Park Joobong "Actively Proposing Improvements to Housing and Transportation Infrastructure Regulations to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport"

Small and Medium Business Ombudsman Holds Meeting with Hwaseong City SMEs to Resolve Regulatory Difficulties

Jubong Park, Small and Medium Business Ombudsman.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Park Ju-bong, the Small and Medium Business Ombudsman (vice ministerial level), stated that he would "actively propose regulatory improvements related to housing and transportation infrastructure to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport" for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in industrial complexes far from urban areas in the Hwaseong region.

On the 6th, the SME Ombudsman held a joint meeting at the Hwaseong City Hall situation room in Gyeonggi-do to resolve regulatory difficulties faced by local SMEs and listened to various suggestions from local SME representatives.

The meeting was attended by Ombudsman Park, Mayor Seo, and representatives from eight small and medium venture companies based in Hwaseong. This meeting was arranged after Ombudsman Park held an on-site meeting with seven SMEs at Eugene Teco Co., Ltd. in Hwaseong in July, proposing a joint meeting at Hwaseong City Hall to seek more active regulatory improvements and solutions.

Ahn Sang-kyo, CEO of Neulpureun Co., Ltd., representing five companies wishing to install dormitories for foreign and domestic workers employed at SMEs in Hwaseong, said, "To install dormitories for foreign workers, we need to either expand existing buildings on the site or construct new ones, but we are facing difficulties due to building coverage ratio and floor area ratio restrictions," and requested regulatory relaxation.

He also stated, "Currently, to travel from Jang-an-myeon and Ujeong-eup in Hwaseong to Ansan or Siheung, one must use the Joam Interchange, which is a single-lane one-way road in both directions, making it difficult for freight vehicles to enter and causing traffic congestion during commuting hours," and requested, "Please install dedicated Hi-Pass entry and exit lanes for both directions on the section of the Second Seohaean Expressway around 464 Dokjeong-ri, Jang-an-myeon, Hwaseong."

Regarding building expansion, Lee Sang-gil, Director of Hwaseong City Urban Policy Division, responded, "According to the National Land Planning and Utilization Act, the building coverage ratio for buildings under four floors is set at 40% in planned management areas and 20% in natural green areas, so increasing the building coverage ratio is not possible. However, the floor area ratio can be increased up to 100% for vertical expansion, and factories constructed before 2003 can expand up to 50% building coverage ratio if they meet the development activity permit standards."

Regarding the request for new highway entry and exit lanes, Lee Sang-man, Director of Hwaseong City Road Division, explained, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is currently promoting the expansion of the Pyeongtaek-Siheung highway, and Hwaseong City requested the installation of a new interchange in the Jang-an area last November."

Yoon Sung-soon, CEO of Buseong Evertec Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of automobile parts, requested "support for transportation expenses and car installment payments to improve the practical welfare of workers at SMEs with poor transportation conditions," while Kim Seok-tae, Director of Hwaseong City Corporate Support Division, said, "There are limitations to providing transportation vouchers (for transportation fees, fuel costs, etc.) due to relatively insufficient bus and subway networks," and added, "We will actively consider supporting transportation infrastructure such as expanding public transportation networks and installing electric and hydrogen charging stations."

In addition, participants raised various on-site difficulties including △road expansion at bottleneck sections of the Pyeongtaek-Paju Expressway (Pyeongtaek-Hwaseong), △prioritizing local companies for Hwaseong City construction projects, and △policy fund support for material, parts, and equipment companies.

Ombudsman Park said, "I deeply empathize with the various hardships of SMEs in Hwaseong, which face harsh environments," and promised, "Since infrastructure improvement is closely related to the survival of SMEs, I will actively continue to consult with relevant ministries to create a better working environment for SMEs."

Mayor Seo also stated, "We will actively review the difficulties raised today together with the Ombudsman and do our best to provide practical help to companies on the ground."

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