Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (second from left) is taking a commemorative photo with Jeollanam-do Governor Kim Young-rok (second from right), who visited the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on the 23rd.
Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam Province, who are competing for the top two spots in job performance ability among the heads of 17 metropolitan local governments nationwide, met.
Gyeonggi Province announced that Governor Kim Young-rok of Jeollanam Province visited the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on the 23rd to serve as an 'Honorary Governor of Gyeonggi Province for one day.' Governor Kim Dong-yeon warmly welcomed Governor Kim Young-rok and his party in the lobby and presented them with the 'Honorary Governor of Gyeonggi Province Certificate.'
As the honorary governor, Kim Young-rok presided over the 'Joint Executive Meeting of Gyeonggi Province and Jeollanam Province,' received work reports from Gyeonggi executives, and approved the plan to expand contract cultivation of eco-friendly agricultural products between Gyeonggi and Jeonnam. This was the first approval by the honorary governor.
The first approval plan includes increasing the supply of Jeonnam agricultural products such as potatoes, melons, onions, cabbage, napa cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes, and bananas to school meals in Gyeonggi Province. According to the detailed supply plan, the supply volume, which was 69 tons as of July, will increase by 100 tons annually to 200 tons in 2025, 300 tons in 2026, 400 tons in 2027, and 500 tons in 2028.
Governor Kim Dong-yeon expressed gratitude, introducing his connection with Governor Kim Young-rok, who was Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries when he was Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy, saying, "I requested Governor Kim Young-rok to be the honorary governor for one day, and he readily accepted, so we were able to host him."
He continued, "When I quit as Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy and traveled around the country, the first place I visited and stayed for a long time was Wando, Jeollanam Province," emphasizing, "I have thought that we owe a lot to Jeonnam in pre-modern and modern history."
He added, "In modern history, Jeollanam Province made the greatest sacrifices and dedication for democratization, and going back further, it was Jeonnam that defended the country during the Imjin War," and said, "I hope that Gyeonggi Province and Jeollanam Province will expand their mutual coexistence through Governor Kim Young-rok's one-day governorship."
Governor Kim Young-rok responded, "I am grateful and honored that the Governor of Gyeonggi Province, whom I deeply respect, proposed that I become the honorary governor of Gyeonggi Province with its population of 14 million," and said, "I will strive to create a new model moving toward the future through win-win cooperation between Jeollanam Province and Gyeonggi Province."
Win-win cooperation between the two regions is progressing in various ways.
First, since last year, Jeonnam agricultural products have been actively used in school meals in Gyeonggi Province. Also, at the ‘Market Gyeonggi: Gyeonggi-Jeonnam Win-win Corner,’ products such as Sinan dried rockfish, Wando abalone, Haenam seaweed, and Naju melons are being sold in addition to agricultural products. Seaweed from Jindo, which suffered flood damage due to heavy rain, has also been served in cafeterias of Gyeonggi Province and public institutions. Furthermore, the ‘Deep Purple’ rose developed by the Gyeonggi Agricultural Technology Institute has been developed as a tourism product on Sinan Purple Island.
That is not all. The two regions signed a win-win cooperation agreement in 10 fields in October 2022 and are putting it into practice.
The main cooperation areas include ▲ Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ▲ Activation of renewable energy ▲ Marine water leisure sports industry ▲ Expansion of eco-friendly agricultural product supply ▲ Online agricultural specialty product win-win market ▲ Tourism exchange cooperation ▲ 2023 Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo - Gyeonggi Garden Culture Expo ▲ Hometown Love Donation System ▲ Youth exchange ▲ Support for returning farmers and rural migration.
Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province, introduced, "Governors Kim Dong-yeon and Kim Young-rok have maintained their positions in the TOP 3 in metropolitan government head evaluations," adding, "In the July metropolitan government head evaluation (job performance support) announced by Realmeter, Governor Kim Dong-yeon ranked first (59.5%) and Governor Kim Young-rok ranked third (57.2%)."
He explained, "Today's lunch table for Governors Kim Dong-yeon and Kim Young-rok featured rice from Damyang, Jeonnam, Yeosu mustard kimchi, and Hwaseong bread from Suwon," and said, "This menu symbolizes the journey together of Gyeonggi Province and Jeonnam Province, and the purpose of this journey is mutual prosperity."
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