Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok: "Haenam Will Be Made into a Smart City Responsible for the Next 100 Years"

Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, expressed his determination to develop Haenam into a ‘smart city’ that will be responsible for the next 100 years of Jeollanam-do’s future.

According to Jeollanam-do on the 13th, Governor Kim held a dialogue with residents at the Useul Gymnasium in Haenam that afternoon.

About 250 people, including Governor Kim, Myung Hyun-gwan, Mayor of Haenam County, Jeollanam-do Council members Kim Seong-il and Park Seong-jae, Kim Seok-sun, Chairman of Haenam County Council, Bae Seung-gwan, Chief of Haenam Police Station, Choi Jin-seok, Chief of Haenam Fire Station, Lee Ja-young, Superintendent of Haenam Education Office, Yoon Jong-gi, President of Haenam County Senior Citizens Association, and Haenam residents, participated both online and offline.

Governor Kim stated, “Haenam, the number one place for eco-friendly agriculture, will be developed into a future-oriented, cutting-edge smart city by establishing advanced industrial bases such as offshore wind power and a global data center. Haenam boasts numerous attractive tourism resources including beautiful and pristine natural environments, historic cultural assets, and healthy and delicious food. Recently, with the revitalization of the Osiano Tourist Complex, it is emerging as a tourism hub in the southwestern coast.”

Mayor Myung Hyun-gwan said, “Haenam County is continuously striving to build a livable and outstanding Haenam. Currently, we prioritize administration based on promises made to residents in carrying out county governance.”

Governor Kim presented a concrete vision for developing Haenam into a smart city.

The province and Haenam County plan to establish a kimchi raw material supply complex in Haenam by 2025, and by the following year, 2026, to build an agricultural food climate change response center in Haenam that will serve as a control tower for climate change response in South Korea’s agricultural sector.

Additionally, by 2025, they plan to develop an offshore wind power hinterland complex in Haewon Industrial Complex in Haenam, nurturing it into the country’s largest offshore wind power industrial cluster, and to develop Solar City into an advanced ecological, energy, and tourism leisure hub city.

Governor Kim predicted, “The large-scale strategic industries currently being promoted in Haenam will become the cutting-edge industrial foundation responsible for Jeollanam-do’s next 100 years.”

During the dialogue with residents, requests for support from Haenam County and its residents followed. Haenam County requested 500 million KRW in provincial funds to create a premium forest trail around Geumgangsan. The Geumgangsan Premium Trail project involves creating trekking-themed spaces along an already established 30 km forest road section for experiential and stay-type tourism.

Furthermore, Cheon Seung-nam, Chairman of the Hyunsan-myeon Sports Association, requested support for the Josancheon disaster recovery project, which suffers flood damage every year during heavy rains, and Kim Jong-ho, President of Haenam Cultural Center, requested that Haenam be selected as the host city for the 2025 Jeollanam-do International Ink Biennale.

Yoon Young-seok, Executive Director of Ttangkkeut Hwangto Eco-friendly Farming Cooperative Corporation, requested provincial funding support worth approximately 120 million KRW for the purchase of a vacuum packaging machine to export Haenam organic rice to the United States.

Governor Kim Young-rok said, “If trekking-themed spaces are additionally created on the Geumgangsan trail, it is expected to serve as a high-quality health and relaxation course for local residents. We will support the prompt establishment of the premium trail through provincial funding.”

He also said, “For sections where disaster prevention is urgent, we will review promoting projects such as disaster safety special local tax support in consultation with the county. Regarding the hosting of the Jeollanam-do International Ink Biennale, since exhibition facilities and other conditions must be met, expert opinions will be gathered during the planning of the 2025 event, and the Biennale Operating Committee will discuss hosting it in Haenam.”

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