Announcement of '7 Promises' during Gwangju Visit on the 27th
Active Support for Military Airport Relocation and AI City, etc.
Also Pledges to Enshrine the Spirit of 5·18 in the Constitution Preamble
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung visited Gwangju on the 27th and announced his pledge at Gwangju Airport.
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, declared that he will complete the democratic reform agenda based on the values and spirit that Gwangju has devoted itself to protecting.
On the morning of the 27th, Lee visited Gwangju Metropolitan City and announced '7 pledges' at a site within Gwangju Airport.
Before announcing the pledges, Lee said, "In a new era, crisis and opportunity coexist. Growth and recovery, alleviation of inequality, and balanced regional development are the key tasks before us," adding, "Together with the citizens of Gwangju, we will wisely overcome the crisis of great transformation and turn it into a new opportunity for Gwangju's development."
The seven pledges include ▲ relocation of the military airport ▲ AI-specialized city ▲ support for Gwangju's automobile industry ▲ establishment of a startup valley ▲ support for the green hydrogen tram project ▲ completion of Gwangju as the Asian Cultural Capital ▲ constitutional preamble enshrinement of the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Movement.
Lee stated, "Based on fairness, we will actively support the relocation of Gwangju military airport in line with the support for the new airport in Gadukdo and support the creation of a smart city where 4th industrial revolution technologies are demonstrated on that site," adding, "We will apply 100% renewable energy, known as RE100, to develop it into a carbon-neutral future city."
He continued, "The relocation issues for Gwangju and Daegu areas cost much less than the Gadukdo issue, so if the government is determined, it is fully possible," emphasizing, "I cannot say it will be 100% government-funded, but the government will take the lead."
Regarding opposition from the candidate's base, he said, "The basic policy is that special sacrifices should be met with special compensation," adding, "If appropriate compensation is provided and precise measures are established, I believe it can be resolved through consultation."
He also said, "Gwangju is promoting the establishment of a national AI data center and is pushing forward the national AI convergence cluster project," adding, "In addition, we will support the establishment of an AI research institute and AI R&D infrastructure, and support the establishment of a comprehensive education center tailored to AI companies to nurture the necessary workforce."
Furthermore, he promised, "We will make it possible for cutting-edge future mobility such as eco-friendly autonomous vehicles and urban air mobility to be researched, demonstrated, produced, and certified in one place," adding, "We will expand the Bitgreen Industrial Complex to create a future mobility convergence cluster."
He revealed plans to create a future mobility testbed linked with the AI convergence cluster currently being promoted in Gwangju.
Lee said, "We will establish a future mobility specialized R&D campus to nurture future mobility talents linked with existing regional industries such as the light industry, parts industry, and energy industry," adding, "We will create a one-stop support environment for AI companies covering workforce, data centers, R&D, and startups, making Gwangju a representative AI-specialized corporate city attracting AI companies."
He also announced plans to build the area around Gwangju Station and Chonnam National University into a 'startup valley.'
He said, "Gwangju Station has been selected as a national pilot district for urban regeneration innovation, and nearby Chonnam National University has been designated as a university town-type New Deal project district," adding, "We will nurture this area into a global startup cluster and create residential conditions where excellent local talents can start businesses stably."
The idea is to enable youth, investors, universities, and related organizations to communicate and exchange ideas in an open space, fostering innovative ideas and technologies to grow into unicorn companies.
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung announced his pledge at Gwangju Airport on the 27th and held a Q&A session with reporters alongside Kang Ki-jung, head of the Honam special advisory group, and National Assembly members Yoon Young-duk, Min Hyung-bae, Song Gap-seok, Lee Yong-bin, and Cho Oh-seop.
He also mentioned the issue of mobility rights disparity.
Lee said, "We will support the green hydrogen tram pilot project to solve the blind spots in the subway system and the mobility rights gap," explaining, "By supporting the introduction of green hydrogen trams that stop at Mudeung Stadium Champions Field and Nongsong-dong Comprehensive Bus Terminal, where population movement is high, we can resolve public transportation disparities."
He added, "We will readjust the initial plan for the Asian Cultural Center City project to fit reality and promote the discovery of specialized projects that can cooperate diversely with this project," emphasizing, "We will create a digital content valley in Gwangju to produce companies that lead the global content industry."
He continued, "We will nurture it into the nation's top-level digital content valley by linking it with excellent local resources such as the AI convergence industry cluster under construction in Gwangju and advanced immersive content cubes using VR and XR."
He did not forget to promise to enshrine the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Movement in the constitutional preamble.
He said, "We will enshrine the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Movement in the constitutional preamble to establish it as a great history of the Republic of Korea that no one can damage or deny," adding, "We will support the creation of the 'Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Park' at the former Gwangju Prison, a May 18 historic site, to become a hall of democracy sharing history."
He also emphasized, "We will actively consider establishing the 'May 18 National Archives' that can collect, integrate, manage, and research dispersed original May 18 materials and overseas materials."
The three major joint pledges for Gwangju and Jeonnam are ▲ support for the promotion of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Triport connecting railroads, airports, and ports ▲ leading the 'energy highway' carrying solar and wind renewable energy in Gwangju and Jeonnam ▲ support for the creation of Yeongsan River National Garden and restoration of the Mahan cultural area.
In particular, he promised to spare no policy and institutional support to have the brilliant Mahan culture of the Yeongsan River basin registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.
Lee said, "A competent government, politics proven by results, a country that keeps promises with its sovereigns?this I, Lee Jae-myung, can do," adding, "I will establish the 4th democratic government following Presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in, and surely create a more vibrant and prosperous Gwangju."
Meanwhile, on the same day, Lee visited the collapsed site of a newly built apartment in Gwangju, then visited Malbau Market in Buk-gu in the afternoon, and proceeded with the 'Into the Citizens of Gwangju' schedule in Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu.
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