Gwangju Gwangsan District Proposes Extension of Preemptive Employment Crisis Response Area to Government

"Need Follow-up Measures Beyond Short-term Response"

Gwangsan District in Gwangju has decided to formally request the central government to extend the designation period of the district as a Preemptive Employment Crisis Response Area. This decision comes as the designation is set to expire at the end of this month, and authorities judge that local industries and employment conditions have not yet fully recovered.

On the 4th, Gwangsan District announced, "We plan to request the government to extend the designation period as a Preemptive Employment Crisis Response Area, reflecting the demands of the local business community and labor sites." The district holds the view that additional government-level support is needed until industrial and employment conditions stabilize to a certain level.

Black smoke is billowing into the sky from a fire that broke out on the morning of May 17 last year at the Kumho Tire factory in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Song Bohyun

Gwangsan District suffered a severe blow to its local economy last year as Daewoo Winia’s business conditions deteriorated and a large fire broke out at the Kumho Tire Gwangju plant in quick succession. In response, the government designated Gwangsan District in August last year as the nation’s first Preemptive Employment Crisis Response Area. Since the designation, various forms of support have been provided, including employment retention subsidies and livelihood stabilization loans for workers.

However, during a meeting of local economic stakeholders held the previous day, many pointed out that the impact of the Preemptive Employment Crisis Response Area designation should not be limited to short-term measures. Participants were reported to have suggested that the designation period should be extended and that follow-up measures should be prepared.

Gwangsan District believes that although local industries and workplaces have overcome the worst of the crisis, difficulties in the job market are still ongoing. It explained that, as a result, there were many calls on the ground to extend the government’s support measures.

District Mayor Park Byunggyu stated, “We have decided to propose to the government an extension of the designation period as a Preemptive Employment Crisis Response Area, based on opinions from local industries and the economic frontlines,” adding, “We will do our utmost to build a sustainable employment ecosystem founded on labor-management coexistence.”

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