The full details of the ‘Cheongyang General Industrial Complex Development Project’ currently underway in Cheongyang-gun, Chungnam Province, have been announced, drawing significant attention.
Cheongyang-gun is the region where Joo Byung-seon’s song ‘Chilgapsan’ is set, known for its outstanding natural scenery and often called the ‘Alps of Chungnam.’ However, despite its geographical advantage of being located in the center of Chungnam, development has been delayed due to poor transportation conditions.
Currently, the only highway passing through Cheongyang is the ‘Seocheon-Gongju Expressway,’ with its interchange located on the outskirts of Cheongyang, resulting in relatively low usage.
However, once the Western Inland Expressway, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2024, is completed, an interchange will be established in the center of Cheongyang, dramatically improving accessibility to the Seoul metropolitan area and regional connectivity, which is expected to bring significant changes to the area.
At present, it takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes to travel from central Seoul to Cheongyang using the existing transportation network, but with the opening of this expressway, travel time will be reduced to around one hour.
In line with these improvements in regional transportation conditions, Cheongyang-gun is currently promoting its first-ever ‘General Industrial Complex Development’ project.
The Cheongyang General Industrial Complex will cover approximately 730,000㎡ (about 220,000 pyeong) and aims for completion in 2026. After receiving designation approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last year, it is now undergoing inter-agency consultations and the establishment of implementation plans for approval and announcement of the industrial complex plan by Chungcheongnam-do.
Cheongyang-gun covers an area of 479.10 km², about 80% of the size of Seoul, and is located about 20 minutes from the Chungnam Innovation City. It is also close to major cities in the Chungcheong region such as Daejeon and Sejong, raising expectations for high industrial development potential.
According to a Cheongyang-gun official, “The Cheongyang General Industrial Complex Development Project will be a good alternative for companies considering entry into the Chungnam region, as industrial complexes concentrated in the northern Chungnam area such as Cheonan and Asan have become saturated.” The official added, “We plan to actively promote the fact that a large-scale general industrial complex will be established in Cheongyang to these companies in the future.”
Meanwhile, Cheongyang-gun currently has six agricultural and industrial complexes established, one agricultural and industrial complex (specialized in food) under development, and 122 companies operating within the jurisdiction.
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