Setting the Direction of County Administration in the 8th Elected Term, Laying the Foundation for Stability and Sustainable Development
Continuing Efforts to Secure National and Provincial Budgets and Resolve Current Issues
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Gu In-mo, mayor of Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam, returned to work immediately after winning re-election in the local elections last June, wrapping up the 7th term of the elected government by managing pending projects. On July 1, he officially began his duties as the 44th mayor of Geochang-gun for the 8th term of the elected government, marking his 100th day in office on the 8th.
The inauguration events started with communication with the public through activities such as meal service volunteering at Life Shelter and holding a meeting with sanitation workers, befitting a re-elected mayor. He has been actively visiting central government ministries and Gyeongnam Province to secure national and provincial funding and carefully manage pending issues, laying the foundation for stable and sustainable development of the county administration.
On the 100th day of his inauguration, Mayor Gu held a press conference on the 11th and said, “Since returning to work after the election and during the first 100 days of the 8th term, I have been busier than ever. We have established detailed plans for the pledges made to the residents and set the direction for the next four years of county administration on the foundation laid during the 7th term, completing preparations for a greater leap forward for Geochang.”
He continued, “We will strive to maintain the population of 60,000 to reclaim the top population rank among counties in the province, achieve the era of a 1 trillion won budget, attract the Dalbit Inland Railroad Geochang Station and the Southern Inland Railroad transfer station, establish the Geochang Medical Welfare Town, and promote regional pending projects such as the Geochang Theater Arts Complex, as well as actively attract national projects.”
The county administration’s vision and goals for Geochang, a future city where anyone wants to live, have been set as “Greater Geochang Leap Forward” and “Era of Resident Happiness,” the same as in the 7th term, to lead uninterrupted county administration during the 8th term and present a new future image. The core strategies are ▲achieving the top population rank among counties in the province ▲a vigorous economy and industrial city with youth ▲resident happiness through culture, tourism, and sports.
The county administration goals are set as ▲premium education to realize dreams ▲win-win economy centered on elevators ▲competitive future agriculture ▲culture and tourism harmonized with nature ▲hopeful welfare where everyone is happy. The plan is to respond to local extinction, enhance economic and industrial dynamism centered on youth, innovate the public official organization, revitalize culture and tourism, and expand community sports to create an era of resident happiness where anyone wants to live.
With the confirmation of 57 pledge projects in six areas promised to residents, Mayor Gu has instructed a thorough review through benchmarking other local governments to implement the pledged projects promised to residents in the 8th term. On August 19, he held a detailed implementation plan briefing session for the 8th term pledge projects chaired by the mayor.
Through this, a total of 57 projects in six areas were confirmed as pledge projects for the 8th term: ▲education, youth, and population (9 projects) ▲agriculture and rural areas (7 projects) ▲elevator, economy, and anti-aging (8 projects) ▲culture, tourism, and sports (13 projects) ▲health and welfare (9 projects) ▲living, safety, and environment (11 projects).
Efforts to secure budgets and consultations with related organizations, as well as pledge project implementation reporting meetings, are underway to ensure smooth progress of the pledge projects promised to residents. The smart integrated platform construction project is expected to be completed by the end of this year, accelerating project progress.
Mayor Gu completed 49 out of 56 projects pledged during the 7th term, achieving a high implementation rate of 96.6%, the highest among heads of local governments in the province. Accordingly, he is making his best efforts to fulfill the pledge projects promised to residents in the 8th term as well.
Busy securing national and provincial funding and managing pending projects, Mayor Gu is conducting all-out activities to secure budgets as a top priority to support policies to be promoted in the 8th term. He is closely cooperating with local members of the National Assembly and leveraging personal networks with central government ministries and Gyeongnam Province.
At the start of the 8th term, he visited central government ministries in July to request 19.4 billion won in national funding. In September, he met directly with Park Wan-su, governor of Gyeongnam Province, to explain major local issues such as the regional responsible medical institution and requested active support and cooperation from the province.
In August, he invited local and Geochang-born provincial assembly members to discuss major pending projects and requested their active support for project attraction and securing national and provincial funding to promote key initiatives of the 8th term, striving for the leap into the era of a 1 trillion won budget.
He visited related organizations to resolve local pending issues such as the creation of the 2nd Changpowon, attracting the Southern Inland Railroad transfer station, and expressing opposition to the construction of the Hwanggang wide-area water intake facility.
