From Creating Youth Villages to Expanding Support for Young Farmers’ Agricultural Settlement
Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, presided over the second ‘Provincial Residents’ Win-Win Talk’ at the Uiryeong County Office’s main conference room, taking time to directly listen to and respond to policy proposals suggested by residents.
According to Uiryeong County on the 23rd, the ‘Gyeongnam Provincial Residents’ Win-Win Talk’ is a newly established program for two-way communication with residents. It was conducted in a manner where the provincial government and city/county offices jointly respond to residents’ vivid voices on-site and reflect them in policies.
On this day, one resident proposed, “Please create a ‘Gyeongnam-style Youth Village’ where youth and the region can grow together by utilizing idle spaces as start-up and communication areas, and provide opportunities to integrate young people’s creative ideas into the local economy.” This is similar to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Youth Village project model and attracted attention for its potential to simultaneously promote youth inflow and regional revitalization.
Another resident requested, “Please raise the Young Farmers’ Farming Settlement Support Fund to the minimum wage level to enable practical support.” The opinion was that the current support fund is limited in covering initial agricultural costs and livelihood maintenance, thus requiring realistic expansion.
In addition, various proposals directly related to people’s livelihoods poured in, including △expansion of local love gift certificates issuance to support small business owners △improvement of childcare environments in aging daycare centers △support for operation of short-term residential facilities for the disabled △support for emergency room operations in emergency medical vulnerable areas.
Governor Park Wansu mentioned last year’s achievements of Uiryeong County and Gyeongnam, stating, “Gyeongnam is experiencing hopeful changes,” and added, “This year, we will leap forward as an economic capital through the continuous development of key industries.”
He then presented the New Year’s slogan, ‘Coexistence and Growth, Hopeful Gyeongnam,’ as a vision, saying, “We will listen to the intentions of local residents and reflect them in provincial administration to work together for regional development.”
The event, held for the second time following Goseong County in Gyeongnam on the 14th, was attended by about 200 local residents of Uiryeong County, including Oh Taewan, Mayor of Uiryeong County. The ‘Gyeongnam Provincial Residents’ Win-Win Talk’ will continue to be held across various parts of Gyeongnam and is expected to establish itself as a channel that captures diverse voices of residents.
After concluding the Gyeongnam Provincial Residents’ Win-Win Talk, Governor Park visited the Uiryeong County Agricultural Products Comprehensive Distribution Center to inspect the sorting facilities for agricultural products such as paprika and zucchini, and encouraged the workers on site.
The Uiryeong County Agricultural Products Comprehensive Distribution Center supplies locally produced agricultural products from Uiryeong to the Nonghyup and large distribution companies, forming nationwide sales channels and striving to enable producers to generate stable income. In addition, agricultural products are distributed after undergoing sorting work based on standardized criteria, providing consumers with high-quality local agricultural products.
Encouraging the sorting facility workers, Governor Park said, “I appreciate the hard work of the staff who strive for the revitalization of local farms and the regional economy. The Uiryeong agricultural products that have passed through your hands are delivered to consumers nationwide. Please continue your efforts with pride.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
