Ando Geol "We Must Promote the Seonam-gwon Megacity"

New Gwangju-Jeonju Expressway and Gwangju-Jeonju-Daejeon KTX Line Established

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ando Geol is questioning at the National Assembly Budget Committee's audit held at the Gwangju Regional Tax Office on the 24th. [Photo by Ando Geol]

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ando-geol (Gwangju Dongnam-eul) on the 24th advocated for the promotion of the ‘Southwest Mega City’ to revitalize the economy of the southwestern region encompassing Honam.

At the National Assembly’s Planning and Finance Committee audit held at the Gwangju Regional Tax Office that day, Rep. An proposed the formation of a wide-area economic zone in the southwest region covering Gwangju, Mokpo, Suncheon, Jeonju, and Gunsan as a solution to the problems caused by population outflow and industrial decline in the Honam area.

Rep. An emphasized, “To cure the national crisis of concentration in the metropolitan area and regional extinction, bold decentralization of population and industry must be achieved. Self-sustaining wide-area economic zones equivalent to the metropolitan area must be fostered in the regions. To this end, a wide-area transportation network connecting key cities in the southwest region must be expanded.”

He continued, “It is necessary to establish a new KTX high-speed rail connecting the Gwangju-Jeonju highway and Gwangju-Jeonju-Daejeon, and to complete early the high-speed upgrades of the Gwangju-Suncheon Gyeongjeon Line and the Boseong-Mokpo Namhae Coastal Railway,” adding, “To grow the southwest region into a self-sustaining economic zone, future innovative industries suited to the regional characteristics must be nurtured.”

Attracting highly skilled personnel for research and development is also essential. To this end, settlement support such as income tax reductions and provision of rent-free housing must be backed. Rep. An has previously introduced a bill to enact the ‘Special Act on the Creation of a Super Wide-Area Economic Ecosystem.’

Rep. An stated, “Recently, the Honam economy has been facing continuous difficulties. The tax revenue share of the Gwangju Regional Tax Office, which has jurisdiction over the Honam area, is about 35% of the national average, and over the past 20 years, the net outflow of people in their 20s from Honam has reached 450,000,” adding, “To prevent the crisis of regional extinction, I will do my best to ensure that the southwest region establishes itself as a competitive wide-area economic zone corresponding to the metropolitan area.”

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