Governor Kim Youngrok: "Promoting the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Local Government"

Administrative Integration in Line with New Government's '5 Poles 3 Special' Balanced Development Strategy
Active Efforts for the Enactment of the 'Special Act for Jeonnam Energy and Marine Specialized City'
Public-Led Renewable Energy Development... Overcoming the Crisis in Petrochemical and Steel Industries
Key Provincial Issues and Policy Directions Including Honam Line Fare Improvements

Jeollanam-do Governor Kim Youngrok held a press briefing at the provincial government press room on the afternoon of the 19th and stated, "We plan to focus the provincial administration on the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Local Government in line with the new government's five-pole three-special balanced development strategy, efforts to enact the Special Act for Jeonnam as an energy and marine specialized city, and overcoming the crisis in the petrochemical and steel industries." Provided by Jeonnam Province

Jeollanam-do Governor Kim Youngrok announced on the 19th, "We plan to focus the provincial administration on the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Local Government in line with the new government's 5 Poles 3 Special Balanced Development Strategy, efforts to enact the Special Act for Jeonnam Energy and Marine Specialized City, and overcoming the crisis in the petrochemical and steel industries."

Governor Kim held a press conference at the provincial government press room on this day, presenting the direction for addressing major provincial issues based on the new government's policy agenda announced on the 13th and the current situation in Jeonnam.

First, Jeonnam's 'Jeollanam Special Self-Governing Province,' which has been promoted as an extraordinary measure to address the crisis of regional extinction, will be reorganized into a super-regional development policy in accordance with the new government's 5 Poles 3 Special Policy. The province plans to establish the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Local Government as soon as possible and, in the long term, pursue administrative integration between Gwangju and Jeonnam. To this end, Jeonnam Province and Gwangju City will hold a proclamation ceremony on the 27th.

The province will also actively pursue the enactment of the 'Special Act for Jeonnam Energy and Marine Specialized City,' which includes customized special provisions for Jeonnam's comparative advantages in renewable energy and marine resources. The aim is to secure global competitiveness based on these top-tier resources and realize a foundational society that shares achievements with local residents.

Through public-led renewable energy development, the province also plans to lay the foundation for an energy basic income. By leading the energy transition based on renewable energy, which is a key focus of the new government's policy agenda, Jeonnam is expected to establish itself as a hub for RE100 and the renewable energy industry.

In particular, the province aims to achieve a total of 23GW in renewable energy generation by 2030 and open the era of 1 trillion won in energy basic income for Jeonnam as part of the new government's 'basic income' initiative.

The province will focus on revitalizing the petrochemical and steel industries, which are facing crises due to global oversupply, carbon regulations, and the impact of U.S. tariffs. To respond to these challenges, Jeonnam Province allocated 36.5 billion won this year for employment recovery and technology development. Furthermore, next year, the province plans to significantly increase support by expanding the budget to 152 billion won for projects such as resource circulation pilot industrial complexes and specialty synthetic rubber manufacturing.

The plan also includes designating petrochemical and steel industrial complexes as distributed energy zones and swiftly converting them into microgrid industrial complexes based on renewable energy, as announced by the Presidential Office, to help alleviate companies' electricity costs.

The province will also actively work to address the unreasonable fares and seat shortages on the Honam and Jeolla high-speed rail lines. The plan is to resolve the issue where Honam and Jeolla line passengers have been bearing additional charges due to the Osong Station detour, and, in the long term, to reduce passenger inconvenience by establishing a direct new line between Cheonan-Asan and Gongju.

Regarding the establishment of a national medical school in Jeollanam-do, the project has been included in the national policy agenda, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare has decided to introduce a regional doctor system. In addition, the public medical school will be established at the National Medical Center, with the goal of opening by the 2027 academic year. Once the national medical school is established in Jeollanam-do, the province plans to be the first to implement the regional medical system.

Regarding the Jeju Air passenger plane accident investigation, Governor Kim called for a thorough, objective, and fair investigation, emphasizing that the results must be satisfactory to the bereaved families.

Governor Kim Youngrok stated, "We will focus all provincial capabilities to ensure that major provincial issues lead to tangible results felt by residents, so that Jeonnam can become the true core axis of South Korea's growth."

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