Attendance at Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Inauguration Ceremony
Revitalizing High-Tech and Tourism Industries
"Opening an Era of Local Regions Where It Is Good to Live Anywhere"
President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 9th regarding the launch of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, "We will actively support the fostering of advanced industries to realize the vision of a 'future industry global city.'"
On the morning of the same day, President Yoon attended the inauguration ceremony of the 'Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province' held at the Baekryeong Art Center of Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and promised, "Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province will invigorate advanced industries and tourism by removing obstacles to development."
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province was President Yoon’s first pledge for the Gangwon region during his presidential campaign in December 2021. At that time, President Yoon emphasized that it should be changed from the 'Peace Self-Governing Province' pursued by the Moon Jae-in administration to an 'Economic Special Self-Governing Province.'
President Yoon congratulated, "It has been eight months since the groundbreaking ceremony of the Chuncheon-Sokcho East-West High-Speed Railway last October, and I am meeting you again in the special self-governing province. Today is truly a joyful day." He continued, "Gangwon, with its magnificent natural environment and abundant resources, will now develop dramatically based on advanced science and technology. Since development was delayed, it will transform into something truly splendid and sophisticated."
President Yoon also said, "This aligns with the regional balanced development strategy where regions discover their comparative advantage industries themselves and the central government actively supports them," emphasizing, "The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Act was enacted last June, and through active cooperation between central ministries and Gangwon Province, we have achieved the amendment of the special law within a year to significantly ease regulations in the fields of forestry, environment, agriculture, and military."
The government pledged to actively assist the development of advanced industries and tourism in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. President Yoon promised, "The government will actively support the fostering of advanced industries to realize the vision of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province as a 'future industry global city.' Gangneung City has been designated as a candidate site for the national natural product bio-industrial complex, and Taebaek City has been designated as a regulatory-free zone for hydrogen production using forest biomass. We will spare no support to ensure that challenges in advanced industries such as e-mobility and hydrogen can be realized locally."
He added, "We will speedily promote the Chuncheon-Sokcho East-West High-Speed Railway project, which will support the advanced industries and tourism of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and do our best to establish a transportation network that tightly connects the region."
Announcing plans to launch the Local Era Committee, he said, "The government aims to open a local era where it is good to live anywhere" and "we will organically operate local decentralization and balanced development within one framework to ensure fair accessibility and strengthen local fiscal authority. Regions will select competitive industries themselves, and the central government will support the realization of a balanced development strategy."
The ceremony was held to widely announce and commemorate the official launch of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, established under the 'Special Act on the Establishment of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province' enacted last June. About 1,600 people attended, including Kim Jin-tae, Governor of Gangwon Province, Kwon Hyuk-yeol, Chairman of the Gangwon Provincial Council, members of the National Assembly, and residents of Gangwon Province.
The Presidential Office evaluated, "The launch of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province means that local governments can secure autonomy in policy decision-making, and it is an institutional achievement that aligns with the current administration’s philosophy of the local era, where regions find their own development strategies and growth engines and the central government supports them."
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