Request for Cooperation in Securing National Funding to Address Key Issues to Vice Minister Kim Wan-seop
Proposal for Prompt Construction of Yeongilman Bridge and Approval of Total Project Cost Change
Lee Gang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, met with Kim Wan-seop, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, at the National Assembly Main Building in Yeouido on the 28th to propose key priority projects for next year and urged efforts to expedite the construction of the Pohang-Yeongdeok Expressway (Yeongilman Bridge), a long-standing regional demand.
On the 28th, Lee Gang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, met with Kim Wan-seop, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, at the National Assembly Main Building in Yeouido to request national funding support for next year's key priority projects.
Mayor Lee is personally overseeing projects on-site to ensure that local pending projects proceed smoothly, as the conditions for securing next year’s national budget have become more challenging than last year due to the government’s sound fiscal management policy, decreased national tax revenue, and domestic and international economic and financial uncertainties.
On this day, Mayor Lee requested Vice Minister Kim Wan-seop to promptly approve the total project cost revision for the ‘Pohang-Yeongdeok Expressway (Yeongilman Bridge) construction project,’ emphasizing, “Yeongilman Bridge is a key project for Pohang aimed at establishing a national arterial road network and resolving regional development imbalances along the East Coast. Since the current national road alternative bypass is saturated at grade E traffic volume, the project’s advancement is urgent.”
Additionally, with Pohang designated as a secondary battery specialized complex and the hydrogen fuel cell power generation cluster project passing the preliminary feasibility study, Mayor Lee requested active cooperation to expedite the construction of Yeongilman Bridge connecting Yeongilman General Industrial Complex in Buk-gu and Blue Valley National Industrial Complex in Nam-gu to foster the secondary battery and hydrogen industries, improve accessibility, and reduce logistics costs.
Mayor Lee also highlighted Pohang’s research capabilities utilizing 3rd and 4th generation synchrotron accelerators and cryo-electron microscopes (cryo-EM), proposing the inclusion of a new project for the ‘Large Equipment Integrated Utilization New Drug Design Platform Construction Project’ aimed at bridging the technological gap with advanced bio countries and domesticating core source technologies for new drug development.
Furthermore, he requested the prompt inclusion of a new budget for the ‘Yeongilman Port Coastal Passenger Wharf Construction Project,’ as a large passenger ship on the Pohang-Ulleung route is temporarily using the Yeongilman Port International Passenger Wharf. He also proposed support for the ‘Yeongilman Industrial Complex (2, 3, 4) Buffer Retention Facility Installation Project’ and the ‘National East Sea Coastal Defense History Memorial Hall Construction Project.’
Mayor Lee stated, “Although the national fiscal situation is difficult, securing national investment budget is paramount to ensuring the smooth progress of key pending projects that will drive future innovative growth. I will visit related agencies frequently and actively utilize all available means to do my best to secure the national budget until the very end.”
Regarding national budget procurement, Mayor Lee emphasized that projects receiving positive responses from relevant ministries and the Ministry of Economy and Finance could still face cuts depending on the national fiscal situation, and instructed related departments to maintain continuous communication and visits until the budget proposal is submitted.
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