Jeongeup-si Accelerates Efforts to Create a High-Tech Economic City with More Jobs and Better Quality of Life

Published 04 Mar.2022 14:11(KST)

[Jeongeup=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Jae-gil] Jeongeup City is striving to create a vibrant advanced economic city and an eco-friendly ecological city through various policy projects aimed at improving citizens' quality of life and revitalizing the local economy.

The city is focusing its administrative efforts on creating high-quality jobs and accelerating income improvement and residential condition enhancement for residents in rural areas.

In addition to preserving forest ecology, Jeongeup is developing forest cultural spaces where people can enjoy both recreation and leisure sports, and is transforming urban areas with beautiful lights and scents, truly becoming a "livable city."

The city has been issuing Jeonghyangnuri gift certificates, which can only be used locally, to prevent the outflow of local funds and secure the competitiveness of neighborhood markets and small business owners.

Starting with 5 billion KRW in 2019, sales increased to 20 billion KRW in 2020 and 40 billion KRW in 2021, totaling 65 billion KRW over three years, leading efforts to protect Jeongeup’s neighborhood markets and small business owners.

This year, 40 billion KRW worth of certificates will be issued, sold only as mobile and card gift certificates. The purchase limit is 500,000 KRW per person per month, and they can be purchased at a 10% discount via a mobile app or at 46 local financial institutions including NongHyup, Jeonbuk Bank, and Saemaeul Geumgo.

The mobile Jeonghyangnuri gift certificates allow for cash receipt issuance, and the card type is eligible for income deduction like a check card, providing tax refund benefits during year-end tax settlements.

The city is also putting great effort into applying for the "2022 Commercial District Renaissance Project" contest hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to revitalize Saemgoeul Market and major shopping districts.

The "Commercial District Renaissance Project" is a program under the "Special Act on the Promotion of Traditional Markets and Shopping Districts" that designates declining commercial districts as "commercial district revitalization zones" and provides comprehensive support to create distinctive commercial areas and stimulate their revival.

If selected, a commercial district management organization will be established to promote the project and receive up to 12 billion KRW in national and provincial subsidies over five years.

Main support includes various commercial district revitalization activities tailored to the district’s characteristics (such as developing specialized products and brands, operating theme zones, commercial district promotion, marketing support, and capacity-building education) and environmental improvements (such as creating themed design streets and street maintenance).

The Nongchuksan Microbial Industry Promotion Support Center, located in Sinjeong-dong, was finally selected for the "GMP-based Agricultural and Livestock Microbial Industrialization Support Facility Construction Project" conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, making Jeongeup the first city in Korea to host a GMP-based agricultural and livestock microbial industrialization support facility.

Accordingly, the center will receive a total of 10 billion KRW over three years (5 billion KRW national funds, 1.5 billion KRW provincial funds, 3.5 billion KRW city funds) to establish support facilities including GMP certification, microbial cultivation equipment, purification and concentration equipment, drying and formulation equipment, and will produce microbial products certified by accredited institutions.

The city expects that this project selection will resolve difficulties faced by microbial companies struggling with exports due to the lack of domestic GMP-grade agricultural and livestock microbial product production facilities.

In particular, Jeongeup is expected to become the mecca of Korea’s microbial industry by attracting government-led projects in the microbial and veterinary pharmaceutical sectors and fostering related companies through industrial clustering.

Furthermore, the city plans to operate a dedicated window for resolving corporate difficulties and a "One Company, One Public Official" system to collect suggestions and issues and provide practical support to companies, creating a business-friendly environment.

To support smooth operation funds and healthy growth of small and medium enterprises, the city will provide 5 billion KRW in management stabilization funds and a 3% interest subsidy for SMEs facing difficulties due to COVID-19.

The city also plans to focus on improving outdated corporate environments. Representative projects include the Root Enterprise Green Environment System Construction Project to remove harmful substances and improve outdated facilities in workplaces, and the construction of a complex community center in Sinjeong-dong and the 3rd Industrial Complex. The complex community center is expected to greatly contribute to improving welfare environments for workers and nearby residents and attracting young people by providing cultural, welfare, and convenience services.

Thanks to these efforts, the city has been selected as a "Business-Friendly City" for five consecutive years and was honored as the best institution in the 2021 city and county job policy evaluation hosted by Jeollabuk-do.

With growing interest in forest bathing and forest leisure sports, the city is also developing the Naejangsan Natural Recreation Forest, a forest adventure experience facility.

The Naejangsan Natural Recreation Forest, located in Yongsan-dong San 50, is a forest recreation facility being developed with a total budget of 22.4 billion KRW, scheduled for completion by 2023. Entrance road construction began in June last year, with site development planned for this year, and seven forest houses, experience facilities, and a community center to be built next year.

The Naejangsan Natural Recreation Forest aims to meet the basic elements of a natural recreation forest while responding to recent trends by introducing Korea’s first forest adventure experience facilities such as the e-Raptor Coaster and Eco Rider. The seven forest houses will be constructed in a pool villa style.

The city plans to make this forest cultural space a landmark that provides vitality to life by preserving forest ecology and enabling simultaneous enjoyment of recreation and leisure sports.

In the Ayangsan area of Jeongeupsa Park, a leisure sports forest trail (3.8 km) suitable for various outdoor activities and a circular Jeongeupsa Park forest trail connecting them will be created.

Construction is scheduled to begin in April, aiming for completion in March 2023. The forest trail will extend 2.4 km along the 60-70% elevation of Ayangsan.

The Jeongeupsa Park forest trail will maintain gentle slopes to enhance accessibility for walking-vulnerable groups such as the disabled, elderly, and pregnant women, serving as a convenient and safe walking path and a foundation for various experience facilities within Ayangsan.

The Ayang Love Forest and the Children's Forest Experience Center, built in 2019 within Jeongeupsa Park with a total project cost of 2.4 billion KRW, are also very popular. Under expert guidance, children can engage in experiential activities that connect with nature and various forest experience education programs, attracting about 500 children monthly.

The wide-area living resource recovery center project jointly promoted by Jeongeup, Gochang, and Buan counties is scheduled for completion in April after comprehensive trial operations.

The wide-area living resource recovery center is a joint project to build new recycling sorting facilities replacing the aging ones in the three counties. Located at 404-2 Yeongpa-dong, Jeongeup, the project cost totals 10.2 billion KRW and can sort 30 tons of recyclable waste daily.

As the project nears completion, the three counties continue close cooperation through working-level councils and other means to establish joint use and operational agreements for the center.

Once completed, the center’s automated sorting system will facilitate resource recovery and recycling of glass bottles, plastics, and more. Additionally, securing workspace will greatly improve poor working conditions and prevent safety accidents.

With increasing needs for concentration of sports facilities due to population decline and migration, the city is focusing on creating Jeongeup Sports Town, where sports infrastructure can be centralized.

The Sports Town project plans to invest a total of 19.2 billion KRW by 2025 to develop a 79,800㎡ site with two soccer fields, 16 tennis courts, a clubhouse, and other infrastructure.

Jeollabuk-do completed local finance investment review in October 2021, and administrative procedures such as implementation plan approval will be finalized in the first half of this year, with construction scheduled to start in 2023.

Jeongeup Sports Town, equipped with excellent transportation infrastructure including KTX Jeongeup Station, is expected to play a role as a forward base for sports industry development by promoting citizens’ health and quality of life and hosting various domestic and international competitions.