Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry Proposes 10 Tasks Including Regional Balanced Development as General Election Policy Pledges

The Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Gyeongnam sent the document titled ‘Recommendations for Policy Pledges for the 22nd General Election to Promote Regional Balanced Development and Strengthen Regional Industrial Competitiveness’ to the Gyeongnam provincial branches of major political parties and the election offices of each candidate about a month before the 22nd National Assembly election.

Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The policy pledges proposed by Changwon Chamber of Commerce selected two agendas: regional balanced development and strengthening regional industrial competitiveness, with five tasks chosen under each agenda.

First, in the field of regional balanced development, the tasks included ▲differential application of corporate tax, income tax, and inheritance tax in non-capital areas ▲prompt introduction of the Changwon urban railway ▲expedited construction of an undersea tunnel for the maritime section of National Road No. 5 ▲installation of a high-speed rail line on the Changwon-Dongdaegu railway section ▲normalization of the Changwon Fire Headquarters.

In addition, for strengthening regional industrial competitiveness, the tasks included ▲promotion of establishing and attracting the Defense Industry Promotion Agency to Changwon ▲attracting the Global Defense Industry Exhibition to Changwon ▲installation of public parking lots within industrial complexes ▲establishment of the Changwon Industrial Line ▲promotion of designating Changwon as a specialized area for distributed energy.

In particular, Changwon Chamber of Commerce emphasized that regional balanced development is a task that must be achieved not only for the region but also for the sustainable growth of South Korea, and to this end, securing the competitiveness of local companies and industries should be prioritized throughout the tasks.

Accordingly, they requested the preparation and proposal of a bill centered on the differential application of corporate tax, inheritance tax, and income tax to strengthen the competitiveness of non-capital area companies and attract talented personnel, and suggested adopting pledges such as attracting the Global Defense Industry Exhibition and the Defense Industry Promotion Agency to promote and intensively support Changwon’s defense industry, the core of K-defense.

Choi Jae-ho, chairman of the Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “In the face of a domestic and international environment that is difficult to view optimistically and the framework of regional imbalance, investment willingness is shrinking, which in turn lowers the momentum for regional growth.” He added, “Starting with this general election, I hope that local governments, the political sector, and the economic sector will become one team to break this vicious cycle and achieve a new leap forward for the regional economy.”

He continued, “Since this 22nd general election is about selecting workers who will take the lead in overcoming the crisis of regional industries, we will actively strive to ensure that the tasks proposed by the Chamber are reflected in the election pledges of each political party and general election candidate.”

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