Myeong Hyun-gwan, Haenam County Governor, "Opening the Second Half of the 8th Term with a Warm and Strong Local Economy"

Formation of Economic Revitalization TF Team, Establishing Cooperation System Among Priority Departments for Price Stability and Economic Revitalization

Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do is accelerating various revitalization strategies to revive the small business commercial districts in the declining original downtown area and overcome difficulties in the local economy.

On the 10th, County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan stated at a regular meeting, “The difficulties caused by nationwide inflation and economic recession are increasing, making collaboration across all departments and participation of public officials necessary for revitalizing the local economy,” and added, “I hope all policies prioritize economic revitalization so that Haenam, which has maintained strong economic resilience even during the COVID-19 crisis, can overcome this challenge once again by pooling its strengths.”

In particular, since economic revitalization requires cooperation across all areas of county administration, the county plans to form an economic revitalization task force (TF) team consisting of related departments such as agriculture and fisheries, tourism, economy, sports marketing, and welfare, which are the county’s main industries, to discover customized local economic revitalization projects and establish a collaborative system to explore development directions.

The TF team will expand and strengthen the economic stimulus measures that have shown results so far, while steadily promoting long-term projects to invigorate the economy, such as revitalizing the original downtown area, without any leakage.

(On the left) Myeong Hyun-gwan, Haenam County Governor, is visiting the Maeil Market and talking with the merchants.
[Photo by Haenam County]

In this regard, revitalization strategies for Eupnae-ri and Seongnae-ri, the central areas of Haenam-gun’s original downtown commercial district, are being actively pursued.

The Maeil Market night market, which began last year and created a significant impact on revitalizing the traditional market, will be expanded. This year, starting on the 14th and continuing until November, the “Ttangkkeut Daldal Cultural Night Tour” program will be held every second and fourth Friday of the month, adding a cultural dimension to the night market.

The program will feature various cultural performances within the market, experiential events at the youth mall, and the sale of four major traditional liquors, each store highlighting its unique characteristics. Various events for family participants and tourists will also be held, aiming to create a distinctive cultural space on Friday nights that attracts not only local residents but also visitors from outside the area.

This project is part of a five-year original downtown commercial district revitalization initiative by Haenam-gun. The county plans to create themed specialized streets in the Eupnae-ri and Seongnae-ri areas, the commercial centers of Haenam-eup, and operate key spaces such as handmade chocolate experience and sales centers.

The county has established a commercial district revitalization team within the Cultural Tourism Foundation and is progressively implementing online and offline production infrastructure, strengthening the capabilities of merchants and creators, and marketing efforts.

In addition to Maeil Market, facility improvements for traditional markets and shopping streets are also being accelerated.

With a total investment of 10 billion KRW, modernization of facilities at Sanjeong 5-day Market and Hwawon 5-day Market, as well as parking environment improvement projects at Sanjeong 5-day Market, are underway. The Usuyeong alley-type shopping street in Haenam-gun has been selected for the Jeonnam-style Alley Commercial District First Step Support Project, receiving various benefits such as handling Onnuri gift certificates to aid revitalization.

Public officials of Haenam County are using Haenam Love Gift Certificates at local stores.
[Photo by Haenam County]

Efforts are also being fully devoted to stabilizing prices to support the livelihoods of ordinary citizens. Indirect and direct support, such as cashback payments, is being expanded and strengthened for “Good Price Stores” that help stabilize prices by offering goods below the regional average price.

To promote Good Price Stores, customized goods support, reductions in water and sewage fees, 5% cashback payments when using Haenam Love Gift Certificates via card or QR payment, and delivery fee support projects are being implemented.

The first Wednesday of every month is designated as “Good Price Store Usage Day,” with all public officials participating in good consumption activities. Customized support such as Haenam-type special guarantee programs in three categories to establish a safety net for small business management and small-scale store improvement projects are also receiving positive responses.

The Haenam Love Gift Certificate, which has grown to be the largest in scale at the county level, will continue to be operated as a catalyst for revitalizing the local economy. Since its issuance began in April 2019, the Haenam Love Gift Certificate recorded cumulative sales of 600 billion KRW as of April this year, and total sales reached 622.7 billion KRW by the end of May.

The Haenam Love Gift Certificate has played a role as a catalyst by preventing the outflow of local funds outside the region, establishing a virtuous cycle of consumption within the region, and revitalizing the local economy, which had been depressed due to COVID-19 and other factors.

Haenam-gun plans to issue about 100 billion KRW worth of Haenam Love Gift Certificates this year as well. From April to May, a 10% discount sale was conducted to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the local gift certificate and Family Month.

Additionally, the county has laid the foundation for residents to use the gift certificates anytime and anywhere by continuously expanding registered merchants, securing national funds for discounted sales to residents, and expanding card and QR gift certificates.

Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan emphasized, “During the 7th to 8th terms of the elected administration, Haenam-gun has established a solid foundation for the local economy with some of the nation’s leading small business support policies and economic revitalization measures. In the latter half of the 8th term, I plan to pay even closer attention so that residents can tangibly feel the effects of economic revitalization. I will personally listen to residents’ opinions on-site and promptly reflect them in county administration.”