On the evening of the 8th, a meeting between the President and provincial governors was held at the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] “The manufacturing industry, the main industry of Gyeongnam that has driven South Korea’s remarkable growth, is declining, and the nuclear power industry in Gyeongnam is on the brink of collapse due to the previous administration’s nuclear phase-out policy.”
On the evening of the 8th, Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, appealed to President Yoon Seok-yeol for support of the nuclear power industry in the province during the ‘President-Provincial Governors Meeting.’
On that day, Governor Park requested the promotion of the government’s preliminary feasibility study project for the development of manufacturing process technology for Small Modular Reactors (SMR), a campaign pledge of the president, and the prompt resumption of construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4.
President Yoon announced nuclear power support measures during his visits to Jinyeong TBX in Changwon National Industrial Complex in April and Doosan Enerbility in June.
During the June visit, he also called Governor Park, who was then president-elect, promising early job creation and financial support to revitalize the nuclear power ecosystem.
Regarding the establishment of the Aerospace Administration in Gyeongnam, which President Yoon pledged several times during his candidacy, Governor Park said, “To realize this national agenda, Gyeongnam Province has set up a dedicated department and is carrying out practical work such as site review and enhancing resident acceptance,” adding, “We hope the government will pay great attention to the swift establishment of the Aerospace Administration.”
Governor Park also mentioned the promotion of the defense industry in Gyeongnam on that day.
He said, “Gyeongnam is a city where 40% of the nation’s defense industry is concentrated,” and added, “Continuous support for the Defense Innovation Cluster and attracting a civil-military MRO development center are necessary for Gyeongnam to establish itself as a mecca of the defense industry.”
He further added, “Relaxation of government regulations related to land acquisition is also urgently needed to create a large-scale employment-generating tourism complex on the southern coast.”
Governor Park plans to continue meetings with relevant ministers and standing committee members of the National Assembly to resolve Gyeongnam’s pending issues proposed to President Yoon that day.
The meeting held at the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was attended not only by provincial governors nationwide but also by key government officials including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Bang Moon-kyu, Chief Presidential Secretary Kim Dae-gi, and other senior secretaries.
They discussed the new government’s economic policy direction, strategies for promoting the local era, and plans for regulatory innovation, sharing regional issues of the 8th local government administration.
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