Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijung to Open 'Weekly Yeouido Office'

"Reflecting Key Issues in Presidential Pledges Will Shape Gwangju's Next Decade"
Working in Seoul Every Wednesday... Implementing 'On-Site Administration'
Focusing on Addressing Regional Issues During the Presidential Election
Delivering Gwangju's Proposal for Presidential Pledges to Five Political Parties

Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, is having a casual meeting with reporters in the press room on the 5th floor of the city hall on the morning of the 14th, explaining major city administration issues. Provided by Gwangju City

Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijung is setting up a "Weekly Yeouido Office" at the Seoul External Cooperation Headquarters ahead of the presidential election, aiming to ensure that key regional issues are reflected in each party's presidential pledges. By shuttling between Gwangju and Seoul and adding political leverage to administration through "on-site Yeouido administration," his strategy is to lay the foundation for Gwangju's next 10 years.

At a meeting with reporters at City Hall on the 14th, Mayor Kang stated, "The time of impeachment has ended, and the two-month presidential race has begun. When the stage of the presidential election is set, local government heads must work even harder than during their own elections," adding, "The future of a local government for the next five or ten years is determined by which policies are included in the president's pledges."

He continued, "The optical industry under the Kim Daejung administration, the Asian Culture Hub City under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) under the Moon Jae-in administration were all examples," emphasizing, "We will accelerate Gwangju's projects, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Gwangju-Daegu Dalbit Railway, which were delayed due to martial law and impeachment, during this presidential election period."

To this end, Mayor Kang will open a "Weekly Yeouido Office" every Wednesday at the Gwangju City External Cooperation Headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. He will streamline staff such as department and bureau heads related to the week's agenda and work in Seoul every Wednesday.

On the 16th and 17th, he plans to visit five political parties in succession?the Democratic Party, People Power Party, Cho Kuk Innovation Party, Progressive Party, and Reform New Party?to deliver Gwangju's presidential pledges, titled "Gwangju's Proposal." He will also attend the 11th anniversary memorial ceremony for the Sewol Ferry disaster in Ansan.

Mayor Kang is especially focused on including Gwangju's AI projects in presidential pledges, as well as securing national funding for the second phase of AI initiatives such as the AX (Artificial Intelligence Transformation) Demonstration Valley, by acting swiftly on government supplementary budgets.

He reiterated that, as the global competition for AI leadership intensifies, Gwangju is the optimal location to open the growth plate for Korea's AI competitiveness.

Mayor Kang said, "Gwangju is steadily preparing AI infrastructure, AI talent, and AI companies to become a city centered on AI, working hand in hand. In addition, we are focusing all efforts on allocating supplementary budgets for AI demonstration, securing 10,000 high-performance GPUs, and attracting the National AI Computing Center to Gwangju," adding, "I have repeatedly said that speed and concentration are the most important factors in opening Korea's growth plate through AI. With abundant electricity and land, and as the only city in Korea with experience operating a national AI data center, Gwangju is truly capable of opening Korea's growth plate through artificial intelligence."

Earlier, on the 8th, Mayor Kang announced "Gwangju's Proposal," the 21st presidential election pledges for the Gwangju region, which include 15 major tasks, 40 projects, and a policy package worth 81 trillion won, covering initiatives such as the AI Model City - The Brain Gwangju and the Future Mobility New Town.

On the 10th, he also announced "Three Key Directions to Enhance Korea's AI Competitiveness" at the National Assembly, requested additional operating budgets for the full utilization of the National AI Data Center and the attraction of the National AI Computing Center to Gwangju, and proposed "strengthening AI semiconductor sovereignty," making every effort to develop Gwangju as a city centered on AI.