"407.9 Billion KRW National Institution Coming" Rising Expectations for Haenam Development

Direct and Indirect Economic Induced Effect of 473.3 Billion KRW "Securing Growth Engine for Regional Development"

Haenam-gun New Government Building Exterior Photo by 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, raising expectations for regional development following the attraction of the largest-ever national institution.

According to the county on the 24th, 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.

The entire project cost is funded by the national government, and by 2025, a center will be built in the Samsan-myeon area of Haenam to serve as a control tower for climate change response in the agricultural sector.

With the attraction of such a large-scale national institution, expectations for regional development are also rising significantly.

This is the first time an institution with a budget exceeding 400 billion KRW has been attracted as a single project, serving as an opportunity to enhance the status of the nation’s largest agricultural county and secure long-term growth momentum.

The Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center will be newly constructed by 2025 on a 3-hectare site, with one basement floor and four above-ground floors, and will begin full-scale operations.

The center will consist of a Policy Support Department that researches domestic and international climate change policy trends, discovers technology demands, formulates policies, and supports research and development at regional centers; a Climate Data Department that collects climate change-related big data and manages the data platform; and an Advanced Infrastructure Department equipped with a research environment capable of reproducing future climate change scenarios.

Along with the establishment of the Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center, the construction of related and supporting facilities such as the Climate Change Response Agricultural and Food Research Center in Haenam-gun is expected to generate an economic inducement effect of 356.6 billion KRW in production and 116.7 billion KRW in added value, as well as create approximately 2,285 related jobs, both directly and indirectly.

It is also a notable achievement that Haenam, located at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, has established its status as a control tower leading the national task of climate change response.

Agriculture is highly dependent on climate and is considered the most vulnerable sector to climate change. By the 2040s, more than 70% of apple cultivation areas and over 90% of highland cabbage cultivation areas are expected to decrease, and rice production, a representative staple crop, is also projected to decline by 13.7%.

Despite accelerating climate change, the absence of a control tower made systematic response difficult. Considering this, establishing the Climate Change Response Center in Haenam, the largest agricultural county and gateway to climate change on the Korean Peninsula, has secured a foundation to systematically promote policies, research, and technology development and quickly apply them in the field.

The newly established center in Haenam will serve as the headquarters for climate change response in the agricultural sector, utilizing provincial agricultural technology institutes nationwide as regional centers to act as a control tower for climate change response closely related to agriculture and climate.

Haenam-gun plans to make every effort to ensure smooth project progress by promptly passing the preliminary feasibility study by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and securing the national budget for next year.

Through continuous communication with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Jeollanam-do, the county will accelerate project implementation and maintain organic cooperation with existing memorandum of understanding institutions.

County Governor Myung Hyun-kwan stated, “The attraction of a large-scale national institution such as the Agricultural and Food Climate Change Response Center is expected to be a groundbreaking opportunity not only to enhance Haenam’s status but also to secure growth momentum for the local economy,” adding, “We will spare no support so that Haenam can establish itself as a leader in Korea’s climate change response, beyond its image as the southern tip.”

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