Pre-candidate Shin Jeong-hoon: "Activation of Priority Purchase System for Public Institutions in Innovation Cities"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Shin Jeong-hoon, the Democratic Party of Korea preliminary candidate for the National Assembly representing Naju·Hwasun, Jeonnam, announced on the 21st that he will revitalize the priority purchasing system of public institutions relocated to Naju Innovation City to contribute to the revitalization of the local economy.

According to Shin Jeong-hoon's campaign team, last year, 16 public institutions in Innovation City operated with a budget of 93.4231 trillion won, but the total amount purchased by public institutions in Naju City and nearby areas was only 642.2 billion won, accounting for just 0.69% of the total budget.

Moreover, 88% of this budget was spent by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) through negotiated contracts with companies located in the Innovation Industrial Complex, indicating that the actual budget used locally was extremely minimal.

This was one of the proposals in President Moon Jae-in’s Innovation City pledge during the 2017 presidential election, which stipulates that public institutions relocated to local areas should prioritize purchasing goods and various projects from local companies.

This provision was incorporated into Article 292-5 (Priority Purchase by Relocated Public Institutions) of the “Special Act on Innovation Cities” in October 2017, and the performance is also reflected in the evaluation of public institutions, but it has not been effectively utilized.

Preliminary candidate Shin Jeong-hoon promised, “We will ensure that the 16 public institutions use about 3% (approximately 3 trillion won) of their annual budget locally.”

In addition, he plans to alleviate farmers’ concerns about sales channels by switching the ingredients of public institution cafeterias to Naju agricultural products and open a new chapter of eco-friendly public meals in Naju City, which was previously a pioneer in eco-friendly school meals.

He also intends to enable the issuance of Naju Love Gift Certificates in card and mobile forms, allowing public institution employees to conveniently use them for business expenses, allowances, and rewards. Furthermore, he plans to encourage participation from local cooperatives, social enterprises, and resident companies in service projects such as security, cleaning, landscaping, and cafeteria operations of public institutions in Naju.

Preliminary candidate Shin Jeong-hoon stated, “We will do our best to ensure that public institutions prioritize using local companies for goods and various projects that can be purchased in our region.”