Governor Park Wansu: "Sacheon Will Become a New Growth Engine for Gyeongnam"

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is speaking at the Livelihood Field Communication Meeting held on the 8th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Se-ryeong Lee] “Let’s develop Sacheon as a center for the aerospace industry and make it a new growth engine for Gyeongnam.”

On the 8th, Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, held a communication meeting on livelihood issues at the Gyeongnam Technopark Aerospace Center in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, and made this statement.

Governor Park said, “We must unite the capabilities of the residents to pass the government organization act for the prompt establishment of the Aerospace Administration,” and added, “We need to remove all unnecessary regulations to make Gyeongnam a business-friendly and investment-attractive place.”

He also emphasized the need to develop the defense industry alongside the aerospace industry.

According to the province, on this day, Governor Park received a report from Park Dong-sik, Mayor of Sacheon, regarding a proposal to create a ‘Satellite Manufacturing Innovation Town’ in Sacheon, the optimal site for the space industry cluster (cooperation complex), and listened to opinions related to aerospace development.

Kim Tae-hyung, CEO of Mirae Aviation, requested Governor Park, “The aerospace industry requires a large initial investment, but the payback period is long, making fund management difficult. We hope the grace period for loan repayments used to purchase equipment can be extended.”

In response, Governor Park said, “We will actively consider extending the grace period for funds loaned by Gyeongnam Province and Sacheon City and will also negotiate with local financial institutions regarding the extension.”

Kim Kwang-yeop, CEO of Hize Aviation, suggested, “The number of specialized companies handling dust generated after aircraft parts machining has sharply decreased, increasing annual processing costs. It is difficult to hire environmental safety engineers for hazardous substances, and if not hired within a certain period, fines are imposed, creating a structural vicious cycle that must be resolved.”

Governor Park responded, “We will consult with the Nakdong River Environmental Office to determine if there is discretionary authority in the work and will carefully review related law amendments.”

According to the province, this communication meeting was organized with the intention of the governor frequently visiting sites where residents’ voices are heard and communicating to get closer to the residents.

The meeting was attended by 35 company representatives including Park Dong-sik, Mayor of Sacheon, Yoon Hyung-geun, Chairman of Sacheon City Council, and Hwang Tae-bu, CEO of DNM Aviation.

Also present were Seo Hee-young, Chairman of Sacheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Choi Young-sook, Secretary-General of Sacheon Women’s Association Council; Kim Young-ryeon, Chairman of Sacheon Resident Autonomy Council; Shin Hyun-ho, Chairman of Sacheon Barugesalgi Movement Council; Jeong Kyung-su, Chairman of Sacheon Saemaul Association; Park Sang-soon, Chairman of Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association Gyeongnam Branch; Kim Hyun-chul, Chairman of the Provincial Council’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Affairs Committee; and about 50 others including Provincial Assemblyman Im Cheol-gyu.

After the meeting, Governor Park went to the Western Office of Gyeongnam Provincial Government to report on work and check on local issues in the western region.

A provincial official explained, “Gyeongnam Province is preparing to designate a specialized district for the space industry cluster project promoted by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The designation of the specialized district is expected to be finalized around September after review and approval by the National Space Committee.”

He added, “If Gyeongnam is selected as the specialized district, it will serve as an opportunity to gather the space industry in Gyeongnam along with the establishment of the Aerospace Administration in Gyeongnam, a national agenda of the new government.”