as President of the Korea Foreign Enterprises Association, Korean Investment Promotion Ambassador for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and as a Chemical Industry Investment Attraction Specialist for the Gwangyang Bay Area Free Economic Zone Authority.

Choi Dong-seok, the new Head of Investment Attraction Department, graduated from Chonnam National University with a degree in Economics, earned a master's degree in Public Administration from Seoul National University, and completed doctoral coursework in Global Business Consulting at Hanyang University. He has worked for over 30 years at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), serving as a research fellow, head of the Economic Cooperation Support Office, and trade office chief in New Delhi, India.

He is also known to be well-versed in local industry conditions, having served as the head of the Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTRA Support Group.

Kim Jong-hwa, the city’s Personnel Policy Officer, said, “Kim Jin-cheol, the inaugural Commissioner of the Free Economic Zone Authority, and Choi Dong-seok, Head of Investment Attraction Department, are talented individuals with extensive networks and insight in foreign investment work from decades of experience at global companies and trade and investment specialized institutions. We expect them to contribute to the successful early establishment of the newly opened Gwangju Free Economic Zone Authority.”

Meanwhile, the Gwangju Free Economic Zone is designated as Bitgreen National Industrial Complex (1.847㎢, 560,000 pyeong, future-oriented automobiles), Energy Valley General Industrial Complex (0.932㎢, 280,000 pyeong, smart energy), Urban High-tech National Industrial Complex (0.486㎢, 150,000 pyeong, smart energy), and Advanced District 3 (1.106㎢, 330,000 pyeong, artificial intelligence convergence). It aims to attract 1.4626 trillion KRW in domestic corporate investment, 130 million USD in foreign investment, and create 57,000 local jobs by 2025.

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