“COP28 in the South Coast and South Central Region”… Joint Proposal by 12 City and County Councils

Yeosu City Council COP Special Committee Urges Hosting with Joint Petition Signatures

[Yeosu=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Sim Kyung-taek] A joint petition urging the hosting of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in the South Coast and South Central regions has been completed.

The Yeosu City Council COP Hosting Support Special Committee held meetings with the chairpersons of the city and county councils of 12 cities and counties in the South Coast and South Central regions four times since the 16th of last month to collect signatures for the joint petition.

Special committee members, including Chairperson Baek In-sook and Vice Chairperson Moon Gap-tae, held discussions with the city and county council chairpersons to request their participation in the joint petition and urged more active efforts to host the event.

The schedule, which began on the 16th of last month with Yeosu, Suncheon, Goheung, and Boseong, concluded on the 19th of this month after visits to Gwangyang and Gurye on the 26th of last month, Sacheon and Hadong on the 3rd and 4th of this month, and Jinju, Goseong, Namhae, and Sancheong on the 18th and 19th.

The main content of the joint petition is to jointly host COP28 in the South Coast and South Central regions to lay the foundation for unity between Yeongnam and Honam and for East-West harmony, and it also demands that the government promptly select the domestic host city.

The justification for hosting in the South Coast and South Central regions includes the fact that it will serve as a cornerstone for East-West harmony between Yeongnam and Honam and regional balanced development, that efforts to host have been ongoing for 13 years since 2008 led by civil society organizations, and that local governments cooperating to achieve carbon neutrality will create a global success model.

Based on the joint petition, the special committee plans to hold a joint press conference with the chairpersons of the 12 city and county councils, conduct promotional activities targeting the government and the National Assembly, and collaborate with members of the National Assembly to urge hosting.

Formed in September last year, the Yeosu City Council COP28 Hosting Support Special Committee consists of Baek In-sook, Moon Gap-tae, Joo Jong-seop, Jeong Gwang-ji, Kwon Seok-hwan, Jeong Gyeong-cheol, Go Yong-jin, and Lee Mi-kyung, and will operate until February next year.

Since its formation, the special committee has actively conducted promotional activities such as COP28 hosting street campaigns and meetings with members of the National Assembly. It has also continued to propose policies to respond to climate change, including expanding electric vehicle charging stations, increasing solar power facilities, and urging the implementation of carbon reduction measures.

Chairperson Baek In-sook stated, “Responding to climate change is no longer a matter of ‘making a living’ but a matter of ‘living and dying.’ I believe the South Coast and South Central regions are the best places to address these critical climate change issues.”

She added, “During the signature process for the joint petition, the chairpersons of the 12 city and county councils promised their active support with one heart and one mind. We will carry out hosting activities with everyone's hopes and wishes.”

Yeosu=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Sim Kyung-taek simkt7@asiae.co.kr

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