Jeonnam Province Accelerates Development of Yeongam and Haenam Corporate City Solar City

Workshop for Developing Key Cities in the Southwest Region with Central Government Ministries

Jeonnam Province is accelerating the Yeongam-Haenam Enterprise City Solar City development project.

The province announced on the 11th that it will hold a workshop at Hotel Hyundai by Lahan Mokpo until the 12th.

Over 70 participants, including central government officials, Yeongam County, Haenam County, project implementers from the three enterprise city districts, and university representatives, will attend over two days.

They will explore development directions to foster the Enterprise City Solar City as a hub city in the western region of Jeonnam and discuss the application of smart city technologies such as autonomous driving.

The event began with Jeonnam Province’s presentation on the ‘Enterprise City Solar City Strategy and Vision,’ followed by presentations on ▲development project directions and 2024 key project plans by each district’s project implementers ▲and a keynote speech by Jung Sung-moon, CEO of The Chaeum Co., Ltd., titled ‘Recovery, Transformation, and Sustainability of Jeonnam Tourism.’

Notably, Professor Jang Ki-tae from KAIST’s Cho Chun-sik Graduate School of Mobility emphasized in his lecture on ‘Future Mobility in Carbon Neutrality and Digital Transformation’ the establishment of an autonomous driving mobility R&D center within Solar City linked to President Yoon Seok-yeol’s campaign promise of the Gwangju-Yeongam Expressway (Autobahn) and plans for youth startup incubating, drawing significant attention.

The Solar City development project has taken considerable time to complete various administrative procedures since the enactment of the ‘Enterprise City Special Act’ in December 2004, including reclamation of public waters, designation of development zones, approval of development plans, and designation of project implementers.

Accordingly, Jeonnam Province plans to propose to central government ministries the introduction of a permit fast track system to simplify administrative procedures by expanding the scope of minor changes to development plans and delegating approval authority for minor development and implementation plans, aiming to accelerate development speed.

Additionally, the province is preparing to establish a fund with Yeongam and Haenam counties to support strategically promoted projects within Solar City and plans to promote related legal amendments such as separate taxation on property tax to actively attract private investment, along with holding investment attraction briefings targeting the Seoul metropolitan area.

Lee Sang-yong, Jeonnam Province’s Enterprise City Officer, stated, “Much time has been spent securing land through reclamation of public waters and fulfilling administrative procedures. Moving forward, we will rapidly advance distinctive projects unique to the enterprise city, such as the Yeongamho Complex Marine Tourism Leisure Development, the Youth Theme Park Velocity linked to the International Automobile Racing Circuit, the Autonomous Driving Youth Factory project, and smart city development, to transform Solar City into a prominent hub complex city in the southwest region where tourism, leisure, industry, and residence harmoniously coexist.”