Announcement of Top 10 News of 2023, High Interest in Future New Industry Investment Attraction
Achievements Across All Fields Including New Industries and Tourism: ‘Secondary Batteries·Hydrogen, Spacewalk, Cheolgilsup’
Mayor Lee Gang-deok:
On the 22nd, Pohang City announced the ‘Top 10 News of Pohang City in 2023’.
The ‘Top 10 News of Pohang City in 2023’ was selected through a survey conducted via SNS and other channels from the 14th to the 19th, with direct participation from over 2,600 citizens who chose the news that garnered the most attention throughout the year.
The voting results included ▲Pohang City’s designation as a secondary battery specialized complex and the preliminary feasibility study approval for the hydrogen fuel cell cluster ▲Pohang Spacewalk selected as a ‘2023 Star of Korean Tourism’ ▲Pohang City’s nationwide rise as a city good for barefoot walking ▲Court ruling on compensation for the Pohang earthquake ▲Efforts to establish POSTECH Medical School, among various achievements across social, economic, and tourism administration fields over the past year.
In particular, the achievement of simultaneously attracting two major national projects in the fields of secondary batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, which are not only Pohang’s but also South Korea’s future core growth engines and energy innovation strategic industries, ranked first. The citizens showed the greatest interest in the fruits of efforts made by pooling local capabilities for sustainable development of Pohang through fostering new industries.
Additionally, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the creation of the nation’s first ‘Yukyangguk-linked Global Data Center Campus’ and POSTECH’s final selection as one of the ‘Glocal Universities 30’ as a leading university responsible for the region’s future, citizens’ expectations were reflected in Pohang’s leap as a Northeast Asian digital industry hub and in nurturing excellent talent to lead the local era.
Moreover, following last year’s breakthrough of 1 million tourists, this year’s tourist numbers soared past 2 million, and Pohang Spacewalk was selected in the new tourism resources category of the ‘2023 Star of Korean Tourism,’ drawing attention as a bona fide global landmark.
Along with this, major projects of the Greenway Project aimed at creating an eco-friendly green ecological city in Pohang were selected, including the completion of the ‘Sangsaeng Forest Path Pedestrian Bridge,’ a railway forest connecting the city center, nature, and people, and news that Pohang is emerging as a city good for barefoot walking, reflecting citizens’ high interest in improved living conditions and health.
Citizens also showed great interest in the establishment of the ‘POSTECH Medical School,’ which is being promoted to prevent the collapse of local medical care and improve the poor regional medical reality. The signature campaign to urge the establishment of the medical school surpassed the target of 200,000 people in a short period, confirming the citizens’ earnest wishes.
Besides these, various policies directly related to citizens’ lives, including ‘court ruling on compensation for the Pohang earthquake,’ ‘confirmation of POSCO Holdings headquarters relocation to Pohang,’ and ‘operation of the Pohang-Suseo SRT,’ received high attention along with regional issues.
Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “Although there were many difficulties this year as well, thanks to the united efforts with citizens, we were able to achieve various results,” and added, “In 2024, we will do our utmost to improve the quality of life and build a sustainable ‘Central City of the East Sea’ Pohang by promoting citizen-centered administration in all fields such as economy, safety, and welfare.”
The ‘Top 10 News of Pohang City Administration in 2023’ selected and announced by Pohang City are as follows.
▲Double Celebration: Designation of Secondary Battery Specialized Complex and Preliminary Feasibility Study Approval for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cluster
Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang holding a press conference on the designation of the secondary battery specialized complex and the preliminary feasibility study approval for the hydrogen fuel cell cluster.
Pohang City has established itself as a ‘new industry mecca’ by being selected as the ‘Secondary Battery Cathode Material Industry Specialized Complex’ and simultaneously passing the preliminary feasibility study for the ‘Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Generation Cluster Construction Project.’ This year alone, Pohang recorded a ‘record-high’ investment attraction performance of 7.4 trillion KRW. Among this, investment in the secondary battery sector amounts to 5.6 trillion KRW, with a total corporate investment of 14 trillion KRW planned by 2027. Additionally, the city plans to create an H2 Campus on a 60,000-pyeong site within the hydrogen fuel cell cluster to attract about 30 companies, completing the industrial ecosystem for secondary batteries and hydrogen fuel cells and focusing all efforts on advancing as a ‘Battery Nation City (Jeonji Boguk).’
▲POSCO Holdings Headquarters Relocation to Pohang Confirmed … Relocation Agenda Passed at General Meeting
POSCO Holdings resolved the agenda to relocate the headquarters to Pohang at the board meeting in February and finalized the decision at the 55th regular shareholders’ meeting in March, confirming the relocation of the headquarters to Pohang. However, in November, POSCO Holdings decided to establish a Seongnam branch of the Future Technology Research Institute, which is much larger than the Pohang main campus, causing renewed conflict with Pohang citizens. Currently, Pohang citizens are urging the implementation of an operational system centered on Pohang and the strengthening of the practical functions of the Pohang main campus in line with regional balanced development policies.
