Democratic Party Officially Launches "Honam Development Special Committee"

"First Step Toward Balanced Regional Development
and a New Leap Forward for Honam"

The Democratic Party officially launched the "Honam Development Special Committee" to drive Honam development on the afternoon of the 21st at the party leader's meeting room in the main building of the National Assembly. Photo by Seo Samsuk

The Democratic Party has officially launched the "Honam Development Special Committee" to address the crisis of regional extinction caused by the concentration in the capital area and to drive development in the Honam region.

At the inaugural ceremony held on the afternoon of the 21st in the party leader's conference room at the main building of the National Assembly, Representative Jung Chungrae presented appointment letters to the chairperson and chief vice chairpersons.

In his congratulatory remarks, Representative Jung stated, "We must do our utmost to achieve tangible results so that future generations can record the historical fact that the Honam Development Special Committee, launched by the Democratic Party, made significant contributions to Honam's development. The committee will set achievable goals and deliver them to the government and the presidential office to ensure they are realized."

This special committee is a permanent body established based on President Lee Jaemyung's philosophy that "special sacrifices require special compensation." Experts from various fields, including politics, academia, and civil society, will participate to develop effective regional development strategies.

The main roles of the committee include: ▲ developing implementation plans for Honam-related policies among the 123 national tasks of the People's Sovereignty Government; ▲ detailing policies to fulfill Honam-related pledges made by President Lee Jaemyung and Representative Jung Chungrae; and ▲ identifying ultra-wide regional cooperation tasks in response to the "Five Axes, Three Special Zones" national spatial policy.

The committee appointed Assemblyman Seo Samseok (Yeongam, Muan, and Shinan in South Jeolla Province, Supreme Council Member) as chairperson, former Assemblyman Lee Byunghoon as standing chief vice chairperson, Kim Sung, president of the Jeonnam Mayors and Governors Association (head of Jangheung County), and Assemblyman Lee Wontak (Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan in North Jeolla Province) as chief vice chairpersons.

Additionally, Assemblyman Joo Cheolhyeon (Yeosu-gap, South Jeolla Province) was appointed as chief spokesperson, and around 50 members, with approximately 15 from each of Gwangju, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla, will participate as committee members to facilitate broad discussions.

Special Committee Chair Seo Samseok stated, "To address Honam's long-standing challenges, we will adopt development plans for each region of Gwangju, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla in areas such as industrial economy, healthcare, transportation, and energy as the Honam development agenda. As requested by Representative Jung Chungrae, we will do our utmost to develop measures for Honam's advancement that fully compensate for the region's noble sacrifices and dedication to democratization."

The committee is divided into six subcommittees, preparing innovative policies in various fields such as culture, industry, energy, healthcare, and urban infrastructure. Starting with its first plenary meeting in September, the committee plans to focus on policy development through November.

Chair Seo emphasized, "This special committee will carry on Honam's spirit of democracy and serve as an important starting point for opening a new future for Korea beyond Honam."

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