Selection of the Top 5 Policy News That Shined in Suncheon in 2023

Published 26 Dec.2023 12:55(KST)

Successful Hosting of Garden Expo, Glocal University 30 Selected for Special Policy News

Suncheon City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu) announced the policy news that shone in 2023.

On the 26th, the city stated that it selected key policies based on valuable achievements made together with citizens and policies that presented the future vision and direction of the city.

[Photo by Suncheon City]

The top five policy news that shone this year are ① Attracting Hanwha Aerospace’s space launch vehicle forging and assembly plant to Suncheon ② Decision to bypass the city center in the Gyeongjeon Line electrification project ③ Landscape garden presenting a new paradigm of agriculture ④ Designation and operation of the first Moonlight Children’s Hospital in Jeollanam-do ⑤ Securing national funding for the Suncheon Animation Cluster.

First, the attraction of Hanwha Aerospace’s space launch vehicle forging and assembly plant to Suncheon was selected.

Hanwha Aerospace will establish a 23,140㎡ (approximately 7,000 pyeong) space launch vehicle forging and assembly plant in Yulchon 1 Industrial Complex, Suncheon, by 2025.

The city plans to secure new growth engines leading Suncheon’s future and expand its economic domain by building a sustainable space industry ecosystem together with Hanwha Aerospace, a leading space company representing South Korea.

Second, the decision to bypass the city center in the Gyeongjeon Line electrification project was made.

This showed the strength of unity between citizens and administration by leading the decision to bypass the city center, which is the biggest issue in Suncheon and hinders the city’s growth.

Third, the landscape garden presenting a new paradigm of agriculture related to the Garden Expo was selected.

Farmland of 26 hectares (1.2 times the size of Yeouido Square) between the National Garden and the city center was designed as a landscape garden, planting seasonal flowers such as tulips and creating resting areas, transforming it into a space where citizens can gather.

Additionally, together with Green Island, it served as a stepping stone connecting the National Garden and the city center, playing the role of Ojakgyo (a stepping-stone bridge in Korean folklore).

Fourth, the designation and operation of the first Moonlight Children’s Hospital in Jeollanam-do was selected.

To resolve medical blind spots and ease childcare difficulties for dual-income couples, the city designated and operates two hospitals (Miz Women and Children’s Hospital, Hyundai Women and Children’s Hospital) as Moonlight Children’s Hospitals, the first in Jeollanam-do.

The designation of Moonlight Children’s Hospitals became an opportunity to reaffirm the city’s status as a medical hub in the eastern region of Jeollanam-do.

Lastly, securing national funding for the Suncheon Animation Cluster was selected.

The city’s strategy is to industrialize the entire city based on the establishment of the animation cluster.

It plans to create high-quality jobs preferred by the younger generation, the future new growth engine, and develop cultural content combining Suncheon’s excellent analog resources with cutting-edge digital technology to create “K-Disney Suncheon.”

Meanwhile, the “2023 Suncheonman International Garden Expo,” which presented a new milestone for the future city amid the crisis of regional extinction through the unique value of ecology, and “Suncheon National University’s selection as Glocal University 30” were selected as special policy news.

A city official expressed gratitude, saying, “2023 was a year of hard work for the successful hosting of the expo, and it was possible thanks to the united strength of Suncheon citizens.”

He added, “In 2024, we will do our best in various fields such as completing the Namhaean Belt hub city, creating K-Disney Suncheon, establishing a water city and urban ecological axis, expanding economic areas through fostering future advanced industries, creating a premium residential city, and establishing a Suncheon-style welfare medical system.”