Gangwon Province Selected for Labor Ministry’s Regional Industry Customized Employment Project, Secures 4.5 Billion Won in National Funding

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province has been selected for the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s “2026 Regional Industry Customized Employment Support Basic Connection Project,” securing 4.5 billion won in national funding.

Scenic View of Gangwon Provincial Government Office. Provided by Gangwon Provincial Government.

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As a result, the province’s regional industry-tailored employment project for 2026 will be expanded to a total scale of 9.6 billion won, which is more than 2.6 times larger than the previous year.

This newly selected project will expand beyond the existing Yeongdong region’s tourism industry to also include the Yeongseo region’s medical device industry, which was newly identified as a target industry for this grant. The project will be supported by 4.5 billion won in national funding and 1.93 billion won in provincial funding.

The “Basic Connection Project” is led by metropolitan governments and targets industries where employment can be connected across basic local governments, supporting both the mobility of local talent and the recruitment of workers by companies across administrative borders.

The province was selected for this grant competition by planning projects tailored to the regional characteristics of Yeongdong and Yeongseo. These include the “Yeongdong Tourism Industry Work-Life Safety Connection Project” and the “Yeongseo Smart Medical Device Belt Employment Connection Project” as part of its balanced development strategy.

Key initiatives in the tourism industry sector include: ▲ livelihood stabilization for workers with home-workplace mismatch (250,000 won per month), commuting cost support (100,000 won per month), and rental assistance (400,000 won per month); ▲ livelihood support for workers residing in areas with declining populations (250,000 won per month), health management and cultural/leisure activity support (800,000 won); ▲ support for the development of tourism products linked to basic cities and counties (18 million won per project); ▲ mentoring programs connecting new and experienced workers; and ▲ the operation of employment governance systems to strengthen communication and solidarity.

In the smart medical device sector, key initiatives include: ▲ support to help newly recruited workers from other metropolitan areas settle in the region (new hire encouragement payment of 1 million won, relocation support of 1 million won, rental assistance of 400,000 won per month); ▲ employment services such as joint recruitment events and company field trip bus tours; ▲ commuting cost support for workers traveling from other cities or counties (100,000 won per month); ▲ child care and medical expense support (300,000 won per month); ▲ settlement welfare support such as health management and leisure (700,000 won); and ▲ support for in-service worker education and career development, technology exchange seminars, and performance dissemination forums.

In particular, during the grant selection process, the Gangwon Regional Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (headed by Kim Sangyong) recognized the need for expanding the province’s employment projects and securing more national funding, and actively provided cooperation and support.

Manho Kim, Director of Economic Affairs for Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, stated, “This project was carefully tailored to reflect the core industries and unique characteristics of Yeongdong and Yeongseo, and we believe that Gangwon’s commitment to balanced regional development and expanding quality jobs was effectively conveyed to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Through employment and daily life support closely tied to local needs, we will prevent the outflow of talent and build a province where talented people choose to stay.”

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