Bosung-gun Governor Kim Cheol-woo Keeps Promise to Open Era of 700 Billion Won Budget

Passing Grade for Reviving Lives from COVID-19 through Expansionary Fiscal Policy
1 Trillion Won Scale 3 Major SOC Projects and 5 New Deals on Track

[Boseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] On the 28th, Kim Cheol-woo, the governor of Boseong County, Jeollanam-do, announced that the era of a 700 billion won budget has begun.

Despite the COVID-19 crisis this year, Boseong County has responded with a two-track strategy to achieve two major goals: economic revitalization and quarantine.

In particular, through attracting the largest-ever public contest projects, blueprints for large-scale projects were completed, and through solid project implementation, changes that residents can tangibly feel were delivered.

There were also positive evaluations in major internal and external indicators.

For two consecutive years, the county received a comprehensive integrity rating of grade 2, won the Jeollanam-do Dasan Safety Award for three consecutive years, was recognized as an excellent institution in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's active administration comprehensive evaluation last year, received the Prime Minister's Commendation for regional industrial promotion from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, won the grand prize in the comprehensive evaluation of livestock policy, and received the grand prize in the Clean Jeonnam Best Village Making comprehensive evaluation, among others.

▲ Preparations for successfully settling in the With-Corona era were also steadily made.

With the fastest vaccination rate nationwide, Boseong was the first to form herd immunity and entered the era of phased daily recovery transition.

In particular, efforts to minimize administrative expenses such as official travel expenses enabled the payment of 100,000 won per resident as Boseong County's emergency disaster living expenses without debt, and by enacting the first-ever ordinance to provide vaccination incentives and issuing local love gift certificates, a high vaccination rate was achieved.

This year, 83 billion won worth of Boseong Love Gift Certificates were sold, supporting the local economy and stabilizing small business management.

To alleviate the damage to local residents caused by halted festivals and events, the county became the first local government to establish a live commerce system and held the 9th Boseong World Tea Expo in an ontact (online + contact) format.

For the first time nationwide, the 1st Boseong Kiwi Festival was held simultaneously online and offline, promoting Boseong and its kiwi, the largest kiwi production area in the country, nationwide.

By conducting numerous ontact events, Boseong completed understanding and adaptation to the online market, which will be at the center of the new normal in the With-Corona era.

Full preparations were also made to revitalize tourism through phased daily recovery.

The Seopyeonje Boseong Sound Festival was held without an audience for the first time in two years, spreading the authenticity of Boseong Sound nationwide.

In particular, to expedite the early completion of the KTX connecting Boseong to Busan within two hours, continuous proposals were made to prioritize the construction of the Boseong-Suncheon section of the Gyeongjeon Line, and with a budget of 120 billion won allocated next year, the era of 10 million tourists is approaching.

The Dahyang Art Valley, promoted as a vibrant rural project by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, also began operations from the end of the year.

Dahyang Art Valley is expected to become a new landmark as a hub-type convergence center where various specialties and food culture of Boseong can be experienced.

▲ More abundant 1 trillion won scale 3 major SOC projects and 5 New Deal projects selected

Boseong-eup was newly selected as an urban regeneration New Deal project site worth 14.5 billion won.

This is the largest urban regeneration project in the history of Boseong County.

By creating a startup coexistence center and a generation-connecting yard, the county plans to solve local employment issues and strengthen local cultural infrastructure.

Boseong Hosan Port was selected for the Fishing Village New Deal 300 project.

Including the newly selected Hosan Port, a total of five locations are undergoing the Fishing Village New Deal 300 project.

There was also a great achievement in the nationwide contest project for establishing an eco-friendly agricultural foundation hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, with the highest number of projects selected nationwide.

Boseong County plans to establish a systematic system for the production, processing, and distribution of eco-friendly agricultural products.

The Boseong tea industry advancement project was selected as a Jeonnam-type strategic project, securing a project budget of 11 billion won, expected to open a second renaissance for Boseong tea and serve as an opportunity to expand into new industries.

The Boseong-eup Complex Community Center, which will bring a new breeze to residents' leisure life, will begin construction in February next year, and the Beolgyo-eup Complex Cultural Center is also progressing as planned.

▲ Leap to the largest marine leisure city on the South Coast and a world-class marine ecological city

The Yulpo Marine Leisure Hub project, which is progressing with national interest, will begin construction at the end of the year and is scheduled for completion in 2024.

It will feature Asia's largest deep skin diving pool, indoor surfing facilities, infinity pools, and more, allowing year-round marine leisure activities.

The Yulpo Seawater Green Tea Center, utilizing tea and seawater, includes exhibition spaces to appreciate artworks by local artists and sales areas to purchase crafts and specialties. The Jeonnam education and cultural facility for teachers, expected to attract over 50,000 visitors annually, has completed land compensation and will be actively promoted from next year.

Through the Yulpo Seawater Green Tea Center, Yulpo Marine Leisure Hub project, and teacher education cultural facility, Boseong County's dream of making the Deukryang Bay area the largest marine leisure hub on the South Coast is becoming a reality.

With the Boseong mudflat in the Yeojaman area registered as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site under the name "Korean Mudflat," the county can now dream of leaping forward as a world-class marine ecological city.

Next year, the county will also host the World Wetlands Day event, a national event.

For the ongoing Jangdo-Beolgyo land bridge construction project, 47.6 billion won in national funds was secured to promote the integrated tourism theme road project to Jangdo on foot.

The plan includes creating a mudflat ecological trail and building a wetland conservation research center to establish a nature-friendly ecological tourism network.

Additionally, Boseong County proposed and is jointly responding with Suncheon City to successfully attract the 250 billion won national mudflat garden creation project, completing a blueprint to develop the area into a world-class marine ecological treasure beyond Korea.

▲ Boseong County's advanced administration shining nationwide

The county's comprehensive integrity rating, which was at grade 4 in 2018, has improved by one grade each year, and this year again recorded grade 2 for two consecutive years.

It received the highest score in Jeonnam Province, ranking first.

Through the nationwide first initiative "Boseong 600, Our Neighborhood We Cultivate," Boseong was the only local government nationwide to receive the Prime Minister's institutional commendation for regional industrial contribution, and the Boseong 600 project has expanded to 22 cities and counties under the name Clean Jeonnam Best Village.

In the Clean Jeonnam Best Village comprehensive evaluation, Boseong County won the grand prize, securing 100 million won in prize money.

The county established a culture of cooperation between departments and towns/villages and strengthened on-site administrative support in towns and villages to promptly handle residents' field complaints.

As a result, it won the grand prize in the town/village head on-site administration evaluation last year.

A Boseong County official said, "It was a meaningful year that allowed us to dream of more, and we will continue to realize participatory autonomy where residents are the owners of county administration together with the people of Boseong."

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