Governor Kim Youngrok: "We Will Lead the Era of Energy Transition"

Presenting a Model Across All Fields, Including Agriculture, Advanced Energy, and Culture & Tourism
Establishing Fundamental Infrastructure

Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, is taking a commemorative photo with employees at the ‘December Regular Meeting’ for empathy and communication held on the 8th at the Wangin Room of the provincial office. Provided by Jeonnam Province

Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, stated on the 8th, "At the beginning of this year, the nation started from a crisis as if standing on the edge of a cliff, but as a result of everyone's tireless efforts following the birth of the new administration, Jeollanam-do has been presented with the greatest golden opportunity since the founding of Korea. Let us make the most of this opportunity and turn it into real gold."

On this morning, at the December regular meeting held in the Wangin Room of the provincial office, Governor Kim reflected on the past year, saying, "During the national emergency, Honam protected the foundation of the country and overcame the crisis, laying the groundwork for the birth of the Lee Jaemyung administration based on national sovereignty. In response, the President promised 'special compensation for Honam's extraordinary sacrifice,' paving a smooth road for Jeollanam-do."

In fact, this year Jeollanam-do achieved remarkable results in various fields, including: securing more than 10 trillion won in national funding for 2026, up from 6 trillion won in 2018; establishing a foundation for Jeollanam-do to become the AI energy capital of Korea with the attraction of global AI data centers by OpenAI and SK Group, as well as the national AI computing center by Samsung SDS; attracting an artificial sun research facility; being selected as the domestic candidate site for the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Convention Climate Week in Yeosu; and surpassing 100,000 YouTube subscribers and producing content with over 1 million views.

He also made it clear that this golden opportunity did not come by chance.

Governor Kim explained, "Since the declaration of the Blue Economy Vision in July 2019, when we pledged to lead the era of energy transition through renewable energy, we have worked tirelessly. As a result, we have established the fundamental infrastructure to lead the AI era, including renewable energy, abundant water resources, power grids, and glocal universities such as the Energy Engineering College. This is why we have been able to seize this golden opportunity."

He emphasized, "A golden opportunity is just that-a chance. It is now our responsibility to make it truly ours and turn it into real gold. If we consider this only the beginning and successfully address the biggest challenge, the energy issue, Jeollanam-do will strengthen its traditional agriculture and fisheries industries through initiatives such as the Agriculture AX Platform, lead the advanced energy industry, and grow into a region that becomes the model and standard for Korea in all fields, including culture and tourism."

He also expressed optimism, saying, "With Mokpo National University and Suncheon National University integrating into two glocal universities, the establishment of a medical school in Jeollanam-do is also expected to progress smoothly. If the quota for the medical school at Jeollanam-do Integrated University is allocated in February 2026, there should be no problem opening the school as early as 2027."

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