Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hold First Joint 'Regional Economy Forum'

Exploring Cooperation Strategies Between Corporations and Government

On the 18th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held a regional economy forum titled "Building Regional Economy Together: The Role of Businesses and Government" at the Seoul National University Siheung Campus Convention Center in collaboration with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This event was the first joint forum co-hosted by the Ministry and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, aimed at actively reflecting the voices of businesses and local communities in policies and exploring cooperation methods between businesses and the government.

Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, is delivering a greeting at the 'Regional Economy Forum' jointly held by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Seoul National University Siheung Campus Convention Center on the afternoon of the 18th.

About 200 participants attended the forum, including Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yoo Hong-rim, President of Seoul National University, as well as regional economy experts, businesspeople, and local governments.

At the forum, three experts gave presentations on solutions for revitalizing the regional economy, proposing various strategies and policies for regional economic development from the perspective of field experts. The first presentation was delivered by Kim Jung-yeol, Managing Director of Deloitte Anjin Accounting Corporation, on the topic "The Role of Businesses and Government in Revitalizing the Regional Economy." He stated, “Cities are facing crises such as climate change and environmental pollution, public health issues, housing shortages and homelessness crises, climate change and environmental pollution, and budget deficits. To address these, realizing urban digitalization, securing urban resilience, and attracting skilled professionals are crucial.”

Following this, Kim Eun-kyung, Research Fellow at the Gyeonggi Research Institute, spoke on "Win-win Solutions and Cooperation Measures between the Capital Region and Local Areas," emphasizing the importance of establishing a cooperation support platform between the capital region and local areas involving businesses, central government ministries, and local governments for mutual growth and balanced development. She proposed an active government role including regulatory innovation such as easing capital region regulations, prioritizing policy funds like joint R&D resources, providing tax benefits, and supporting infrastructure development.

Lastly, Um Mi-jung, Research Fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, presented on the topic "The Core Key to the Regional Economy? Talent Development," pointing out the crisis faced by regional universities due to population decline, difficulties in securing talent in new regional industries, and the serious outflow of local talent. As solutions, she emphasized the need for region-led talent development policies and talent nurturing strategies from a corporate participation perspective through cooperation between universities and businesses.

Following the keynote presentations, an expert panel discussion was held with Go San, CEO of A-Team Ventures; Jung Sung-hoon, Professor at Kangwon National University; Lee Won-jae, Asia General Manager of Yozma Group; and Park Joo-seok, CEO of Mapal Highteco. Participants evaluated past regional economic revitalization support policies and discussed the economic conditions and challenges perceived by regional businesses, as well as ways to establish a virtuous cycle system for talent development and employment in the regions.

Minister Lee Sang-min of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, “For South Korea to make a greater leap forward, it is essential to resolve regional imbalances and realize an era where local areas across the country are good places to live,” adding, “We will create conditions that allow more businesses to invest in local areas and breathe new life into the regional economy.”

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