Yoon Confirms Commitment to Ukraine Reconstruction... 'Uman Smart City' Launches in Full Swing

Ukraine Establishes Master Plan to Meet 'Smart City' Request
Secures Geographic and Administrative Advantages Through Central City Reconstruction Project
Possibility to Review Land Use, Housing Supply, and Transportation Plans Locally

The government has officially launched the Ukraine reconstruction project. Following President Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to Ukraine, a policy allowing exceptional entry for Korean businesspeople has been established, and preliminary work for a new building in the central Ukrainian city of 'Uman' has also begun. This reflects President Yoon's commitment to participating in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts, and investigations into regions requiring urgent post-war recovery are expected to expand further.

According to the Presidential Office and government ministries on the 24th, the government recently initiated work to establish a smart city master plan for Uman, located in the Cherkasy region of central Ukraine. This is essentially a new building project that includes not only urban infrastructure but also the construction of public and private service facilities. A Presidential Office official explained, "Since the war is still ongoing, it is premature to proceed with physical planning, but this stage is to preliminarily confirm the possibility of reconstruction projects based on the area's importance."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This project is a follow-up to the government's designation last month of eight cities, including Uman, as 'K-City Network' sites to support overseas smart city planning. However, the Uman project is the only one linked to reconstruction efforts, drawing concentrated government attention. Moreover, the smart city construction is one of the reconstruction projects officially requested by the Ukrainian government to the Korean government, and President Yoon also instructed immediately after his visit to Ukraine that "preparations for participation and support in reconstruction projects should be proactively made," making this highly significant.

Given that the project area spans 61 square kilometers, three times the size of Yongsan District, related ministries such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plan to hold working-level consultations with the Ukrainian regional government and Uman city officials. If necessary, they intend to visit the site to review detailed land use plans as well as housing supply and transportation plans. During this process, economic and financial feasibility will also be examined. Costs related to land, construction, equipment, operation, and financial procurement will all be investigated, and a financial model considering the possibility of commercial bank financing is expected to be developed.

The government plans to secure geographical and administrative advantages through the Uman project, considering that reconstruction projects will be simultaneously promoted across Ukraine after the war. Although discussions between the two countries' leaders have taken place regarding reconstruction projects, the government believes it is necessary to demonstrate swift additional measures to the Ukrainian government to gain an advantage in linked projects.

Government-level support for on-site visits is also being rapidly implemented. The government is preparing a plan to allow exceptional entry for businesspeople into Ukraine, where the highest-level travel advisory of 'travel ban' has been issued since the Russian invasion. Since February last year, when all of Ukraine was designated as a travel ban area, businesspeople could apply for exceptional passport use by submitting a confirmation letter from their affiliated organization or group, but until now, the government had not permitted businesspeople to enter Ukraine.

This recent government measure also reflects President Yoon's determination regarding the Ukraine reconstruction project. Earlier, President Yoon urged, "The government should support our companies to safely enter and exit Ukraine and provide comprehensive support to enable smooth activities on-site," requesting follow-up actions.

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