Haenam County to Foster Carbon Neutrality as Core Value of 'Rural Capital'

Accelerating the Establishment of the Agri-Food Climate Change Response Center and Agricultural Research Complex

Haenam County, Jeonnam Province (Governor Myung Hyun-kwan) announced on the 14th that it is establishing a new status as a leading local government in climate change response and carbon neutrality through the 2025 "Agricultural and Fisheries Capital, Haenam" strategy, which aims to foster agriculture and fisheries as future growth engines.

Governor Myung Hyun-kwan declared in his 2025 New Year's address that the vision of "Agricultural and Fisheries Capital, Haenam" would be promoted as a core project for fostering Haenam's long-term growth engines in 2025.

Governor Myung emphasized regarding the "Agricultural and Fisheries Capital, Haenam" strategy, "We will consolidate Haenam's top-tier agricultural and fisheries capabilities nationwide to advance agriculture, forestry, marine, and fisheries industries, transition to new industries, and foster them as driving forces for regional future growth by leading climate change response and carbon neutrality."

View of Haenam County Office.

Amid the global trend of climate change response and carbon neutrality, Haenam County plans to transform the paradigm of agriculture and fisheries into a sustainable future industry by establishing the National Center for Climate Change Response in the Agri-Food Sector, Korea's dedicated institution for climate change response in agri-food, and the nation's largest agricultural research complex.

The Agri-Food Climate Change Response Center, a direct project of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is being developed in Pyeonghwal-ri, Samsan-myeon, Haenam County, on a 3-hectare site, with the aim of starting operations in 2027.

Since its selection in a public contest in 2021, the county has rapidly proceeded with administrative procedures such as passing the government’s preliminary feasibility study and conducting basic planning services. The site has been acquired, and in May last year, basic and detailed design services began, with construction scheduled to start within this year. In the future, the center will serve as a key hub for climate change response in Korea’s agri-food sector, supporting carbon reduction and adaptation policies through private sector demonstrations, managing climate-related data and research, and providing education and publicity for farmers and consumers.

In line with this, the county is also developing the nation’s largest, 100-hectare climate change response agricultural research complex nearby. The cluster, which links the Jeollanam-do Fruit Research Institute and the county’s agricultural research complex, will include a sweet potato research center, a youth farmer rental farm, and a scientific farming demonstration complex.

Recognizing the future importance of climate change response agricultural research, Haenam County is also promoting the development of a second agricultural research complex covering about 21 hectares in Sangga-ri, Samsan-myeon, following the first complex. While the first complex focuses on establishing related facilities for the response center and creating a concentrated agricultural research complex, the second complex will attract agricultural businesses related to research, distribution, and production to lay the foundation for revitalizing the local economy and innovating agriculture.

Governor Myung Hyun-kwan stated, "We will accelerate the development of the agricultural research complex, which will become a key hub for climate change response and carbon-neutral agriculture," adding, "I believe the vision of 'Agricultural and Fisheries Capital, Haenam' will serve as a stepping stone for transitioning to new industries and fostering future growth engines centered on the agricultural research complex."

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