"No More Reverse Discrimination": Gyeonggi Province and Council Urge Designation of Pocheon City as 'Opportunity Development Zone'

Gyeonggi Province and Provincial Council Jointly Urge Designation of Pocheon City as an "Opportunity Development Zone"
Provincial Council Unanimously Passes Resolution Calling for "Designation of Northern Gyeonggi Border Areas as Opportunity Development Zones"

Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Provincial Council have jointly called for Pocheon City to be designated as an Opportunity Development Zone.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

On April 18, Gyeonggi Province announced that the "Resolution Urging the Designation of Pocheon City and Other Border Areas in Northern Gyeonggi as Opportunity Development Zones," which passed the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, was officially delivered to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the National Assembly, and central government ministries via official correspondence on April 16.

The resolution, proposed by the Planning and Finance Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, was unanimously approved at the council meeting on April 15.

The resolution calls for the establishment of relevant guidelines to allow the northern border areas of Gyeonggi, which have long suffered from overlapping regulations and limited development, to be selected as Opportunity Development Zones. It also urges the swift designation of Pocheon City as an Opportunity Development Zone, given the significant damage it suffered in March from an accidental bombing by an Air Force fighter jet. The resolution was sent via official correspondence to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the National Assembly (Planning and Finance Committee, Public Administration and Security Committee, Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee), and central government ministries (Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Committee for Balanced National Development).

This position aligns Gyeonggi Province with the ongoing calls for Pocheon City to be designated as an Opportunity Development Zone following the accidental bombing incident. On April 17, the province sent an official letter to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Committee for Balanced National Development urging the designation.

Previously, on March 12 and March 20, the province sent two official letters to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Committee for Balanced National Development. On April 3, provincial officials visited both agencies in person to discuss and strongly request the designation of Pocheon City as an Opportunity Development Zone.

The province has stated that the revision of Article 80-2 of the "Restriction of Special Local Taxation Act" (amended on November 29, 2023) and the "National Financial Support Criteria for Local Governments Attracting Local Investment Companies" (amended on December 27, 2023), which distinguish between the capital region and non-capital regions in granting special benefits, constitutes clear reverse discrimination. The province emphasized that the residents of the northern border areas of Gyeonggi, who have sacrificed for Korea's security for 75 years, are the ones bearing the brunt of this discrimination.

The Opportunity Development Zone program, promoted as a national policy by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is designed to revitalize local economies by providing tax and regulatory benefits to companies in designated zones. However, since there are no guidelines for the capital region, Gyeonggi Province is not even able to apply for designation, despite the program's potential to be a turning point for regional development.

Sung Injae, Director of Balanced Development at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The unanimous passage of the resolution urging the designation of Pocheon City and other northern border areas as Opportunity Development Zones by the Gyeonggi Provincial Council demonstrates a shared understanding between Gyeonggi Province and the council of the need for extraordinary government measures to restore daily life and the image of Pocheon City." He emphasized, "Measures such as the designation of Opportunity Development Zones must be established to enable underdeveloped areas, including the northern border regions of Gyeonggi, to achieve self-sufficiency."