[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Kang Jeonghee, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly, urged measures by Jeonnam Province to minimize damage to the local economy caused by COVID-19 at the annual work report meeting of the Economic Energy Bureau and Jeonnam Credit Guarantee Foundation on the 20th, and reviewed the promotion strategy for the national project competition for regional job hubs centered on the Yeosu National Industrial Complex, the 23rd reported.
According to Jeonnam Province, as of the 19th, two small and medium-sized enterprises applied for 500 million KRW and 55 small business owners applied for 1.8 billion KRW in business stabilization funds due to damage from the COVID-19 infection outbreak, and due to the sudden surge in support requests, it takes six days from screening to support.
Also, the Small Business Integrated Complaint Center reported that small business owners were directly hit by this incident, with average sales across all industries decreasing by 30-40%. Currently, a special guarantee for small business owners affected by COVID-19 is being implemented, with total application amounts reaching approximately 11.7 billion KRW.
Assembly member Kang Jeonghee urged, “We will prepare tangible measures and responses so that the alley markets and the common people’s economy of Jeonnam Province do not shrink any further,” emphasizing “the province must play an intermediary role to establish an organic cooperation system between the government and cities/counties, and the importance of rapid fiscal execution.”
The smart industrial complex competition project by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which was promoted in 2019, is expected to be renamed as the ‘Regional Job Hub Project Centered on Industrial Complexes’ from this year, jointly led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Job Committee, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, with an expanded project scope.
Jeonnam Province applied last year for the Yeosu National Industrial Complex to be designated as a smart industrial complex but unfortunately failed; learning from this experience, it plans to reapply this year. The key lies in how the evaluation criteria will be established.
Assembly member Kang Jeonghee said, “For the competitiveness enhancement and sustainable growth of the Yeosu Industrial Complex, which was established over 50 years ago, innovative changes and infrastructure applying advanced technology are necessary,” adding, “If the industrial complexes and ports in Gwangyang and Suncheon areas are connected, linking large-scale process industries such as chemical and steel with small and medium enterprises, it will be a great opportunity to become a large-scale regional job hub.”
She continued, “Due to the characteristics of the Yeosu National Industrial Complex as a large-scale process industry, the job creation effect is lower compared to labor-intensive industries such as electronics and textiles, and separate from the four smart industrial complexes selected by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the success or failure will depend on whether policy considerations reflecting the impact of the region’s main industries on the national economy are incorporated,” forecasting and urging Jeonnam Province to devise a meticulous competition strategy.
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