Muan-gun Achieves 4th Place Nationwide Among Counties in National Local Autonomy Competitiveness Index Evaluation

Published 17 Dec.2021 10:09(KST)

Ranked 1st in Honam Region for Overall Competitiveness...Proving Local Government Competitiveness

In the 2021 Korea Local Autonomy Competitiveness Index evaluation conducted by the Korea Public Autonomy Research Institute, Muan-gun achieved 4th place nationwide among county-level regions in the comprehensive competitiveness category. ? Asia Economy

[Muan＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Oh Hwan-joo] On the 17th, Muan County, Jeollanam-do announced that it achieved 4th place nationwide among county-level units in the comprehensive competitiveness category in the 2021 Korea Local Autonomy Competitiveness Index evaluation conducted by the Korea Institute of Public Administration.

The Korea Local Autonomy Competitiveness Index (KLCI) is a quantitative evaluation conducted annually since 1996 by the Korea Institute of Public Administration, analyzing about 40,000 basic data points related to regional competitiveness from 226 local governments nationwide. It evaluates 80 indicators across three categories: management resources, management activities, and management performance. The analysis data is used as important material for policy development, corporate investment, and various research.

The 4th place in comprehensive competitiveness at the county level achieved by Muan County this time is a comprehensive award covering performance indicators in all three categories. Among cities, counties, and districts, Muan County is the only local government in the Honam region to rank within the top 5.

In this survey, Muan County showed outstanding results compared to other local governments in areas such as urban infrastructure, living environment, population vitality, health and welfare, public safety, and economic vitality.

A county official explained the background of Muan County’s achievement by stating, “As the number one central city in Jeollanam-do where the provincial government office is located, the efforts to build urban infrastructure that the county has focused on so far and the growth of the Naman New Town, which accelerated after the completion of the first phase of the Oryong District, have contributed significantly.”

With this urban growth trend, Muan County has recently recovered a population of 90,000 for the first time in 30 years, and the proportion of young people is gradually increasing, transforming it into a vibrant city with excellent human resource infrastructure.

Furthermore, the evaluation reflected achievements such as expanding urban forests, securing parking lots on idle land, achieving a 99% water supply rate, expanding cultural and sports facilities, and building basic infrastructure to improve residents’ living conditions. Efforts to build industrial infrastructure, including the groundbreaking of the MRO aviation specialized industrial complex and plans for designation as a national aviation industrial complex, were also fully reflected in the evaluation. These contributed to high scores in the ‘management resources’ and ‘management performance’ categories, which cover urban infrastructure and industrial base competitiveness.

County Governor Kim San expressed his aspirations regarding the evaluation results, saying, “If Muan County’s growth potential is properly realized, its outstanding urban competitiveness can achieve regional development ahead of other areas. Going forward, our county will lay the foundation for innovative growth in various fields based on urban competitiveness, and we will do our best to secure our own competitiveness so that we can leap forward as a central city in the southwest region through the revitalization of Muan International Airport and the successful establishment of the aviation specialized industrial complex.”