Governor Kim Dong-yeon: "Confident in the Growth Potential of Northern Gyeonggi, Special Province Promotion Underway"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon held his second hands-on talk on people's livelihood at Jeongok-eup, Yeoncheon-gun on the 25th since taking office. Governor Kim is taking a commemorative photo with residents attending the event.

[Asia Economy (Yeoncheon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, expressed confidence in the growth potential of northern Gyeonggi and clarified that the promotion of Gyeonggi Bukdo is not a political slogan or objective, but solely for the development of northern Gyeonggi.

On the 25th, Governor Kim held the second 'Minsheng Field Handshake Talk' at Cheotmeori Street in Jeongok-eup, Yeoncheon-gun, stating, "I have a plan to develop Gyeonggi Bukdo into a special autonomous province, which is neither a political slogan nor an objective," and emphasized, "I only have the intention to develop northern Gyeonggi."

Governor Kim first shared his thoughts, saying, "I came to Naesan-ri twice during the election campaign, and at that time, residents mentioned several issues and asked me to come again if I were elected governor. To keep my promise, I came yesterday and stayed overnight, and I was truly happy."

He continued, "I have a special affection for Yeoncheon. While serving as Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, I clearly saw and am confident in the growth potential of the northern Gyeonggi region more than anyone else. I believe that if we can develop Yeoncheon-gun, which can be considered the northernmost part of the north, northern Gyeonggi can develop sufficiently. That is why I chose to visit you first in the northern region," he explained.

He added, "To create the Gyeonggi Bukdo Special Autonomous Province, we need to establish visions and development plans for each area in northern Gyeonggi and provide hope to citizens and residents. This is not just empty hope; we must show certainty that this will transform the cities and counties within the province. We need to create a vision that leverages the strengths and competitiveness of not only Yeoncheon-gun but also the 10 cities and counties in northern Gyeonggi," he said.

In particular, Governor Kim addressed the central government, saying, "Northern Gyeonggi has a population of 3.6 million with well-preserved environment and ecosystem, and with ESG management, it will become the area with the greatest growth potential. If the north develops, increasing the economic growth rate by 1-2% is not difficult. If regulations are eased and investments are made until then, it will grow into the heart of South Korea's growth. I want to talk about this in terms of creating South Korea's future food sources," he conveyed.

Residents attending the event directly proposed local issues and opinions to Governor Kim Dong-yeon, including the completion of Yeoncheon-gun Senior Citizens' Hall, Disabled Persons' Hall, Village Hall, and Youth Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center, easing of Military Demarcation Line regulations, use of military idle land, attraction of public enterprises, road construction, environmental issues near industrial complexes, and expansion of cultural, medical, and sports facilities.

Governor Kim responded to each opinion, saying, "I will not just end with words here with the residents of Yeoncheon-gun but will put them into practice immediately. The promises made today will be invested in this year," and promised, "We will join forces to develop Yeoncheon-gun and make it a growing Yeoncheon with all our strength."

The Minsheng Field Handshake Talk is an event held monthly by selecting one city or county to visit the site and freely discuss local issues.

Previously, on the 27th of last month, Governor Kim held the first 'Minsheng Field Handshake Talk' at Bam Dongsan Park in Anyang 4-dong, Manan-gu, Anyang City, and announced active promotion of measures to address aging in the old downtown and first-generation new towns.

Governor Kim showed deep interest in rural and agricultural issues and northern Gyeonggi regional issues, visiting Yeoncheon-gun twice during the gubernatorial election campaign. This event was meaningful as it fulfilled his promise to revisit Yeoncheon.

As of 2020, among the 10 towns and townships in Yeoncheon-gun, 9 areas are declining, with an urban decline rate of 90%, the highest among cities and counties in the province. However, the financial independence ratio was 14.5% based on the 2022 main budget, ranking 30th out of 31 cities and counties.

Also, from 2017 to September 2022, the population decreased by 8%, from 45,431 to 42,364, and last year, it was designated as a population decline area by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The proportion of elderly population aged 65 and over was 28.7% as of August this year, the highest among 31 cities and counties. Particularly, 94.6% of the area is designated as a 'Military Facility Protection Zone' and is regulated under the 'Capital Region Readjustment Planning Act,' resulting in a lack of living infrastructure and relatively severe regional decline.

Meanwhile, after the handshake talk, Governor Kim also participated in helping with eco-friendly rice harvesting in Misan-myeon, Yeoncheon-gun.

Governor Kim personally boarded a combine harvester to cut rice and listened to the difficulties of farmers. The field where the event was held is cultivated with 'Cham Dream,' an eco-friendly pesticide-free variety developed by the Gyeonggi Agricultural Research and Extension Services, by Kim Myung-gi, chairman of the Gyeonggi Eco-friendly Farmers' Association. The produced rice is supplied to eco-friendly school meals through the Gyeonggi Agricultural and Fishery Promotion Institute. Misan-myeon is also the place where Governor Kim attended a rice planting event in May when he was a gubernatorial candidate and promised to visit again during this autumn's harvest.

After harvesting rice, Governor Kim told reporters, "I feel good to come to the field where I planted rice five months ago and harvest it today. The residents asked me to come again if I were elected governor, and I am glad to keep that promise," and emphasized, "I will do my best to steadily keep the promises made to our 13.9 million residents in the future."

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