Yoon: "Opportunity Development Zones in 6 Areas Including Gangwon-do and Gwangju... 33.8 Trillion Investment for Regional Balanced Development"

Yoon Attends Local Autonomy Ceremony for 2nd Consecutive Year
"Full-Scale Corporate Investment... Residents Will Feel the Impact"
"I Will Vigorously Support Decentralization"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a commemorative speech at the '2nd Local Autonomy and Balanced Development Day Ceremony' held on the 6th at the Songam Sports Town Indoor Tennis Court in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Photo by Yonhap News

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized on the 6th, "Six local governments, including Gangwon-do Special Self-Governing Province, have been designated as Opportunity Development Zones," adding, "Once large-scale corporate investments totaling 33.8 trillion won begin in earnest, many good jobs will be created in the regions, revitalizing the local economy and allowing residents to feel the benefits."

President Yoon made these remarks while attending the '2nd Local Autonomy and Balanced Development Day Ceremony' held at Chuncheon Songam Sports Town in Gangwon-do on the morning of the same day. He attended this event for the second consecutive year following last year.

On this day, the government designated six local governments?Gangwon-do, Gwangju City, Ulsan City, Sejong City, Chungbuk Province, and Chungnam Province?as Opportunity Development Zones. This follows the designation of eight local governments in June, including Gyeongbuk, Daegu, Busan, Daejeon, Gyeongnam, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Jeju.

President Yoon stated, "Each region must leverage its strengths to promote growth, and the central government must firmly support this to realize balanced regional development." He further emphasized, "The most important aspect of balanced regional development is ensuring that sufficient good jobs are created locally."

He also explained, "Good education and healthcare must be supported to improve residents' quality of life, attracting more companies and talents to the regions," adding, "We will rapidly establish a regionally comprehensive essential medical system to protect the lives and health of local residents."

President Yoon added, "For balanced regional development to succeed, decentralization must be achieved together," and pledged, "We will strongly support local governments that strive to develop independently."

The ceremony was organized to share the vision of "an era of local regions where it is good to live anywhere in the Republic of Korea" and to share various policy achievements of the local era, including Opportunity Development Zones, with the public. At the 9th Local Era Committee meeting held in Pohang last June, President Yoon stated, "We will successfully establish Opportunity Development Zones and Education Development Zones to create a virtuous cycle where local talents find good jobs locally, work locally, and contribute to regional growth."