Cooperation Meeting on the 8th Agrees and Adopts Eight Joint Cooperation Tasks
Mayor Kim Doo-kyum Proposes High-Speed Rail Link between Ulsan and Jeonju
Kim Dukyum, Mayor of Ulsan, will attend the '18th Yeonghonam Provincial Governors Cooperation Meeting (Chairman Kim Kwanyoung, Governor of Jeonbuk)' held at the Taekwondowon Master Hall in Muju, Jeonbuk, at 1 p.m. on the 8th.
This meeting will be attended by the governors of eight cities and provinces from Yeongnam and Honam (Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam).
The agenda includes a report on the operation status of the East-West Exchange Cooperation Foundation, the signing of a joint statement on 10 key areas for local autonomy and balanced regional development, the election of the next council chairman, and a pledge of mutual support and participation in major events by each city and province.
The eight governors from Yeongnam and Honam deeply agree that, to realize an era where all regions are good places to live, local governments need to be empowered with practical authority and institutional reinforcement to lead their own growth. They will adopt joint policy cooperation tasks and regional balanced development tasks as a joint statement.
The joint policy cooperation tasks include: easing the requirements for designating alternative sites for regional strategic projects in Green Belt (GB) areas; raising the local allocation tax rate to overcome local fiscal crises; expanding cooperation and financial support to address low birth rates; and establishing a legal basis for national support for regional climate response funds.
Regional balanced development tasks include: building a Yeonghonam wide-area railway network (such as connecting high-speed rail between Ulsan and Jeonju, constructing an inland railway line within Yeonghonam, and four other projects); and constructing a Yeonghonam wide-area road network (such as building the Ulsan-Yangsan expressway and the Jeonju-Daegu expressway, and one other project).
Among these, Ulsan City has selected one joint policy cooperation task?easing the requirements for designating alternative sites for regional strategic projects in Green Belt (GB) areas?and two regional balanced development tasks: connecting the high-speed rail between Ulsan and Jeonju, and constructing the Ulsan-Yangsan expressway.
Ulsan City will also promote the 23rd 2024 Ulsan Industrial Festival, the Ulsan Cultural Expo, and the Ulsan Future Industry Expo (WAVE 2024) at the event, where mutual support and participation for the successful hosting of 15 major events by each city and province will be pledged.
Mayor Kim Dukyum stated, "To be selected as a national strategic project, it is necessary to designate alternative sites (new GB) equal in area to the first and second grade environmental assessment zones, but requiring mandatory consent forms from landowners being incorporated into these alternative sites is hindering the implementation of local projects. I propose easing the requirements for designating alternative sites for regional strategic projects in Green Belt areas to secure self-sufficiency through the lifting of Green Belt restrictions and to facilitate the selection of national strategic projects."
He also said, "Due to the lack of authority in areas such as declining local populations and fiscal decentralization, local regions are disappearing. If the eight cities and provinces of Yeongnam and Honam work together to seek solutions, we can achieve joint development."
Ulsan City Hall
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