‘First-term Special Mayor’ Debut of Science Policy Expert … Changwon Mayor Hong Nampyo: “I Will Completely Eliminate Nuclear Phase-out”

Mayor Hong Nampyo of Changwon is speaking about development plans for Changwon Special City.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters reporters Jonggu Song and Seryeong Lee] An administrator with a doctorate in engineering who has held key government positions at the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Blue House swiftly earned the title of ‘Special City Mayor’ in the recent local elections. Hong Nampyo, the Special City Mayor of Changwon, secured a significant position for a first-term politician.

Having passed the technical civil service exam while attending Seoul National University and consistently working in administration and policy in South Korea’s science and technology sector, there was no reason for either ruling or opposition parties to hesitate in bringing him on board.

However, he became frustrated. He criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s nuclear phase-out policy, accusing it of abandoning ‘science,’ which is the better path to prosperity, in favor of ‘ideology.’ He is now determined to completely overturn the nuclear phase-out policy of the previous government. Having contributed to the policy foundation and strategy targeting the previous administration’s nuclear phase-out, he is now intent on reviving the nuclear industry in Changwon, the city that elected him.

“Due to carbon neutrality, climate crisis response, and oil price surges caused by international instability, nuclear power is being re-evaluated as an eco-friendly energy source.”

Mayor Hong emphasized, “President Yoon Seok-yeol’s cancellation of the nuclear phase-out was a very appropriate measure,” adding, “With the resumption of construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 and plans announced for joint overseas nuclear market entry through cooperation with the United States, nuclear companies based in Changwon are holding high expectations.”

“Although the nuclear ecosystem in the Changwon area is currently severely damaged, it is rapidly recovering thanks to early normalization support policies for the nuclear industry by Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam Province, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy,” he also said.

He proudly stated that, with support from the Korea Development Bank, he appointed a nuclear finance policy officer in Changwon Special City and has begun financial support for nuclear companies. He mentioned that they are cooperating with Gyeongnam Province to obtain designation as an Energy Industry Convergence Complex from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, focusing on areas where nuclear companies are located.

“If designated as an Energy Industry Convergence Complex, more systematic support will be possible in various aspects such as tax benefits and R&D support.”

He explained that Europe already classifies nuclear power as eco-friendly energy under the EU taxonomy and emphasizes national responsibility for spent nuclear fuel disposal. He expects the current government’s K-taxonomy to move in a similar direction. “If that happens, it will open new opportunities for nuclear companies based in Changwon,” he expressed with optimism.

Mayor Hong boasted that Changwon’s nuclear companies have secured considerable competitiveness in manufacturing special containers in the metal forming and processing sector. He expects these companies to play a significant role for decades, from the R&D phase to the construction phase of spent nuclear fuel disposal projects. He added that one of the reasons he ran for mayor of Changwon is to do his best to revive nuclear companies and rejuvenate Changwon’s economy.

With the population surpassing one million, Changwon City earned the title of ‘Special City’ this year. Mayor Hong laid out plans to further upgrade this special city status.

“Changwon Special City is a city rich in development potential, composed of Masan, a dignified city embracing the sea; Changwon, a prosperous city opening the future; and Jinhae, a port city heading to the world,” he began.

“I believe that if the Changwon community works together, it has enough potential to surpass Busan and become the central city of Northeast Asia,” he explained, setting ‘Northeast Asia Central City Changwon’ as the vision.

To realize this, he announced the establishment and disclosure of the so-called ‘Ilsacheolli’ administrative goals and five major strategies (Hi-5) along with detailed implementation plans, including the 4th Industrial Revolution’s frontline, one of the world’s four major beautiful harbors, one of the world’s seven major port logistics cities, and South Korea’s second-largest regional hub city.

“The first of the five strategies is building an innovative growth economic foundation.” This means laying the groundwork for sustainable economic development in Changwon and making it a mecca of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

“The second is creating a caring welfare and happy ecology.” He said that amid rapid social changes and a lack of care for the socially vulnerable, they will strengthen the social safety net and make Changwon a warm city of hope for youth, women, and the elderly.

Creating a cultured and environmentally refined city, restructuring the integrated urban spatial structure, and realizing youth dreams and hopes are also part of his plans.

“More than ten years have passed since Changwon’s integration. Yet, the urban spatial structure and current integration system do not align, with the greenbelt still located in the city center. We will restructure this unreasonable structure to make Changwon a smart city with convenient urban spaces.”

Over ten years since the ‘Ma-Chang-Jin’ integration, Changwon’s population has been steadily declining. In response to criticism about the outflow of young people, he said he would address it with a multifaceted solution.

To make Changwon attractive to youth, job creation, housing problem resolution, improvement of living conditions, and fostering youth culture must all be considered.

“In the upcoming second half organizational restructuring, a Youth Policy Officer directly under the mayor will be established. Through this, youth policy, support, and employment affairs will be unified to create a one-stop support system.”

Mayor Hong said, “Through digital transformation, we plan to create youth jobs suited to the times and supply housing that can be used free of charge for 20 years without relying on parental support.”

He added, “Changwon’s public transportation is poor, causing a heavy mobility cost burden on youth. We will definitely solve this issue in the long term in connection with urban planning restructuring.”

It is easy for a local government head to present strategies and visions. However, the essential ‘money’ to realize them is not a simple matter. Mayor Hong responded as follows.

“Since budgets are limited, allocating them is very difficult. I have experience as a planning and budget officer at the Ministry of Science and Technology. There, I underwent rigorous training in allocating and coordinating limited budgets, and the most important thing was setting priorities and then making adjustments and compromises.”

He was confident that by thoroughly understanding the whole and the roles and connections of each part, priorities can be set.

The top priority is to revive the stagnant Changwon economy, and the starting point is the aforementioned ‘early normalization of the nuclear industry,’ he emphasized. He said continuous communication is ongoing with related agencies, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as central government support is essential.

He also mentioned holding joint meetings to secure national funding with local lawmakers and related regional institutions such as the Korea Institute of Materials Science and the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute. It was the first time that regional related institutions participated in national funding meetings.

Regarding the Changwon defense industry cluster, Mayor Hong explained the support direction and policies.

“Recently, K-defense has signed the largest-ever export contract with Poland, bringing favorable winds to the defense industry. Changwon is home to leading domestic defense companies such as Hanwha Defense and Hyundai Rotem.”

Recently, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the Korea Institute of Materials Science’s national project, the ‘Extreme Materials Demonstration Research Infrastructure Project,’ passed the preliminary feasibility study, and 309.6 billion KRW will be invested over six years from 2023 in the Jinhae Advanced Industrial Research Complex in Yeojwa-dong, Jinhae-gu, Changwon. “It is a tremendous celebration for Changwon City,” he smiled.

Mayor Hong expects that following the existing first phase of metal materials demonstration research infrastructure, the extreme materials demonstration research infrastructure will be promoted, making Changwon a bridgehead for the advanced materials industry.

Changwon is building the Gyeongnam Changwon Defense Industry Promotion Center to nurture defense SMEs and establish infrastructure for defense industry revitalization. The center aims for completion in the first half of 2023, and after opening, it will provide more systematic support to defense-related small and venture companies, Mayor Hong explained.

Additionally, Changwon plans to focus on fostering the defense industry as a future growth industry by supporting the establishment of a defense specialized graduate school and creating a defense industry cluster.

What Mayor Hong Nampyo, who entered the field not as a politician but as a ‘science policy expert’ with political experience, will accomplish remains to be seen in the next election.

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