Governor Lee Cheol-woo, If Gyeongju Citizens Want, Cultural Expo 'Back to the Citizens' Arms'

Task Forces Comprising Experts and Departments to Be Completed by the End of This Month

Review, Legislative Process, and Resident Opinion Hearings to Proceed from August

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwi-yeol] Gyeongbuk Province is currently exploring various measures regarding the structural reform of its affiliated public institutions, which has recently become a topic of controversy, including not only the consolidation of institutions but also function adjustments and the transfer of management authority.

Regarding the integration of the Cultural Foundation and the Cultural Expo, Governor Lee Cheol-woo proposed a new plan to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council and Gyeongju City, stating, “Gyeongbuk prospers when Gyeongju prospers. If the citizens of Gyeongju wish, we will return the Cultural Expo to the citizens.”

This proposal takes into account the fact that the Cultural Expo has grown into an institution with world-class capabilities and expertise through several international events held so far, as well as the regional symbolism the Cultural Expo holds in Gyeongju City.

The Cultural Expo was launched in 1996 and has served as one of the key public institutions under the province for 26 years.

It has earned the trust of the residents by successfully hosting more than 10 major international events, including the Gyeongju World Culture Expo (’98), Angkor-Gyeongju World Culture Expo (’06), Istanbul-Gyeongju World Culture Expo (’13), and Ho Chi Minh-Gyeongju World Culture Expo (’17).

It is also true that there have been criticisms through the Provincial Council and the media regarding the limitations of the Cultural Expo’s functions and its inefficient management.

To fundamentally resolve these issues, on the 12th, the province publicized the ‘Direction for Promoting Structural Reform of Public Institutions’ after a preliminary review of the necessity and feasibility of integration, as well as related laws.

The plan included a measure to combine the Cultural Foundation, the Content Promotion Agency, and the Cultural Expo into a single foundation.

A Gyeongbuk Province official stated, “By the end of July, we planned to complete the formation of task forces by department, including experts, and from August, we intended to proceed with detailed reviews on the feasibility of structural reform, as well as democratic procedures such as listening to opinions from the council and residents. The opinions of the residents will be fully reflected during the structural reform process.”

Regarding the five-minute speech by Assemblyman Bae Jin-seok of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council on the 22nd, which suggested that “structural reform of public institutions is being pursued without communication with the residents,” the province’s position is that there is some misunderstanding.

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