Gumi City Makes Relay Visits to Central Government Ministries to Secure National Funding

Tour of Three Ministries: Trade, Agriculture, and Transport
Key Policy Proposals Submitted
Securing the Future of Gumi: Semiconductor, Robotics, and Defense Industry Hubs
Focusing on Securing National Government Funding

On March 24, the city of Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province visited the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the Government Sejong Complex in succession to request strong interest and national funding support for major key initiatives that will shape the future of Gumi.

Mayor Jangho Kim and relevant officials first visited the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, where they strongly proposed the establishment of an advanced semiconductor materials and parts complex, as well as the designation of a specialized zone for the national advanced strategic industry in the field of robotics, to further develop Gumi’s core industry—the semiconductor materials and parts ecosystem. They also emphasized the justification for designating a specialized zone for defense industry materials, parts, and equipment, and requested support so that Gumi can be reborn as an export hub for "K-Defense."

Photo of Gumi City Hall / Photo by Lee Whan Kim

Subsequently, they visited the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and explained the necessity of establishing a Smart Manufacturing Food-Tech Regional Innovation Cluster project, which would provide comprehensive support throughout the entire cycle—including product development, global certification, and local marketing—to diversify K-Food export markets and product categories.

In addition, they actively promoted the establishment of the K-Gastronomy Belt (K-Chicken Belt), a project that connects Gumi’s food industry with its tourism resources.

The city of Gumi highlighted its symbolic status as the birthplace of South Korea’s representative chicken brands and emphasized that the creation of the "Kyochon 1991 Cultural Street" in the Songjeong-dong area has already led to increased tourism and revitalization of the local economy.

They then visited the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, where they requested the government's special attention and cooperation for the realization of long-standing local projects, including the approval of the preliminary feasibility study for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk line (Seodaegu–Uiseong), the establishment of a new Donggumi Station, and the inclusion of the "Gimcheon–Gumi–New Airport Railway" in the 5th National Rail Network Plan, all to proactively build a comprehensive metropolitan transportation network in response to future transportation demand.

Jangho Kim, Mayor of Gumi, stated, "Gumi is a city equipped with the optimal conditions for promoting national strategic industries, thanks to its robust manufacturing base and high concentration of companies. We will work closely with central government ministries to secure national funding and proactively respond throughout the entire budgeting process to lay a solid foundation for sustainable growth."

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