Gyeongbuk Province Deputy Governor for Economy Ha Dae-seong Retires, "Dedicated Passion for the Residents"

Official Duties Concluded with Retirement Ceremony Held on the 28th

Ha Dae-seong, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongbuk Province, concludes his official duties with a retirement ceremony on the 28th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] Despite the unprecedented disaster situation caused by COVID-19, Ha Daeseong, the Deputy Governor for Economy of Gyeongbuk Province, who has served as the economic commander of Gyeongbuk for two years, officially concluded his duties with a retirement ceremony on the 28th.

At the retirement ceremony, Deputy Governor Ha said, “I am very happy to be able to say such a wonderful farewell,” and added, “Even after leaving this position, I will become Gyeongbuk’s ‘eternal friend’ who supports with strength on uphill paths and cheers with applause on smooth roads to make Gyeongbuk the center of our country.”

Leading Gyeongbuk’s economy in the latter half of the 7th local government term, Deputy Governor Ha has been recognized for playing a pivotal role in uniting the community’s capabilities as a support pillar amid the unprecedented disaster of COVID-19 over the past two years.

Two years ago, he even skipped the inauguration ceremony and headed straight to the site of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport as his first schedule.

There, he expressed his determination, saying, “With a heavy sense of responsibility, I will strongly support Governor Lee Cheol-woo’s administrative direction for the 7th local government term, and based on my experience working at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, I will serve as a bridge between central government ministries and local governments so that the integrated new airport can become a catalyst for revitalizing the metropolitan economic zone.”

True to that promise, Deputy Governor Ha devoted all his passion as Gyeongbuk’s Deputy Governor for Economy over two years and achieved many accomplishments.

Above all, he laid the foundation for the successful promotion of the integrated new airport, the biggest issue for Daegu and Gyeongbuk.

The integrated new airport was finally included in the ‘6th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan,’ maintaining its status as a hub airport, and by removing the short-distance international route clause, it enabled the operation of medium- and long-distance international flights.

Last year, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad (Seodaegu?New Airport?Uiseong), connecting Seodaegu and Uiseong, was included in the government plan, and he led the way to draft the blueprint for the ‘Integrated New Airport Circular Metropolitan Railroad,’ linking the Jungang Line (Uiseong?Gunwi?Yeongcheon) and the Daegu Line (Yeongcheon?Dongdaegu?Seodaegu).

Additionally, based on his extensive experience in key positions at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, he resolved major regional SOC issues.

In the 5th Five-Year Plan for National and Local Roads Construction finalized in September last year, 12 sections covering 84.8 km with a project budget of 947.2 billion KRW were included.

In the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan finalized in July last year, six new projects including the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Metropolitan Railroad, Daegu Line 1 extension to Yeongcheon, Mungyeong-Jeomchon Line, Gyeongbuk Line, and the second phase of the Daegu Metropolitan Railroad were included, totaling 11 lines with a project budget of 18.6 trillion KRW.

Despite adverse conditions, over the past two years, he made tremendous efforts to attract future new industries, renewable energy, and logistics industries.

As a result, the investment attraction during the 7th local government term exceeded the target of 20 trillion KRW by a wide margin, reaching 30 trillion KRW, and created over 40,000 quality jobs.

Representative examples include the ‘Industrial Complex Renovation’ and ‘Smart Industrial Complex’ projects, each with a budget exceeding 1 trillion KRW, selected as national projects to upgrade the region’s aging industrial complexes into young, vibrant, advanced, and green industrial complexes.

Two years ago, the ‘Andong Industrial Hemp’ and last year, the ‘Gimcheon Smart Green Logistics’ regulatory free zones were established, and starting with ‘Pohang Battery Recycling,’ the region achieved the designation of regulatory free zones for three consecutive years.

In line with the expanding trend of non-face-to-face consumption, a new consumption pattern, support was provided for online sales through the Gyeongbuk Sale Festa and the Small Business Online Hope Market, and more than 1 trillion KRW worth of local love gift certificates were issued, greatly contributing to revitalizing the local economy.

Deputy Governor Ha said, “The past two years of relentless effort were successfully completed thanks to the trust of the governor and the efforts of my colleagues,” and added, “The integrated new airport, which will be the stepping stone for the region’s leap forward, is still in its infancy, but if we gather wisdom and unite our strength, visible results will appear soon. I will continue to lend my strength, however small.” He concluded by saying, “I was happy to devote my passion to Gyeongbuk, and it was rewarding to be able to dream of a new Gyeongbuk and a hopeful future.”

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