Geochang-gun Advances 'Selection and Concentration' Strategy for Key Projects in the 8th Elected Term

Realizing the Vision of Key Pledges in the 8th Civilian Administration
Building the Foundation for a Sustainable Future City

Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam Province, carried out its first organizational restructuring in the 8th local government term last January to complete the "Greater Geochang Leap, Era of Citizen Happiness," establish a strategic promotion system to secure the execution power of core pledges, and discover new projects looking ahead to 50 years of future growth, thereby creating a sustainable future for Geochang.

Reorganized into a three-department system operating under a responsible director system, the county has steadily laid the foundation for promoting major projects, including the core pledges of the 8th local government term, over the past year with the determination to transform into an innovative administration that resonates with citizens and an organization that citizens can feel.

In particular, the newly established Strategic Officer, created to promote core pledges, is presenting a visible blueprint and enhancing completeness through a selection and concentration strategy for key projects such as the Geochang-type Medical Welfare Town, crematorium construction, discovery and fostering of healing agriculture and industry, response to local extinction, and resolution of rural labor shortages.

Aerial view of Geochang-type Medical Welfare Town Geochang Red Cross Hospital.

The Geochang-type Medical Welfare Town is a project investing 288.9 billion KRW to build a comprehensive hospital-level Red Cross hospital with 18 departments and 300 beds by relocating and reconstructing the existing hospital, along with a public postpartum care center, Happy Mom Community Center, and Comprehensive Childcare Support Center. This project aims to expand public medical services in the medically underserved Geochang area and gather convenience facilities for pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare in one place, creating a high-quality residential environment based on excellent medical infrastructure.

In March last year, Geochang-gun and the Korean Red Cross signed the nation's first agreement among the three regions (Sangju, Tongyeong, Geochang) where Red Cross hospitals are being relocated and rebuilt. The agreement mainly involves the county preparing the site and the Red Cross handling construction, exchanging the current Red Cross hospital site with the new site, demonstrating the most proactive response nationwide.

With the establishment of the Geochang-type Medical Welfare Town, it is expected to create over 350 public jobs and equip the region with essential medical services and urgent emergency medical environments. Administrative efforts will focus on completing the final puzzle of the residential environment.

County Governor Gu In-mo visits the site of the Gamaksan Barrier-Free Sharing Trail construction project.

Geochang-gun is preparing future growth engines to revitalize local tourism and create high added value through diversification of healing tourism resources, project discovery, and product development.

The county has established four healing farms and trained healing personnel such as wellness tourism coordinators and healing agriculturists. It has also operated wellness experience events linked to major tourist sites like Geochang Anti-Aging Healing Land and customized anti-aging wellness programs that visit various locations.

Additionally, by 2024, a 3.75 km barrier-free sharing trail accessible to transportation-vulnerable groups such as the disabled and elderly will be created at the summit of Gamaksan Mountain. Plans are also underway to develop forest healing tourism destinations such as healing forests and forest campgrounds for extended stays.

Meanwhile, the Geochang-gun Strategic Officer is striving at the forefront of county administration to realize a happy city for citizens by generating future growth engines and expanding urban infrastructure for proactive regional development and competitiveness in line with the era of local autonomy, raising expectations for a bright future for Geochang-gun.