▲Pohang City Emerges Nationwide as a City Good for Barefoot Walking, Harmonizing Coast, River, and Forest Paths
As ‘barefoot walking’ spreads nationwide as a trend, Pohang City is expanding related infrastructure such as designating ‘30 Barefoot Paths,’ raising its national recognition as a city good for barefoot walking. To practice ‘barefoot walking in daily life,’ barefoot paths and convenience facilities have been created around residential areas such as apartment complexes, with citizens voluntarily participating in maintenance, expanding positive influence. To promote barefoot walking and the green city brand, the city held the nation’s first ‘1st Korea Barefoot Walking Festival’ on April 29 and registered the Barefoot Path BI as a service mark with the Korean Intellectual Property Office in May, among other initiatives.
▲“State Liability for Pohang Earthquake” … Court Orders Compensation to Affected Citizens
A court ruling declared that the state must compensate for the mental damages caused by the earthquake that occurred in Pohang on November 15, 2017. This ruling is the first to recognize the state’s liability for damages caused by induced earthquakes from geothermal power projects, ordering compensation of 2 to 3 million KRW per person for mental damages. Pohang City, concerned about social confusion due to a flood of lawsuits, has continuously urged the government for lump-sum compensation and operates the ‘Pohang Earthquake Information Center’ and holds ‘Earthquake Lawsuit Regional Explanation Meetings’ to address citizens’ inconveniences and questions related to the lawsuits. The government and POSCO’s appeals against the Pohang earthquake damage compensation ruling have sparked strong public criticism among Pohang citizens.
▲Pohang Spacewalk Surpasses 2 Million Visitors … Selected as ‘2023 Star of Korean Tourism’
Spacewalk is the largest experiential sculpture in Korea, allowing visitors to walk along a 333-meter-long steel structure track and enjoy the sensation of floating in outer space. Since its opening on November 18, 2021, it has gained popularity as a ‘hot place’ on SNS and established itself as a representative tourist attraction of Pohang. Visitors surpassed 2 million in October, just 23 months after opening, and on the 13th, it was selected in the new tourism resources category of the ‘2023 Star of Korean Tourism,’ rising as a landmark representing not only Pohang but also South Korea.
▲POSTECH Selected as a ‘Glocal University’ to Lead Mutual Growth of University and Region
In November, POSTECH was finally selected as one of the ‘Glocal Universities 30,’ a project promoted by the Ministry of Education to designate leading universities responsible for the region’s future. The ‘Glocal University’ project selects universities that will lead sustainable urban growth and supports them with a budget of 100 billion KRW over five years, prioritizing regulatory innovation. Through this project, the city plans to create a global startup ecosystem linked to regional characteristics and nurture excellent talent to enhance regional competitiveness.
▲Pohang City’s Lifeline: POSTECH Medical School Establishment Surpasses 200,000 Signatures in Citizen Campaign
Pohang City is proactively prioritizing the establishment of the ‘POSTECH Medical School’ to prevent the collapse of local medical care and resolve regional medical imbalance caused by concentration in the metropolitan area. Starting with the launch of the citizen promotion committee for medical school establishment in 2018, the city has conducted research projects and National Assembly policy forums, and opened the POSTECH Graduate School of Medical Science this year as a preliminary step. Notably, the citizen signature campaign urging the establishment of the medical school surpassed 200,000 signatures in just over two weeks, confirming the high interest and desire of citizens for the medical school. In the new year, Pohang plans to gather cooperation and capabilities beyond Pohang to the East Coast region of Gyeongbuk to ensure the establishment of the ‘POSTECH Medical School.’
▲Completion of Pohang Railway Forest ‘Sangsaeng Forest Path Pedestrian Bridge’ Connecting City Center, Nature, and People
In October, the ‘Sangsaeng Forest Path Pedestrian Bridge,’ connecting Pohang Railway Forest and the Hyeongsan River crossing bridge, was completed, extending the Pohang Railway Forest across the Hyeongsan River to the south. The pedestrian bridge is a 140-meter-long steel pipe girder bridge connecting the Hyeongsan River crossing public road bridge completed last year and the 9.3 km Pohang Railway Forest (from Uhyun-dong Yuseong Girls’ High School to Yeonil-eup Yugang Water Purification Plant). It is designed exclusively for pedestrians and bicycles and includes an observatory to enjoy views of the Hyeongsan River and surrounding scenery. Pohang City plans to continuously expand green spaces by connecting fragmented forest paths to improve citizens’ quality of life.
▲Pohang City Takes a Leap as a Northeast Asian Digital Innovation Hub by Attracting ‘Global Data Center Campus’
In September, Pohang City signed an MOU for the nation’s first Yukyangguk-linked global data campus creation project. Yukyangguk refers to network facilities connecting international submarine optical cables with terrestrial communication networks. By 2028, approximately 30,000 pyeong of land within the Pohang Blue Valley National Industrial Complex will be developed with an investment of 1.52 trillion KRW to build four 30MW-class data center buildings, expected to create about 5,200 direct and indirect jobs. Furthermore, Pohang plans to strengthen its position as a future advanced strategic industry mecca by attracting global big tech companies and enhancing global competitiveness.
▲Pohang-Suseo SRT Service Started on September 1, Easing Travel to Gangnam Area
The long-awaited Suseo-bound high-speed train (SRT) for residents of the Gyeongbuk East Coast region began full operation on September 1. Previously, citizens had to get off at Seoul Station and travel over 40 minutes to visit Seoul Gangnam, where large hospitals and major corporations are concentrated, causing inconvenience. The opening of the SRT has improved transportation convenience for citizens and made it easier for metropolitan tourists to visit Pohang. Pohang City plans to increase the number of SRT services next year to provide more convenient use for citizens.
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