Yeonghonam Provincial Governors and National Assembly Members Pledge to Drive Balanced Development

Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting and Lawmakers' Invitation for Win-Win Cooperation
Adoption of Joint Resolution on Metropolitan Area Response and Southern Region Growth Hub

The Yeonghonam Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting was held on the 30th at the FKI Tower Conference Center in Seoul, inviting governors from 8 Yeonghonam provinces and local members of the National Assembly for a win-win cooperation meeting.
[Photo by Jeonnam Province]

Mayors and governors from Yeongho and Nam regions, along with local members of the National Assembly, gathered in one place and pledged, "Let Yeongho and Nam unite to lead the balanced development of the Republic of Korea."

The Yeongho and Nam Mayors and Governors Cooperation Meeting (Chairman Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province) held a win-win cooperation meeting on the 30th at the FKI (Federation of Korean Industries) Tower Conference Center in Seoul, inviting eight mayors and governors from Yeongho and Nam and local National Assembly members.

This meeting was the first event where the eight mayors and governors from Yeongho and Nam gathered in one place. Attendees included Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam and chairman of the Yeongho and Nam Mayors and Governors Cooperation Meeting; Kang Ki-jung, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City; Yang Bu-nam, Chairman of the Democratic Party Gwangju City Party Committee; Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province; Joo Cheol-hyun, Chairman of the Democratic Party Jeonnam Provincial Party Committee; and other mayors, governors, and party committee chairpersons from the Yeongho and Nam regions.

The participants discussed joint cooperation tasks adopted at the 18th Yeongho and Nam Mayors and Governors Cooperation Meeting and cooperation plans for legislative issues by province. They also adopted a joint resolution between Yeongho and Nam mayors, governors, and National Assembly members to establish a southern growth hub in response to the metropolitan area.

The cooperation tasks adopted by the Mayors and Governors Cooperation Meeting include: ▲National support for regional climate response funds ▲Cooperation to address low birth rates and expansion of financial support ▲Joint response to overcome local financial crises ▲Relaxation of designation requirements for alternative sites for strategic projects in development-restricted areas ▲Expansion of business succession tax deductions ▲Improvement of consultations on the establishment and modification of social security systems ▲Proposal for a regional-based wide-area visa system ▲Cooperation for the passage of the Island Development Promotion Act amendment in the National Assembly, totaling eight joint cooperation tasks; and ▲Construction of the Ulsan-Yangsan Expressway ▲Construction of the Yeongho and Nam inland railway line (Jeonju-Gimcheon) ▲Establishment of a new high-speed rail line for the entire Jeolla Line (Iksan-Yeosu) ▲Construction of the Dongdaegu-Changwon-Gadeokdo New Airport high-speed railway, totaling eight regional balanced development tasks.

Legislative issues by province include: ▲Enactment of the Special Act on the Construction of an Aerospace Complex City (Gyeongnam) ▲Enactment of the Special Act on Busan as a Global Hub City (Busan) ▲Amendment of the Special Act on the Integrated New Airport for Daegu and Gyeongbuk (Daegu) ▲Enactment of the Artificial Intelligence Industry Promotion Act (Gwangju) ▲Amendment of the Restriction of Special Taxation Act to ease conditions for tax reductions on corporate headquarters relocation (Ulsan) ▲Amendment of the Special Act on Metropolitan Wide-area Transportation including the Jeonbuk metropolitan area (Jeonbuk) ▲Enactment of the Special Act on Jeonnam Special Self-Governing Province (Jeonnam) ▲Enactment of the APEC Special Act (Gyeongbuk), totaling 16 items, which will be cooperated on during future National Assembly discussions.

The joint resolution includes expanding local autonomy led by Yeongho and Nam, achieving balanced national land development to create a true local era where the metropolitan area and provinces grow together by ▲prioritizing local-centered balanced development in government policy directions ▲transferring central government authority and expanding local fiscal autonomy ▲passing government tax law amendments to expand regional balanced development and investment attraction in the National Assembly ▲and cooperating on securing national funds for Yeongho and Nam provincial balanced development tasks and legislative issues. A total of 100 participants, including eight Yeongho and Nam mayors and governors and 92 National Assembly members, joined.

As a result of the meeting, the Yeongho and Nam mayors, governors, and National Assembly members unanimously resolved to prioritize the passage of the Southern Coastal Area Development Special Act in the National Assembly.

Kang Ki-jung, Mayor of Gwangju, said, "Thanks to Gwangju working together with Daegu, we were able to achieve the Airport Special Act and the Dalbit Railroad Special Act, and it really worked." He added, "Now is the time for Yeongho and Nam to unite their strength and form a political alliance. Through this, we must reclaim the rights of Yeongho and Nam, cities of Korea's industrialization and democratization, and restore the abnormal to normal to revive our local areas."

Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, said, "More than half of human and material resources are concentrated in the metropolitan area, and the provinces are losing vitality and heading toward extinction." He emphasized, "To overcome this critical crisis, solidarity and cooperation at the local level are urgently needed."

He continued, "I ask for the enactment of the ‘Jeollanam-do Special Self-Governing Province Establishment Special Act’ so that Jeonnam can timely develop policies suited to local conditions to overcome the risk of local extinction."

Meanwhile, the Yeongho and Nam Mayors and Governors Cooperation Meeting was established in 1998 to promote mutual exchange and cooperation among the eight Yeongho and Nam provinces, aiming for win-win development and leading balanced national land development. It is held annually.