Yeongam County Prepares to Leap Forward with a Wave of Innovation

‘Yeongam: A Place to Live and Stay’
Comprehensive Measures to Boost Population Vitality
Main Budget Surpasses 700 Billion KRW for the First Time This Year

Yeongam County, South Jeolla Province (Governor Woo Seunghee) has completed preparations to turn the wave of innovation in 2025 into a great leap forward.

According to the county on the 21st, over the past two years and six months, it has achieved remarkable results in various fields based on the participation and cooperation of county residents. This year, the county aims to ensure that Yeongam residents can truly feel these achievements in their daily lives.

Despite financial difficulties such as a significant reduction in local allocation tax from the government and the imposition of subsidy penalties, the county has set this year's main budget at 711.4 billion KRW, surpassing 700 billion KRW for the first time as a single budget.

In December last year, the public hearing for establishing the Yeongam-type local circular economy and the RE100 vision proclamation ceremony were held. Provided by Yeongam County

This budget was made possible by securing 78 successful public contest projects last year and obtaining 123.6 billion KRW in national and provincial funds, establishing a stable financial foundation for all areas of county administration, including the local economy, resident safety, welfare, culture and tourism, sports, and the environment.

Accordingly, the Yeongam-style local circular economy system, which minimizes the outflow of value-added produced in the region and enhances economic self-sufficiency through the circulation of value-added within the area, is gaining momentum with the creation of a local circular economy fund. This fund will be used to discover and invest in various public service projects such as housing, healthcare, care, welfare, and environment, as well as to support start-ups, thereby strengthening the foundation of the local circular economy.

In addition, the county plans to accelerate the transformation of the Daebul National Industrial Complex into a renewable energy industry ecosystem through the industrial complex remodeling project, aiming to become an intelligent digital innovation complex, a low-carbon green complex, a smart green future complex centered on eco-friendly ship and offshore wind power equipment, and a hub for future new industries.

Furthermore, by expanding the supply of renewable energy through the construction of an energy self-sufficiency infrastructure, the county will increase the energy self-reliance rate of the national industrial complex and transition from heavy energy consumption to a low-carbon, eco-friendly complex. Plans to vitalize the future local energy ecosystem include participating in the public contest for designation as a specialized distributed energy area, actively leading the transition to a region-centered energy ecosystem.

As a long-term strategy to realize "Yeongam where people want to live and stay," the county is promoting comprehensive measures to boost population vitality and support youth settlement, such as population vitality projects, support for youth social activities, fostering global creative talent, support for returning farmers and rural settlers, and making Yeongam a great place to raise children. Focusing on relational and resident populations as new drivers of the population vitality project, Yeongam County aims to achieve a resident population of 300,000 and create 1,000 jobs to secure 16 billion KRW from the Local Extinction Response Fund.

In April last year, a performance was held to achieve an average farm household income of 70 million won at the Agricultural Policy Transformation Project public hearing. Provided by Yeongam County

In particular, this year's tourism goal is to create a tourism belt that connects the county's brilliant history and abundant cultural and ecological resources, attracting economic tourism where the Dalbit Ecological Culture thrives, and establishing Yeongam as the number one tourism city.

Last year, Yeongam attracted 600,000 tourists by presenting differentiated cultural tourism content, including the Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival, one of Korea's representative festivals, the Dalbit Festival selected as one of Korea's Top 100 Night Festivals, the Firefly Festival, the Companion Animal Festival, the Jeonnam Camping Expo, the launch of 52 types of Yeongam goods, and the development of local foods. This year, the county plans to expand the period of the Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival and promote exchange with the Japanese Watso Festival to mark the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, elevating the event into a global festival.

This year, the county will pursue various welfare policies aimed at realizing value-oriented welfare and improving the quality of life for residents. Last year, Yeongam County received positive reviews from the local community for expanding public-private cooperation in identifying and supporting crisis households and assisting those in the welfare blind spots, such as socially isolated households. The county plans to open a new horizon for community welfare through productive welfare and integrated care.

County administration and local issues, as well as major points of contention, will be resolved through deliberative processes to realize harmonious administration. Through conversations with residents, mobile governor's office, local innovation academy, and one-stop administrative services, the county aims to enhance resident satisfaction with convenient, empathetic, and trustworthy administrative services. To respond to the changing administrative environment, the county will improve the job competency of public officials and strengthen internal control functions to foster a culture of integrity and innovation. The goal is to achieve the highest grade in integrity by enhancing awareness and ensuring substantial progress.

Governor Woo Seunghee emphasized, "In this rapidly changing era, the support and participation of residents are more essential than ever in our journey toward innovation and progress," and added, "Let us open the future together for a Yeongam where residents are happy and where everyone wants to live."

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