Sangcheol Lee Inaugurated as Gokseong County Governor, Promises a Happier Gokseong for Residents

Presented 7 Key County Administration Strategies Including Population Extinction Response Plan

Starting the Journey Toward a New Gokseong 100 Years That Will Set the National Standard

[Gokseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Cha Jong-seon] “We will aim for a ‘happier life’ for each resident within a safe community that cares for one another. We will clearly demonstrate that the choice made by our residents was the right one.”

Lee Sang-cheol, who took office as the 8th elected governor of Gokseong County, expressed his aspirations for the county’s administration over the next four years in his inaugural speech.

The inauguration ceremony for the 8th elected governor of Gokseong County was held at 10 a.m. on July 1 at the Gokseong County Residents’ Hall.

Before the ceremony, Governor Lee visited the Gokseong County Senior Specialized Hospital in Gyeom-myeon around 7 a.m. to volunteer in serving breakfast.

This was a step to reaffirm his role as a servant for the residents and his commitment to always be close to the residents and their daily lives.

After leaving the hospital, Governor Lee did not head straight to the inauguration venue but visited the Chungui Tower.

He paid respects to the patriotic martyrs and national heroes who protected Gokseong and pledged to write a new history for Gokseong.

He then went to the county office to receive the administrative handover before proceeding to the inauguration venue.

About 600 people, including residents and heads of institutions and social organizations, attended the ceremony to celebrate the launch of the 8th elected government.

The ceremony proceeded with a simple pre-ceremony performance, oath-taking, inaugural speech, and commemorative photo session.

In his speech, Governor Lee pledged to lead change with a proactive approach and open the door to a ‘New 100 Years of Gokseong.’

He announced seven core visions and key policies prepared for a ‘Gokseong where residents are happier.’

The first vision was ‘A Happy and Attractive Gokseong for Residents.’

To achieve this, he declared plans to establish a population extinction response plan and increase the influx of young people through rural study programs.

He also mentioned creating shared offices for youth startups and developing villages where young people can live together, such as Youth Smart Village and Youth Utopia.

The second vision was to complete Gokseong-style creative education.

The core idea is to grow village communities into residents’ autonomous councils while integrating school education, lifelong education, and vocational training within the community through partnerships with social enterprises and others.

The third vision focused on specialized development by region.

The Gokseong-eup area will be developed as a hub for education, culture, tourism, sports, youth startups, and food, while the Ok-gwa area will be promoted as a future industry base such as smart farms.

The Seokgok area is planned to be developed as an ecological center with forest healing facilities and programs.

Additionally, he presented various regional revitalization blueprints, including systematizing local representative foods.

The fourth vision in welfare emphasized meticulous welfare and safe living.

The goal is to improve the quality of life across generations and classes, including the elderly, women, multicultural families, and people with disabilities.

The fifth vision advocated developing tourist sites infused with cultural sensibility.

The target customers of the Train Village will be set as children, and content will be introduced accordingly.

He also mentioned making tourism a solid pillar of the local economy through nighttime lighting, media art, smart tourism tours, and the creation of waterfront tourism belts.

The sixth vision focused on future agriculture and carbon neutrality.

While previous agricultural policies focused on cultivation and production, equal efforts will be made in distribution and marketing.

Changes are also expected in forest policies.

Plans include actively fostering forest-related projects such as healing forests and forest leisure sports to promote forest income policies that generate revenue.

He also expressed intentions to strengthen Gokseong’s position as an ecological city by building an ecological library and other initiatives for carbon neutrality.

Lastly, he emphasized administration that is moving, field-oriented, and creative.

The core is to lead county administration through cooperation and integration and to implement resident-centered convenience administration.

Internally, he proposed establishing a collaboration system and reorganizing the organization around public services.

Governor Lee concluded his speech by emphasizing that “We will clearly show that the residents’ choice was right” and that everyone must cooperate to make Gokseong a national standard.

Gokseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Cha Jong-seon hss79@asiae.co.kr

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