Naju-si Records Top Rank in Provincial Regional Development Index Evaluation

Published 03 Apr.2023 11:43(KST)

Naju City in Jeollanam-do ranked 2nd among 22 cities and counties in the province and 30th out of 159 nationwide in the ‘2022 Regional Development Index Evaluation’ conducted by the Korea Rural Economic Institute.

According to the city on the 3rd, the Regional Development Index (RDI) conceptualizes regions as places to live, work, rest, and build community, evaluating four categories and indices: ‘Living Services,’ ‘Regional Economic Power,’ ‘Leisure Spaces,’ and ‘Resident Vitality.’ The overall regional development index is measured and evaluated by summing the indices of each category.

Naju Government Building Exterior [Photo by Naju City]

Among the four categories, the city ranked 1st in the province (21st nationwide) in the ‘Resident Vitality’ index and 2nd in the province (37th nationwide) in the ‘Living Services’ index, showing strength in population and basic living conditions.

Thanks to this, the regional development index has shown a steady upward trend. The city’s ranking sharply rose from 81st nationwide in 2016 to 35th in 2018, then to 32nd in 2020, and further advanced to 30th in this year’s evaluation.

The city plans to focus on population inflow and enhancing resident vitality to improve its national ranking in the regional development index through policies supporting return-to-farming and return-to-village movements and improving rural living conditions.

First, over five years, the city is investing 58.5 billion KRW in 11 projects related to return-to-farming and return-to-village policies. It plans to establish 20 return-to-farming and return-to-village villages and remodel vacant rural houses to provide housing for returnees.

Additionally, various policies support stable relocation and settlement of returnees, including startup funds for farming, housing financial support, and on-site training for new farmers at leading farms.

In the field of improving rural living conditions, a total of 35.4 billion KRW will be invested by 2026 in expanding living SOC projects in the Yeongsan River basin living area (Gongsan, Wanggok, Bannam, Donggang, Seji).

For two consecutive years, the city was selected for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ ‘Rural Space Maintenance’ contest projects, demolishing large-scale pig farms in Noan Geuman Village and Munpyeong Oryun Village, and renovating the space into rental housing for returnees, smart farms, and agricultural training centers.

Donggang-myeon Jangdong-ri area, including Sangjon, Seochon, Dongjeon, and Yeonhwa villages, selected as a target area for the National Balanced Development Committee’s ‘Vulnerable Area Living Conditions Renovation Project,’ will receive 2.5 billion KRW for repairing old houses and creating village rest areas.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “Ranking at the top in the province’s regional development index is the result of the joint efforts of 120,000 citizens and over 1,000 public officials for a happy and livable Naju.” He added, “We will supplement shortcomings through statistical analysis and diagnosis of each category’s index and further strengthen competitiveness to accelerate making Naju a better place to live.”