Democratic Party Gwangju City Council Members: "Reconsidering KEPCO University Funding? A Step Backward for Balanced Development"

Members of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council condemned Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang's statement about fully reconsidering the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and its power subsidiaries' contribution to the Korea Energy Engineering University (KEEU, Hanjeon Gongdae).

Gwangju city councilors affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea issued a statement on the 15th, saying, "Following the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit on the legality of KEEU's establishment, the intention to reconsider and reduce the contribution to KEEU threatens the existence of the university and is, in fact, a declaration of 'killing KEEU.'"

They continued, "The university, which was established through bipartisan agreement in the previous administration, is being hindered by baseless audits, and now there is talk of reducing contributions," adding, "This goes beyond merely criticizing the previous government and can only be seen as divisive politics that undermine balanced regional development."

They further stated, "This contradicts the purpose of the 'Relocation of Public Institutions to Local Areas' policy, which was implemented for regional balanced development under the Special Act on Balanced National Development," and added, "It also runs counter to the current administration's national goal of realizing an era where 'local areas are good places to live anywhere.'"

Moreover, they emphasized, "KEEU is not only the hope of the local community and a cradle for nurturing energy talents but also a symbol of national balanced development," and stressed, "Reducing contributions to KEEU should not be judged simply through the frame of 'KEPCO's deficit.'"

They urged, "The government must immediately stop shaking KEEU, which was legally and fairly established at the national level," and added, "It should focus more on pressing national issues such as the climate change crisis, energy crisis, livelihood economy crisis, population decline, and regional extinction."

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