Launch of the '2nd Hangang Love Forum' for Rationalizing Metropolitan Area Regulations

"Need for Rational Differential Management to Escape Unified Regulation of Han River Basin"

The second term of the 'Hangang Love Forum,' a local government gathering aimed at rationalizing regulations in the Hangang River basin of the Seoul metropolitan area, held its inauguration ceremony on the 26th and officially launched.

The Hangang Love Forum was established to promote cooperation among regions within the metropolitan area, pursue sustainable development, rationally improve regulations, and explore systematic water quality management plans for the Hangang River basin.

At the inauguration ceremony of the 2nd 'Hangang Love Forum,' participants pledge cooperation for the rational improvement of regulations in the metropolitan area.
[Photo by Icheon City]

The inauguration ceremony, held in the main conference room of Icheon City Hall, was attended by the forum's co-chairs, including Song Seok-jun, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, Kim Kyung-hee, mayor of Icheon, as well as Lee Sang-il, mayor of Yongin, Lee Hyun-jae, mayor of Hanam, Kim Seong-je, mayor of Uiwang, Jeon Jin-seon, county head of Yangpyeong, Seo Tae-won, county head of Gapyeong, Kim Chung-beom, deputy mayor of Gwangju, Jo Jeong-ah, deputy mayor of Yeoju, along with numerous provincial and city council members.

At the forum's inauguration, Dr. Yoo Hyun-ah from the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements delivered a keynote presentation titled "Rational Improvement of Metropolitan Area Regulations." In her presentation, Dr. Yoo emphasized the need to ease overlapping regulations in natural conservation zones and move away from uniform regulations based on administrative districts. Instead, she advocated for differentiated management according to regional differences such as proximity to the Hangang watershed and major transportation corridors. She also highlighted the necessity of supplying planned sites at a reasonable level to encourage planned development and management.

The forum also adopted a resolution for the rational improvement of metropolitan area regulations. The resolution stressed that excessive regulations in the metropolitan area have restricted corporate investment and innovative growth, reduced the inflow of foreign capital, and weakened national competitiveness. It called for rational improvements to metropolitan regulations in line with global changes and innovation, strengthening competitiveness, and promoting balanced national development overall.

Kim Kyung-hee, mayor of Icheon, stated, "Economic activities and industrial development have been restricted by metropolitan regulations, causing many companies to lose opportunities for growth and innovation." She added, "We must transform the paradigm of metropolitan regulatory policies into policies that guarantee autonomy and economic efficiency in step with the changes of the times."

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