Udonggi, Chairman of the Provincial Era Committee, Holds Special Lecture on Regional Balanced Development in Changwon Special City

Mayor Hong Nampyo's Proposal for Current Issues to Develop Changwon Special City, Including Designation as Opportunity Development Zone

On the 17th, Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam hosted a special lecture on regional balanced development by inviting Woo Dong-gi, chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Local Era, at the City Hall Citizen Hall.

This special lecture was organized to find answers on how Changwon City should respond to the environmental changes brought about by the Local Era, following the launch of the Local Era Commission in July this year, which was formed by integrating the National Balanced Development Committee and the Local Autonomy Decentralization Committee.

About 150 people attended the lecture, including Hong Nam-pyo, mayor of Changwon Special City, senior officials of Changwon City, Kim Yi-geun, chairman of the Changwon Special City Council, Koo Ja-cheon, chairman of the Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lee Hak-jin, president of Masan University, and Lee Won-geun, president of Changshin University.

Chairman Woo emphasized the need to shift to a decentralized balanced development led by local regions, mentioning the issue of local extinction caused by the concentration of population, income, and jobs in the metropolitan area, as well as the balanced development policies of past governments and their limitations.

He then presented the blueprint of the Local Era Commission, which aims to open a local era where equal opportunities are enjoyed regardless of where one lives by resolving regional imbalances through education and promoting region-specific development and local autonomy decentralization.

Before the lecture, Mayor Hong had a discussion with Chairman Woo on major issues of Changwon City. Mayor Hong proposed essential issues for regional development such as designation of the Opportunity Development Zone, relocation of public institutions, financial special support for special cities, and designation of the Education Freedom Zone.

Before the special lecture, Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, had a discussion with Woo Dong-gi, Chairman of the Local Era Committee, about major issues in Changwon City.

First, he requested the designation of Changwon Special City as an Opportunity Development Zone. If Changwon City is designated as an Opportunity Development Zone, bold tax benefits and financial support will be possible for companies. This is expected to activate the local economy and create quality jobs by encouraging the relocation and expansion investment of metropolitan area companies.

Next, he proposed the relocation of research and development-centered public institutions to build an industrial development foundation. Last year, Changwon City enacted the 'Ordinance on Attraction and Support of Public Institutions in Changwon City,' enabling administrative and financial support for relocated public institutions. This year, the 'Changwon City Investment Attraction System' was established to manage information on idle sites where public institutions and companies can relocate.

He also requested financial support for special cities. In 2022, Changwon City was designated as a special city and received the transfer of 142 administrative tasks, but no financial support was provided. Financial support is crucial for responding to the administrative demands of one million citizens and for the smooth operation of a special city with a metropolitan city-level urban scale.

He proposed the designation of an Education Freedom Zone. The Education Freedom Zone is a special district that relaxes regulations related to education from school establishment to operation, breaking the existing standardized public education framework and enabling region-specific customized public education.

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