Haenam-gun Achieves Historic Success in Attracting Largest Ever National Institution, Securing Growth Engine for Regional Development

A 'National Agricultural Food Climate Change Response Center' to be Established in Ttangkkeut Haenam

Serving as the Agricultural Food Climate Change Control Tower, Overseeing National Climate Change Response Policies

Haenam-gun Samsan-myeon Pyeonghwal-ri Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center Project Site ⓒ Asia Economy

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, has been finally selected as the site for the establishment of the "Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center," which will serve as the control tower for climate change response in the agricultural and food sectors.

According to Haenam-gun on the 18th, the establishment of the Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is a large-scale national project with a budget of 407.9 billion KRW, and the site has been sought through a public competition.

The center will be equipped with advanced infrastructure such as a climate-related data platform and the capability to reproduce future climate change scenarios, and will oversee climate change response policies in the agricultural sector.

It is scheduled to be established by 2025 on a 3-hectare site in Samsan-myeon, Haenam-gun. For Haenam, this is the first large-scale national institution attraction, serving as an opportunity to enhance its status as the largest agricultural county nationwide and secure long-term growth momentum.

Haenam, selected last month as the candidate site for Jeollanam-do, was confirmed as the final site on the 17th after fierce competition with four other local governments nationwide.

Haenam-gun has emphasized that it is the optimal site for the Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center by highlighting its geographical advantage as the starting point of the Korean Peninsula and the gateway to climate change, as well as its sufficient agricultural foundation to respond to accelerating climate change.

Since 2019, Haenam has prepared proactive response plans for attraction, completed feasibility studies for the site, and last year enacted the first-ever Haenam-gun ordinance for the promotion and support of subtropical agriculture, thoroughly preparing in advance.

In particular, the purchase of a 35-hectare site necessary for the creation of an agricultural research complex has been completed, concentrating related facilities and enabling rapid project advancement, which received high evaluation.

The attraction strategy through collaboration with Jeollanam-do was also effective. On the site of the Haenam-gun Agricultural Research Complex, plans include the Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center, the Integrated Fruit Research Institute under the Jeollanam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, and the county’s own scientific farming demonstration and testing infrastructure.

With future collaboration possible among national, provincial (do), and local (gun) governments, it is expected that synergies in climate change response agricultural policies, research, and technology development can be maximized.

To attract the center, Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok, National Assembly member Yoon Jae-gap, and other Jeonnam lawmakers actively persuaded the feasibility on the ground, and support statements from 22 mayors and county heads of Jeonnam and the chairpersons’ council of city and county councils contributed decisively to the outcome.

Additionally, unified will through the participation of the Jeonnam Provincial Council, Haenam County Council, local civic groups, and the village chiefs’ council also had a significant effect.

Governor Kim Young-rok stated in a statement, “The Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center will become the control tower for climate change in Korea and a global leader in the field of climate change, and Jeonnam will spare no support,” and expressed gratitude to all who contributed to attracting the center to Jeonnam.

County Head Myung Hyun-gwan said, “The attraction of the Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center, which has been actively promoted with the wishes of the residents, is expected to write a new chapter in Haenam agriculture,” and pledged, “We will spare no support at the county level for the successful project implementation of the center.”

Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun kh0424@asiae.co.kr