[6.3 Election] Lee Junghyun: "Promoting Gwangju-Jeonnam Megacity Special Act... Attracting Major Conglomerates"

Lee Junghyun, a preliminary candidate running for the special mayoral election of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Megacity from the People Power Party, has unveiled a vision to simultaneously promote the enactment of a special law for the megacity based on the integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam, push for twelve special laws for future industries, and attract major conglomerates such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai, Hanwha, and POSCO.

On April 16, through the Gwangju-Jeonnam Megacity Declaration, candidate Lee stated, "The integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam is not an administrative merger, but rather an economic zone integration, an industrial structure overhaul, and an experiment in national balanced development."

Lee Junghyun, the chairman of the nomination management committee of the People Power Party, is delivering a greeting at the final round of the proportional youth audition for metropolitan councilors held at the party's central office in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 26th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News

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Candidate Lee outlined a three-phase implementation plan for the megacity. The first phase consists of the Gwangju-Jeonnam integration declaration, the enactment of the Megacity Special Act, and the introduction of a regulatory-free zone. The second phase, spanning three years, focuses on completing the economic zone through the integration of industry, energy, and transportation, along with intensive efforts to attract businesses. The third phase, over five years, aims to establish a fully autonomous economic structure and elevate the region to a global city.

He also presented a blueprint for reorganizing industrial functions. Gwangju is designated as a city centered on AI, future mobility, and headquarters functions. Gwangyang and Yeosu are positioned as hubs for steel, secondary batteries, and energy industries. The southwest coast is proposed as a center for offshore wind and hydrogen industries, while Muan and Mokpo are suggested to serve as logistics and airport function hubs.

Plans to attract Samsung, SK, Hyundai, Hanwha, and POSCO were also specified. For Samsung, the focus is on attracting AI and semiconductor functions; for SK, establishing a data belt based on data centers and energy; for Hyundai, building a system to produce one million future vehicles; for Hanwha, expanding the defense industry base; and for POSCO, developing a full value chain for secondary batteries.

He also announced an initiative to create an industrial circulation structure linking Gwangyang, Gwangju, and Jeonnam, fostering the defense and aerospace industries and forming a new growth cluster in the southern region.

As the institutional foundation for these initiatives, he presented a plan to promote twelve special laws for future industries. These include an AI demonstration zone, data centers, special electricity provisions, a differentiated energy pricing system, RE100 corporate zones, special zones for future vehicles and batteries, post-processing for semiconductors, offshore wind and hydrogen, a foreigner city, regulatory-free zones, a fast-track for major conglomerates, relocation of AI and energy-related institutions, and cultivation of industrial talent.

Candidate Lee defined this as the "30% Revolution," stating that by securing a 30% support base, he will simultaneously push forward the Megacity Special Act, twelve special laws for future industries, and the attraction of major conglomerates.

He further emphasized that while Gwangju and Jeonnam possess electricity, land, ports, and talent, what was lacking was political will. He pledged to transform Gwangju and Jeonnam into Korea's first industrial hub megacity.

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