Assemblyman So Byeong-cheol's 'Namhaean Development Act' Submitted to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee

Explanation of Regional Extinction, East-West Harmony, and National Balanced Development

Presenting the Suncheon Vision for the South Coast Era

Rep. So Byeong-cheol (Democratic Party of Korea, Ranking Member of the National Assembly Judiciary Committee) announced on the morning of the 7th that he personally attended the full meeting of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee to present the proposal for the "Special Act on the Development and Advancement of the South Coast Area" (hereinafter referred to as the "South Coast Development Act").

In his proposal explanation, Rep. So stated, "Although the South Coast area possesses infinite potential with abundant tourism and cultural resources, there have been limitations to mutually beneficial development due to political, economic, and cultural differences," and added, "We aim to promote national balanced development by overcoming the crisis of regional extinction and fostering harmony and coexistence between the east and west." He appealed for the passage of the South Coast Development Act.

Assemblyman So Byeong-cheol attending the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee to propose and explain the Namhaean Development Act
Photo by Assemblyman So Byeong-cheol's Office

The "South Coast Development Act," which Rep. So has introduced as the main sponsor, establishes a systematic implementation framework by creating the South Coast Area Committee and the South Coast Area Comprehensive Development Agency for the efficient development of the South Coast area. It also includes special provisions such as tax and levy reductions, subsidy grants, free lease of national and public properties, and tax support, thereby encompassing comprehensive national support measures.

According to data from Statistics Korea, Jeonnam, the center of the South Coast area, has seen a population decrease of about 90,000 over the past decade based on resident registration, with approximately 36,000 people moving purely to other cities and provinces. This ongoing population decline has raised growing concerns about the risk of regional extinction due to a lack of effective countermeasures.

Rep. So has previously presented a phased grand master plan for the development of Suncheon through legislative report meetings and media interviews.

The first phase involves healing past wounds through the enactment of the "Yeosu-Suncheon Incident Special Act." The second phase focuses on the enactment of the "Suncheon Bay Garden Expo Act" and sufficient budget and manpower support to ensure the success of the expo and lay the foundation for hosting an A1-class world expo in 10 years. The third phase aims to create an animation cluster and build a new advanced engineering hall to realize a city full of youth jobs and creativity. The final fourth phase is to host a large-scale expo in 2033 and develop the South Coast area to make Suncheon a soaring city. The current push for the enactment of the South Coast Development Act corresponds to establishing a solid foundation for the soaring Suncheon in phases three and four.

Rep. So stated, "Through the enactment of the South Coast Development Act, we will create an opportunity to open the first step toward a great South Coast era, and I will do my best to ensure that Suncheon stands at the center as the economic capital, ecological capital, creative capital, and youth capital of the South Coast area."

Suncheon = Lee Yeon-gyeong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy, hss79@asiae.co.kr

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