Haeoreum Alliance Win-Win Council Holds Regular Meeting for the Second Half of This Year

Launch of 'Haeoreum Alliance Metropolitan Promotion Team' at Gyeongju Smart Media Center

Unified Efforts to Legislate the 'Special Act on Support for Haeoreum Industrial Belt'

Ulsan City will hold the Haeeoreum Alliance Win-Win Council's regular meeting for the second half of 2024 at 4 p.m. on the 27th at the Lahan Hotel in Pohang.

About 40 people will attend the council meeting, including Kim Doo-gyeom, Mayor of Ulsan, Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, Joo Nak-young, Mayor of Gyeongju, as well as vice mayors and heads of departments from the three cities.

The council will discuss joint cooperative projects and future development directions of the Haeeoreum Alliance, including △ the official launch of the Haeeoreum Alliance Metropolitan Promotion Team △ legislative promotion of the "Special Act on Support for the Haeeoreum Industrial Belt" △ announcement of the "Haeeoreum Alliance Win-Win Cooperation Joint Declaration."

First, the plan for the launch of the "Haeeoreum Alliance Metropolitan Promotion Team" will be addressed.

The promotion team will officially launch in January next year, organized at the department level within the Planning and Coordination Office of Ulsan City and operated centered around a team leader (grade 4). This expands and reorganizes the team that has been operating as a preparatory unit since July this year within one team unit at Ulsan City Hall.

It is planned to have an office at the Gyeongju Smart Media Center and be composed of a total of nine members, with three employees dispatched from each of Ulsan, Pohang, and Gyeongju. The promotion team will play a key role in strengthening cooperation among the three cities and systematically promoting joint cooperative projects of the Haeeoreum Alliance.

Discussions will also continue on the enactment of the "Special Act on Support for the Haeeoreum Industrial Belt." This bill is being promoted to overcome the regional extinction crisis caused by the metropolitan-centered economic structure and to secure the legal support necessary for the three cities to strengthen their industrial competitiveness. The council has agreed that the three cities will cooperate to expedite the enactment of the bill.

The "Haeeoreum Alliance Win-Win Cooperation Joint Declaration" will be announced. The declaration includes the successful launch of the Haeeoreum Alliance Metropolitan Promotion Team, the necessity of enacting the special law, cooperation on international events such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the International Garden Expo, joint response to economic crises, and fostering future new industries, reflecting the continuous cooperation will of the three cities.

Kim Doo-gyeom, Mayor of Ulsan, said, "This regular meeting is expected to be an important opportunity to redefine the direction the Haeeoreum Alliance will take together," and added, "We will continue to share the vision and goals of the Haeeoreum Alliance and work together to achieve tangible results."

Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, said, "Through the Haeeoreum Alliance, Pohang will cooperate more closely with Ulsan and Gyeongju, leveraging the characteristics of each city to help each other develop," and added, "We will further expand win-win cooperation projects to provide practical benefits to the residents of the Haeeoreum Alliance region."

Joo Nak-young, Mayor of Gyeongju, said, "Gyeongju will play a key role in the Haeeoreum Alliance based on its unique historical and cultural resources," and added, "The three cities will cooperate to contribute not only to regional development but also to enhancing national competitiveness."

The Haeeoreum Alliance is a council formed in 2016, through which Ulsan, Pohang, and Gyeongju have pursued sustainable development via economic, cultural, and social exchanges. With this regular meeting as a milestone, the three cities are expected to build a stronger cooperative relationship and create new growth engines for the region.