Lee Chang-yong, Governor of the Bank of Korea, mentions contestant from 'I am SOLO'
25th Gwangsu, the only doctor in Girin-myeon, Inje-gun, Gangwon-do
"Residents' biggest concern is that I might meet a woman from Seoul and leave"
Lee Chang-yong, Governor of the Bank of Korea, is drawing attention by mentioning '25th Gwangsu,' a contestant on the ENA·SBS Plus variety show 'I am SOLO,' during a welcoming speech at a forum on regional balanced development. '25th Gwangsu' is the only doctor in Girin-myeon, Inje-gun, Gangwon-do, and has revealed that he treats more than 100 patients daily. On the show, he said, "The biggest concern of Girin-myeon residents is that I might meet a woman from Seoul and leave the region," which sparked public interest.
On the 26th, Governor Lee began his welcoming speech at the forum co-hosted by the Bank of Korea and Statistics Korea on regional balanced development by saying, "I recently heard an interesting story about a broadcast from one of our staff members." He added, "A doctor working in a region of Gangwon-do appeared on a program and recently became the only doctor in that area, making it impossible for him to leave. I feel deep respect for his dedication as a doctor, but I also have growing concerns about whether the increasingly shrinking local economy can rely solely on individual commitment."
Governor Lee stated, "The government has been promoting regional balanced development, but a sober evaluation is needed to determine whether the past approach of dispersing policy support across multiple regions has achieved the intended effects," and proposed 'regional hub cities' as an alternative. Previously, the Bank of Korea suggested concentrating core infrastructure and resources in about 2 to 6 hub cities to create living conditions comparable to the metropolitan area.
He emphasized the importance of understanding the economic conditions of each region. He said, "Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) will play a key role in setting the right direction for regional balanced development policies." Statistics Korea plans to publish quarterly GRDP data for the first time in June.
'25th Gwangsu' had also been mentioned in political circles earlier. On the 15th, Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, posted on social media, "As can be seen from Gwangsu's story, the reality of regional healthcare is dire," and added, "Even when regional medical centers offer salaries close to 500 million won, they are unable to recruit specialists."
Lee said, "Ultimately, today's reality of regional healthcare is barely maintained by the sacrifices of dedicated medical professionals like Gwangsu," and criticized, "In this situation, threatening medical personnel as targets for punishment and increasing staff by 2,000 with the 'trickle-down doctor theory' as a solution by Yoon Seok-yeol has worsened the current situation." He concluded, "I will present a society where Gwangsu does not have to worry about leaving Inje-gun."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
