The Blueprint for Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province Emerges... 213 Trillion Won Invested by 2040

Gyeonggi Province held the Vision Proclamation Ceremony for the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province on the 25th at the Uijeongbu Northern Government Complex. Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province (10th from the right in the front row), is taking a commemorative photo with the attendees.

Gyeonggi Province has announced an ambitious plan to attract a total investment and private capital of 213.5 trillion KRW over 17 years until 2040 through the establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, aiming to increase South Korea's economic growth rate by an average of 0.31 percentage points annually. As the first administrative step toward establishing the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, the province plans to officially request the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 26th to conduct a "Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province Establishment and Resident Referendum."

On the 25th, Gyeonggi Province held the "Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province Vision Declaration Ceremony" at the Peace Nuri Hall in the Northern Office of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in Uijeongbu, where it announced the vision titled "Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province Vision - Awakening! South Korea's Growth Potential, Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province."

According to the presentation materials, to achieve the goal of "increasing South Korea's economic growth rate by an average of 0.31 percentage points annually," Gyeonggi Province will pursue three major strategies: ▲ creating 3-Zone clusters (Content Media Zone (CMZ), Peace Economy Zone (DMZ), Eco Medical Zone (EMZ)) ▲ developing nine major belts (display mobility, IT (information and communication), defense and aerospace, regional specialized industries, medical and healthcare, green bio, new energy industries, media content, tourism and MICE) ▲ expanding infrastructure in the northern cities and counties of Gyeonggi Province.

The "3-Zone" strategy is a cluster development plan to intensify industries with high density to trigger innovation.

The Content Media Zone (CMZ) focuses on specializing the northwest part of Gyeonggi Province in content and broadcasting media industries while enhancing the competitiveness of the exhibition and display industries. It is linked with the Goyang JDS (Janghang, Daehwa, Songsan·Songpo-dong) district, the Video Culture Complex, Goyang Technovalley, and Paju Publishing Complex, with the construction of the KINTEX Exhibition Center 3 as a core project.

The Peace Economy Zone (DMZ) emphasizes concretizing the Peace Economy Special Zone and Opportunity Development Special Zone while establishing a peace hub in preparation for reunification. Representative projects include building a military drone industry ecosystem and developing a stay-type tourist destination linked with natural environments and ecological resources such as the DMZ and columnar joints.

The Eco Medical Zone (EMZ) focuses on securing new growth engines such as IT and bio-health while conserving climate and environment, and fostering the food tech industry. Bio clusters extending through Yeoncheon, Goyang, Paju, Namyangju, and Uijeongbu, as well as food tech hubs in Guri and Gapyeong, will be established.

Alongside the 3-Zone strategy, Gyeonggi Province will build nine strategic industrial belts tailored to the region in the mid to long term, including the Paju Display Complex, Uijeongbu Bio Advanced Medical Complex, Gapyeong Carbon Neutral Tourism Pilot Zone, Goyang·Gimpo Virtual Reality·Augmented Reality and Metaverse Content Platform, Pocheon Drone Special Zone, and Gimpo Smart Eco-Friendly City.

Infrastructure expansion will also be pursued. In the road sector, the province plans to establish a grid road network, focus support on key road networks, and expedite the completion of the Seoul Metropolitan Area Second Ring Expressway. It will request support for the construction of national expressways, including early groundbreaking for the Seoul-Yeoncheon East-West 10-axis Expressway and Pocheon-Cheorwon Expressway, and inclusion of the Yangpyeong-Seorak Expressway.

The construction of the Seoul Metropolitan Area 1.5 Ring Expressway (Gyeonggi Northern Metropolitan Expressway) and cooperation roads connecting Gangwon Province such as the Gwangdeok Tunnel and Dongmak~Gaeya Road will create a well-connected road network.

In the railway sector, the province plans to build a circular railway network, extend GTX lines ABC, establish new lines DEF, and connect national high-speed railways like KTX and SRT to Paju and Yeoncheon in preparation for the reunification era.

To this end, Gyeonggi Province will invest a total of 213.5 trillion KRW over 17 years until 2040, including 43.5 trillion KRW in infrastructure and 170 trillion KRW in corporate investment attraction.

Gyeonggi Province expects that if the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province is established and investments proceed as planned until 2040, South Korea's average annual growth rate will increase by 0.31 percentage points compared to the scenario without the special self-governing province.

According to an analysis by the Gyeonggi Research Institute based on the Korea Development Institute (KDI)'s GDP forecast data, without the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, GDP will grow at an average annual rate of 1.64%, from 1,997.8 trillion KRW in 2023 to 2,633.52 trillion KRW in 2040. However, with the establishment of the special self-governing province acting as a growth engine, GDP is projected to reach 2,772.94 trillion KRW in 2040, growing at an average annual rate of 1.95%, thus increasing the growth rate.

Gyeonggi Province also analyzed that the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province will generate an additional 98.16 trillion KRW annually (4.16% of South Korea's average GDP) and ultimately enable co-growth of non-metropolitan areas through ripple effects in related industries.

On the same day, the province presented the future changes in northern Gyeonggi in four sectors, specifying not only the year 2040 but also the current 8th term of the provincial government to reflect concrete responsibility within the term.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province stated, "We will awaken the growth potential of northern Gyeonggi that has been restrained so far and lead South Korea's new growth. Administratively, we will establish the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province, and economically, we will promote redevelopment in the northern region. We will open the future of South Korea through the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province."

He added, "The direction of establishing the special self-governing province and large-scale development is the same. It is about easing regulations that have long hindered the growth of northern Gyeonggi, building infrastructure for growth, inducing investment, and putting it into practice. It is a dual engine for the development of northern Gyeonggi, which has the greatest growth potential in South Korea."

He further emphasized, "Sustainable development of South Korea, which has entered a long-term stagnation, requires new growth engines. The establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province goes far beyond simply dividing southern and northern Gyeonggi. It will be a game changer for the South Korean economy."

Governor Kim Dong-yeon is scheduled to visit the Government Complex Seoul on the 26th with Yeom Jong-hyun, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, to officially request Vice Minister Ko Ki-dong of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to conduct the "Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province Establishment and Resident Referendum."

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