Jogyuil Jinju Mayor: "We Will Create a 'Happy City' Where All Citizens Prosper"

Held a Press Conference Proposing Aerospace Agency, Metaverse Jinju, Fossil History Park, etc.

“Order to Restore Provincial Office to Jinju for West Gyeongnam Development and Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity Construction”

Joo Kyu-il, Mayor of Jinju City, held a press conference at the city hall briefing room on the 30th and delivered a New Year's address.
[Image source=Jinju City]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jo Gyu-il, mayor of Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province, expressed his ambition at the New Year's press conference on the 30th, stating, “To leap toward a hopeful future, we will seek new growth strategies such as establishing and attracting the Aerospace Administration, building the ‘Metaverse Jinju’ foundation, and creating a fossil history park.” He also pledged, “We will make the city a ‘happy city’ where all citizens prosper.”

Mayor Jo evaluated, “Despite various difficulties in 2021, it was a year in which meaningful achievements were made across diverse fields.”

In particular, he expressed gratitude to all those who trusted the city and united their efforts during difficult times, saying, “I thank the citizens who actively cooperated in complying with quarantine rules.”

Mayor Jo explained, “In the new year, I judged that a ‘structural innovation of the regional economic ecosystem’ is necessary, and to this end, we plan to expand the Jinju-Sacheon national aviation industry into an ‘aerospace industrial complex’ and establish or attract the ‘Aerospace Administration.’”

Additionally, he presented the direction for next year’s city administration, saying, “We will integrate anti-aging bio capabilities scattered in Sancheong, Hadong, and other areas centered on the Jinju Bio Industry Promotion Agency to build the ‘Western Gyeongnam Bio Industry Cluster’ and develop the 2nd Bio Industrial Complex into a ‘microbiome specialized complex.’”

He also revealed plans to establish a metaverse hall at the Gyeongnam e-sports permanent stadium to lay the foundation for ‘Metaverse Jinju,’ and to expand hydrogen infrastructure including a hydrogen charging station for commercial vehicles and hydrogen mobility.

Mayor Jo also proposed new directions for the local tourism industry.

He introduced, “We are promoting the construction of a ‘Traditional Tea and Gyobang Food Experience Center’ at Mangyeong Park, and the old Jinju Station complex cultural park will be developed into a refined ‘sculpture park.’”

He continued, “In connection with the new construction and relocation of the National Jinju Museum, we are promoting the attraction of the ‘National Cultural Facility Jinju Hall’ in the current museum building, and to preserve and utilize Jeongchon fossil site, the largest fossil concentration area in Korea, we will attract the ‘National Geological Heritage Center’ to serve as a repository.”

He declared, “We will make Jinju an ‘eco-friendly green city’ where people and nature coexist.”

His plan includes converting some sections of bicycle roads throughout the city into solar-powered bike paths to establish a renewable energy base and accelerate the transition to a green city.

He aims to develop ‘Wolasan Forest Jinju,’ currently being created as a natural recreation forest, forest sports complex, and healing forest, into a national garden, making Jinju the best garden city nationwide.

In particular, he emphasized, “We will build a ‘happy city’ where all citizens prosper evenly.”

He promised, “We will construct a ‘multipurpose children and welfare center’ on the site of the old Yeongnam Department Store, and the ‘Our Children’s Healthy Lunchbox’ program, launched for the first time this year, will be fully funded by the city budget with the addition of seasonal fruit snacks.”

He said, “To assist the mobility of citizens with disabilities and the elderly, we will introduce voucher taxis for transportation-vulnerable groups and expand the supply of low-floor buses. To become a city where citizens and animals coexist happily, we will promote the construction of an animal welfare center that also functions as a shelter for abandoned animals.”

Mayor Jo stressed, “To realize balanced regional development, just as Gyeongbuk, Jeonnam, and Chungnam relocated their provincial offices to Andong-Yecheon, Muan, and Hongseong respectively, Gyeongnam must now begin efforts to return the provincial office to Jinju for the development of western Gyeongnam and the establishment of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) megacity.”

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