President Yoon: "Transform Gangwon's Key Industries into Digital and Bio Sectors... Establish as an Advanced Industry Hub"

19th Public Discussion Hosted
Establishment of 'Gangwon Suyeol Energy Cluster' in Chuncheon

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the 19th "Public Discussion on Livelihoods" held under the theme "Making Livelihoods Happy, the Power of Gangwon!" on the 11th at the Gangwon Provincial Government Annex in Chuncheon, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 11th, "We will transform Gangwon Province's main industries into advanced industries based on digital and bio technologies, fostering it as South Korea's new hub for cutting-edge industries."

On the same morning at the Gangwon Provincial Office, President Yoon presided over the 19th Livelihood Discussion Forum under the theme "Making Livelihoods Happy, Strengthening Gangwon!" He emphasized, "We will innovate regulations that constrain regional development to enable Gangwon to take a new leap forward and firmly support advanced and tourism industries."

President Yoon said, "Gangwon has protected our security with military facilities and safeguarded against natural disasters with its dense forests, dams, and lakes, but it has faced economic difficulties due to the resulting restrictions."

He indicated plans to first reorganize Gangwon's main industries into advanced industries to transform its cities. President Yoon announced, "We will establish the 'Gangwon Thermal Energy Cluster' in Chuncheon, utilizing the cold water from the deep layers of Soyanggang Dam for cooling data centers and reusing the warmed water for heating nearby smart farms." Through this, he promised to support the early success of the '333 Project,' which aims to make Gangwon the capital of the data industry with 30,000 digital industry workers, 3,000 digital companies, and 300% sales growth.

He also plans to develop Gangwon as a center for the bio-health industry. President Yoon emphasized, "This year, Gangwon was designated as a 'Global Innovation Special Zone' for health and medical data," adding, "We will support companies to freely develop technologies and challenge various fields."

Leading Project for Chuncheon Corporate Innovation Park... 260 Billion KRW Investment

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the 19th "Public Discussion on Livelihoods" held under the theme "Making Livelihoods Happy, the Power of Gangwon!" on the 11th at the Gangwon Provincial Government Annex in Chuncheon, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, President Yoon announced the promotion of the leading project for the 'Chuncheon Corporate Innovation Park,' which grants private companies land expropriation and development rights, and plans to transform Donghae and Samcheok into future hydrogen energy hubs. He continued, "Last year, Gangneung was selected as a candidate site for the National Industrial Complex for Natural Product Bio, and if it passes the ongoing preliminary feasibility study by July this year, we will promptly invest 260 billion KRW to develop the industrial complex."

He also unveiled plans to build additional cable cars to develop Gangwon's tourism industry. President Yoon explained, "The Osaek Cable Car in Seoraksan National Park, Gangwon's first campaign pledge and a long-cherished wish for over 40 years, began construction last year," adding, "Once fully operational in 2026, it will generate economic effects exceeding 130 billion KRW, greatly revitalizing the region." He stated that additional cable cars will be constructed in locations desired by local residents.

President Yoon added, "To utilize the legacy left by the Olympics as a tourism resource, we will transform Jangseon Gariwangsan, which was used as a ski venue, into a forest-type garden, allowing more citizens to visit this tourist attraction that drew 180,000 visitors last year."

Furthermore, to improve medical infrastructure in underserved areas such as Inje, Yanggu, and Hoengseong, standards for installing medical equipment like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) will be enhanced so that precision diagnosis can be received at local hospitals. Additionally, to address frequent water shortages in the Yeongdong region, an underground storage dam will be constructed to collect groundwater, alleviating drought concerns for local residents.

President Yoon stated, "We will connect the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX) B and D lines to Chuncheon and Wonju respectively, and ensure the smooth progress of the East-West high-speed railway section from Chuncheon to Sokcho and the double-track electrification from Yeoju to Wonju," adding, "We will also carefully manage the last section of the East-West 6-axis expressway, the Yeongwol to Samcheok highway, significantly improving the lives of residents in mountainous areas."

Having conducted the 19th Livelihood Discussion Forum traveling nationwide, President Yoon promised accelerated policy implementation. He said, "Through this year's livelihood forums, we realized that discovering policy tasks from the perspective of policy users and breaking down barriers between ministries and departments to proceed swiftly is the right direction," emphasizing, "Going forward, all ministries will unite to speed up policy implementation and achieve life changes that all citizens can feel."

About 100 people attended the forum, including businesspeople, local residents, farmers, national veterans, and students. From the government, Environment Minister Han Hwa-jin and Korea Forest Service Chief Nam Sung-hyun participated. Local governments were represented by Gangwon Governor Kim Jin-tae, and from the Presidential Office, Policy Chief Seong Tae-yoon, Senior Secretary for Civil Society Hwang Sang-mu, and Senior Secretary for Social Affairs Jang Sang-yoon were present.