Shin Woo-cheol, Wando County Governor, Marks 100 Days in Office: Stepping into a New Jangbogo Era

Broad Actions Observing Public Livelihood Sites to Resolve Current Issues
78 Promises Confirmed, Accelerating Major SOC Projects, Leading Marine Industry

[Wando=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Shin Woo-cheol, the mayor of Wando County, on the 100th day of his 8th term in office, expressed his ambition, saying, “Based on the achievements accumulated during the 6th and 7th terms, we have drawn a big picture for Wando’s development, and in the 8th term, we will achieve a great leap forward by attaining visible results in key projects.”

Since his inauguration, Mayor Shin declared the vision for Wando’s county administration for the 8th term on July 1 and has been fully committed to leading the county government by promoting nine core tasks.

In particular, to swiftly implement campaign promises made to the residents and realize policies that the citizens can feel, 78 projects have been finalized through advisory meetings and resident jury meetings, and efforts to accelerate their promotion are underway.

Furthermore, he is moving quickly to advance projects included in national agendas that will mark a milestone in Wando’s development, such as the construction of the second phase of the Gwangju-Wando expressway, the coastal tourism road and connecting bridges between Wando and Goheung, the island bridges between Nohwa and Soan, and between Nohwa Neopdo and Bogil, as well as the early establishment of the National Subtropical Arboretum.

Mayor Shin stated, “We are focusing all administrative power on stabilizing the marine industry, which is a key project of the county, including the construction of a marine healing, marine bio, and marine tourism hub city, to proactively respond to the crisis of regional extinction and to transform our county into a representative marine city of Korea.”

The Marine Healing Center, which will be the driving force of the marine healing industry, is scheduled to open in the first half of next year, while the Marine Culture Healing Center, Marine Climate Healing Center, and Marine Healing Park are actively operating.

The marine bio industry, specializing in seaweed and abalone, is expanding its industrial ecosystem by establishing foundational facilities such as the Marine Bio Joint Cooperation Research Institute.

Meanwhile, the county is making all-out efforts, including signature campaigns, to attract the National Marine Fisheries Museum, which will be the center of the marine tourism hub city, emphasizing Wando’s unique advantages in marine history, culture, and resources.

Efforts are also underway to create better rural fishing villages through sustainable agriculture, livestock, and fisheries industries in response to climate change, the Rural New Vitality Plus Project, and the Fishing Village New Deal 300 Project, as well as urban regeneration projects to revitalize the old downtown area and the establishment of a customized welfare system for each social class.

To invigorate the region, a Population and Job Policy Office has been newly established to manage funds responding to local extinction, promote population inflow and job creation projects, attract investment, and support return-to-farming and village settlement. Additionally, a Sports Promotion Division’s Sports Event Promotion Team has been set up to fully prepare for the 2023 Jeonnam Provincial Sports Festival and Jeonnam Disabled Sports Festival to be held in May next year.

Mayor Shin emphasized, “Above all, we will focus on creating communication channels with residents, such as policy talks, to reflect even the smallest voices of the citizens in county administration and carry out empathetic governance.”

Finally, he said, “It will not be an easy journey to solve many tasks, but we will run tirelessly to open an era of happiness for the residents and build a Wando where everyone wants to live. I ask for the residents’ great interest and support so that continuous development of Wando can be achieved from the 6th to the 8th term.”

Wando=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil alwatros@asiae.co.kr

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