Mokpo-si, Improving Local Industrial Structure... Developing into an Economic City

Focused Development on Renewable Energy, Tourism, Seafood, and Culture

Panoramic view of Mokpo Daeyang Industrial Complex. Photo by Mokpo City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] Mokpo City, Jeonnam Province, is preparing for a transformation as an economic city through changes in the regional economic industrial structure.

According to the city on the 24th, the local industry is concentrated in shipbuilding, and the traditional industry of fisheries lacks supporting infrastructure, limiting the creation of high added value. The proportion of self-employed workers engaged in wholesale, retail, accommodation, and other service industries is also high at 62.8%. Because of this, the city is evaluated as a consumption city.

Such a vulnerable industrial structure is also affecting employment. Due to a lack of quality jobs, the city generally shows low employment rates and high unemployment rates.

In the '2021 Second Half Regional Employment Survey Major Employment Indicators by City and County' announced by Statistics Korea on the 22nd, Mokpo showed the lowest employment rate and the highest unemployment rate among cities in the province. Looking at the economically active population and employment rate since 2011, ten years ago, the trend of low employment rates and high unemployment rates has continued.

This is interpreted as being influenced by the weak industrial structure, such as the absence of large companies employing many people, and the fact that primary industries like agriculture, forestry, and fisheries significantly affect employment and unemployment statistics. While other cities in the province are mixed urban-rural cities, Mokpo is the only city in the province without any eup or myeon administrative divisions. However, the city is determined to fundamentally innovate the industrial structure and transform into an economic city with jobs.

To this end, administrative efforts have been focused on future strategic industries such as renewable energy, tourism, seafood products, and culture. The city plans to foster promising new industries like eco-friendly ships and offshore wind power, industrialize Mokpo’s comparative advantage resources such as the Dadohae (archipelago), modern history, and cultural arts to attract companies and tourists, and create quality jobs.

At the same time, the city is striving to secure government support measures. In 2021, to resolve the employment difficulties caused by the downturn in shipbuilding performance and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the designation of the employment crisis area was extended for one more year until this year. The city also secured a two-year extension for the special industrial crisis response area and a two-year extension for the small and medium enterprise special support area in the Daeyang Industrial Complex.

Various job projects are also underway. In May last year, the Jeonnam Social Enterprise Growth Support Center was attracted. With 20 resident companies and 30 registered companies moving in or selected this year, the support center began full-scale operations in January and plans to promote the growth of social economy enterprises linked to the cultivation of Mokpo’s future strategic industries.

Additionally, to resolve employment mismatches in areas like the Daeyang Industrial Complex, the city is promoting the Mokpo Fisheries and Food Industrial Complex Employment Support project (250 people) and the Fisheries and Food Success Package Startup Support project (20 people) as part of the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s regional and industry-customized job creation projects.

Furthermore, the city is expanding and promoting projects such as career-type jobs for the new middle-aged (40 people) and social contribution activity support projects (50 people) to increase employment rates for those aged 55 and over, as well as operating a reemployment academy for the new middle-aged (30 people).

In addition, Mokpo was selected in February this year for the 'Win-Win Regional Job Specialized Consulting Support Project,' a public contest project by the Presidential Committee on Jobs, and plans to develop a Mokpo-style win-win job model specialized in seafood products.

Moreover, to increase youth employment rates and the number of employed persons, the city is accelerating new projects such as developing the Mokpo-style youth culture brand policy (20 people), the Mokpo-style youth social economy employment bridge project (50 people), the Mokpo-style startup youth plus support project (20 people), the Blue Economy 2.0 youth job project (85 people), the youth shelter box park creation project, and the Mokpo youth overseas employment support project (10 people).

A city official stated, “We will accelerate the fostering of strategic industries such as renewable energy, tourism, seafood products, and culture to advance the development into an economic city with jobs.”

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