Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam: "Advanced Bases in Yeong and Honam Must Be the Center of National Development"

The 17th Yeong-Honam Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting Held

"Yeongnam and Honam must stand at the center of national development as advanced bases for South Korea to expand into the Pacific."

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, said this on the 23rd at the 17th Yeongnam-Honam Governors' Cooperation Meeting held at Lotte Hotel Ulsan.

Governor Park pointed out, "It is undesirable that the national development capabilities are concentrated in the metropolitan area and Yeongnam and Honam are marginalized as remote regions because they are far from Seoul."

He continued, "For balanced development, through the Yeongnam-Honam Governors' Cooperation Meeting, let's compare and analyze the development capabilities and past and present indicators of the Yeongnam and Honam regions, present them to the central government, and propose improvement measures."

Jo Bong-eop, Vice Governor of Jeonbuk Province (first from the left), Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, Kim Doo-gyeom, Mayor of Ulsan, Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan, Kim Jong-han, Vice Mayor of Daegu, and Moon Young-hoon, Vice Mayor of Gwangju, are taking a commemorative photo after adopting a joint statement for regional balanced development at the 17th Yeong-Honam Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Office]

According to Gyeongnam Province, the meeting was attended by Governor Park, Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon, Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom, Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok, Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Daegu Deputy Mayor Kim Jong-han, Gwangju Deputy Mayor Moon Young-hoon, and Jeonbuk Deputy Governor Jo Bong-eop.

This meeting, held for the first time since the launch of the 8th local government administration, included reports on the operation status of the East-West Exchange Cooperation Foundation, election of the next chair city/province, deliberation and resolution of joint cooperation tasks and regional balanced development tasks for Yeongnam and Honam, and the announcement of a joint statement.

Eight joint cooperation tasks were adopted, including ▲designation of the South Coast Free Flight Zone ▲expansion of local resource facility tax revenue ▲strengthening of local governments' autonomous organizational rights ▲enactment of a special law for urban convergence special zones ▲differential regional tariff systems ▲proposal to convert childbirth incentive payments into national support projects ▲institutional improvements for revitalizing Sadosamchon (Four Cities and Three Villages) ▲and prompt implementation of strengthened local decentralization for a definite local era.

Twelve projects necessary for East-West exchange between Yeongnam and Honam and the establishment of a southern Korean Peninsula wide-area economic zone were set as regional balanced development cooperation tasks, including ▲exemption from preliminary feasibility study and early commencement of the Dalbit Inland Railroad ▲construction of the Dongdaegu~Changwon~Gadeokdo New Airport high-speed railway ▲early completion of the Namhae-Yeosu undersea tunnel.

According to the rotation system among the eight cities and provinces, Kim Kwan-young, Governor of Jeonbuk Province, was elected as the 14th chair.

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is speaking at the 17th Yeong-Honam Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

On this day, Governor Park proposed the "designation of the South Coast Free Flight Zone" as a joint cooperation task.

The purpose is to create an environment where leisure aircraft can freely fly over the South Coast area, which is a natural tourism resource.

The eight Yeongnam and Honam cities and provinces agreed to work together to gradually ease related regulations to promote tourism development in the South Coast areas such as Sacheon and Namhae, which are restricted due to military operation zones and other factors affecting the aviation tourism industry.

They also agreed on a joint statement to cooperate in efforts for regional balanced development and the advancement of local governments.

They promoted events held in each city and province, including the Hadong World Tea Expo and the Sancheong World Traditional Medicine and Anti-Aging Expo, which will be held in Gyeongnam this year.

On this day, the eight Yeongnam and Honam governors united in their intention to cooperate and exchange for the mutual development of Yeongnam and Honam.