Kim Jin-tae Vows to Eliminate Gangwon Land Regulations and Develop It into a Global Integrated Resort

Kim Jin-tae, Gangwon Governor Candidate, Visits Sabuk and Gohan in Jeongseon
Tours Gangwon Land Laundry Facility, Lays Flowers at Coal Industry Memorial
Attends Invited Discussion with Regional Revitalization Committee
Vows: "The Economy of Transitioning Coal Regions Will Soar Again"

Kim Jin-tae, candidate for Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province from the People Power Party, has made the deregulation of Gangwon Land—the core issue in the abandoned mine areas—his top priority as he steps up efforts to win voter support in the Jeongseon region.

Kim Jin-tae, candidate for governor of Gangwon Province, began his official schedule on the 9th by visiting the Gangwon Land laundry factory located in Sabuk-eup, Jeongseon County, encouraging workers who were sweating from early morning. Photo by candidate Kim Jin-tae

On May 9, Kim began his official schedule by visiting the Gangwon Land laundry factory, located in Sabuk-eup, Jeongseon County, where he encouraged workers who were sweating from early morning. He was accompanied by Choi Cheol-gyu, candidate for Jeongseon County Governor and recently acting CEO of Gangwon Land, as well as Kim Ki-cheol, candidate for provincial council, and Park Jong-bu and Jeon Gwang-pyo, candidates for county council.

Kim toured the large-scale laundry facilities and the staff cafeteria, expressing deep gratitude for the dedication of the workers who toil from early morning to ensure the comfort of hotel guests.

Kim then visited the Memorial for the Warriors of the Coal Industry, laying flowers in tribute to the miners whose sacrifices formed the foundation of Korea’s economic growth. Afterwards, he moved to the meeting room of the Regional Revitalization Joint Promotion Committee (chaired by Ahn Seung-jae, hereafter referred to as the Committee) for an invited discussion. The Committee was formed in 1995 by residents of Gohan and Sabuk to protest abrupt mine closures without viable alternatives. Their intense protests—including hunger strikes, head-shaving demonstrations, business closures, and torch marches—culminated in the ‘3·3 Agreement,’ which laid the groundwork for the enactment of the Special Act on Abandoned Mine Areas and the establishment of Gangwon Land, the only casino in Korea open to local citizens.

At the meeting, Chairman Ahn Seung-jae pointed out, "Currently, Gangwon Land is being approached primarily through regulations such as the sales cap system, rather than from a global tourism industry perspective, so it fails to provide a real solution for abandoned mine areas."

Chairman Ahn emphasized that if various restrictions are boldly removed in line with global casino industry trends, Gangwon Land’s revenue could grow two to three times its current size. He strongly recommended both the removal of regulatory constraints on Gangwon Land and the prompt resolution of the long-standing vacancy in the CEO position.

In response, Kim Jin-tae said, "I agree with your remarks ten or even twenty times over," stressing, "The path for Gangwon Land to become a global integrated resort is identical to the provincial vision of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province as a ‘global city of future industries.’"

He continued, "If the governor and county governor become a united team to lead the province and county, our utmost priority will be to lift regulations on Gangwon Land and concentrate all efforts on transforming it into a truly world-class resort."

Candidate for Gangwon Province Governor Jin-Tae Kim began his official schedule on the 9th by visiting the Kangwon Land laundry factory located in Sabuk-eup, Jeongseon-gun, encouraging workers who were sweating from early morning. Photo by Candidate Jin-Tae Kim

The meeting concluded with Chairman Ahn Seung-jae delivering a policy proposal on transitioning coal industry regions to candidate Kim Jin-tae.

Kim stated, "I will never forget the dedication of Gangwon’s coal industry, which has quietly sacrificed for Korea’s economic and industrial development," adding, "Now is the time to boldly remove the outdated regulations stifling Gangwon Land, so the economy of these transitioning coal regions can soar once again."

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