Additionally, to minimize damage from Typhoon Hinnamnor, he held three situation assessment meetings to conduct pre-inspections and safety measures. He visited farms affected by the typhoon to check damage, listen to difficulties, and encourage farmers, closely monitoring the livelihood field.
From 2022 to 2023, the local extinction response fund secured 5.4 billion won for four projects under the Gyeongnam Province wide-area account and 14 billion won for seven projects under the local government basic account. The plan is to revitalize the region by establishing a foundation for specialized industries such as elevator industry infrastructure, forest resource-based stay-type forest recreation infrastructure, and talent cultivation for smart farm expansion, as well as building a foundation for population inflow.
The Geochang Hanmadang Festival, held for the first time in three years, was successfully concluded with about 60,000 visitors through events such as the street parade, opening ceremony, Residents’ Day celebration, the 50th Arim Arts Festival, Green Storehouse Geochang Agricultural Products Festival, the 14th Lifelong Learning Festival, the 77th Residents’ Sports Festival, the National Geochang Hometown Association Sports Festival, the Multicultural Family Festival, and the 2nd Bicycle Tour Changpowon Picnic.
This year’s Hanmadang Festival replaced the illegally operated night market, which had hygiene issues, with local restaurants and township folk food booths, preventing income from flowing out and returning it to local residents, creating a virtuous cycle effect for the local economy. It was also praised for providing an opportunity to deliver messages of hope and courage to residents and hometown visitors exhausted by COVID-19.
Aiming to become a healing and relaxing stay-type tourist destination, Geochang is preparing for the era of one million forest tourists. During the 7th term, it expanded groundbreaking tourism infrastructure that has gained nationwide fame, including the Geochang Anti-Aging Healing Land, represented by the Y-shaped suspension bridge, the first local garden in Gyeongnam Province, Geochang Changpowon, and the Gamaksan Wellness Experience Center, known for Astar.
Since its opening in October, Geochang Anti-Aging Healing Land has welcomed 300,000 tourists to date, with 250,000 visitors this year alone. Especially during the autumn hiking season, from October 1 to the three-day holiday, about 13,000 people visited, greatly contributing to the revitalization of the local economy.
The 2nd Gamaksan Flower & Star Travel, held from September 23 to October 3, attracted about 100,000 photographers and tourists nationwide, contributing to residents’ income projects, following the 110,000 visitors last year despite the shorter period.
Geochang Changpowon, with its beautiful scenery throughout the four seasons, is becoming a resting place for nearby residents and county citizens. Linked with the Gamaksan Flower & Star Travel and the Geochang Hanmadang Festival, the number of visitors on weekends has more than doubled from about 3,000 to 6,000, creating a synergy effect.
Geochang-gun’s systematic introduction of foreign seasonal workers, from demand surveys to insurance premium support, was evaluated as an excellent case by the Gyeongnam Research Institute. To solve the chronic problem of labor shortages in rural areas, various manpower securing measures are being explored, and a dormitory construction project is underway, including 1.5 billion won in secured national and provincial funding.
The project to create a global elevator hub city is underway. The smart elevator demonstration platform construction project, selected last year, started the design service for the demonstration center in September and selected 10 companies for technology development support, progressing without delay.
Geochang-gun was selected as the winner in the policy category at the 5th 2022 Youth-Friendly Governance Awards for outstanding basic local governments, raising its status as one of the only two counties nationwide, along with Cheongyang-gun, to promote unique youth policies.
In the 7th term Happy Rural Village Contest, Buksang Binggisil Village won the Presidential Award, and in the 9th Happy Rural Development Contest, Galji Village in Geochang-eup, which competed in the landscape and environment category, won first place (Gold Award), receiving the Prime Minister’s Award and prize money of 30 million won.
In August, Gabuk-myeon’s residential platform construction project was selected in the regional development public contest targeting growth promotion areas hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, securing 2.5 billion won in national funding to expand regional infrastructure and living convenience facilities. This is expected to revitalize the region and create synergy effects for population inflow to small township schools.
Additionally, Geochang-gun received excellent evaluations in 12 categories in 2022 from central and Gyeongnam Province assessments, securing 355 million won in prize money and 41 million won in awards, showing significant achievements in various fields such as forest fire prevention and response, Eulji exercises, volunteer competitions, outstanding cases of non-tax revenue, and dementia program operation, receiving the Minister of Health and Welfare Award.
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