Gyeongnam Governor Park Wansu: "Preliminary Feasibility Studies and Local Grants Must Be Differentiated from the Seoul Metropolitan Area"

Proposing Balanced Regional Development Measures
at the Young-Honam City and Provincial Governors'
Cooperation Meeting

"In order to achieve true balanced regional development, policies such as preliminary feasibility studies and allocation of local grants, differentiated from those applied in the Seoul metropolitan area, must be implemented in the provinces."

Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province and Chairman of the Young-Honam Provincial Governors' Association, made this statement at the 19th Young-Honam City and Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting held at the Changwon Convention Center (CECO) on May 1, 2025.

Young-Honam Provincial Governors' Association Chairman Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is speaking at the 19th Young-Honam City and Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting. Photo by Lee Seryung

Governor Park said, "Young-Honam once accounted for half of South Korea's population and served as the center of industrialization and democratization, but due to the concentration of population and resources in the Seoul metropolitan area, its share has dropped to 30%. While even the Chungcheong region is benefiting from the development of the metropolitan area, I believe Young-Honam is experiencing reverse discrimination."

He emphasized, "If principles and standards are applied uniformly, there is no basis for comparison between the metropolitan area and Young-Honam. The central government must change the system by conducting preliminary feasibility studies for regional issues differently from those for the metropolitan area, and also by allocating local grants in a different manner."

Governor Park also stated, "Given the current political turmoil, this meeting serves as an opportunity to call on the central political community to achieve political stability through national unity. With the launch of the new government, it is also essential to realize substantial local autonomy through constitutional amendment."

He added, "I hope that the regional issues discussed at today's meeting will be reflected in the presidential election pledges and smoothly implemented by the next administration."

This meeting was organized to share the achievements of previous cooperation meetings and to discuss ways to reflect future cooperation plans and interregional projects between Young-Honam in the pledges for the 21st presidential election.

The meeting was attended by Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province and Chairman of the Cooperation Meeting; Park Hyungjun, Mayor of Busan; Kang Gijeong, Mayor of Gwangju; Kim Dookyum, Mayor of Ulsan; Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeonnam Province; and Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province.

Additionally, Kim Jeonggi, Acting Mayor of Daegu, attended in place of former Mayor Hong Joonpyo, who resigned to run in the early presidential election, and Kim Jonghun, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs, represented Jeonbuk Province in place of Governor Kim Kwanyeong, who was unable to attend due to personal reasons.

The 19th Yeong-Honam City and Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting was held at the Changwon Convention Center in Gyeongnam. Photo by Lee Seryoung

Through a joint statement, the participants called on the political community to "end extreme confrontation and take decisive action toward national unity."

They also pledged, "Just as Young-Honam has served as the two wheels driving South Korea's democratization and industrialization, we will take the lead in paving the way for national unity."

Furthermore, they announced their commitment to work together to promote the region's potential and capabilities to the world by ensuring the successful hosting of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk this fall and by supporting the bid for the 2036 Jeonju Summer Olympics.

In addition, they called on the central government to: ▲ implement a constitutional amendment for local autonomy; ▲ gradually increase the statutory ratio of local grants (from 19.24% to 30% of national taxes); ▲ promptly proceed with the second phase relocation of public institutions from the metropolitan area and relocate government and national research institutes to the provinces; ▲ completely abolish the preliminary feasibility study system for projects outside the metropolitan area; ▲ transfer authority for fostering strategic industries that reflect regional industrial characteristics and attracting large-scale local investment; and ▲ delegate regional development authority to local governments.

Tasks adopted as interregional development projects included: establishment of a Ministry of Population and Regional Balanced Development (Busan); early construction of the Dalbit Railway (Daegu and Gwangju); elevation of the Korea Forest Service to a full ministry (Ulsan); construction of the Jeonju-Daegu Expressway (Jeonbuk); establishment of the South Coast Comprehensive Development Agency and enactment of a special law (Jeonnam); construction of the East-West Trans-Korea Railway (Gyeongbuk); and enactment of a special law for the development of the South Coast region (Gyeongnam).

Tasks presented as key issues for each city and province included: enactment of a special law for the creation of a global hub city (Busan); national financial support for the construction of the TK New Airport (Daegu); creation of an artificial intelligence (AI) model city (Gwangju); enactment of a special law for the 2028 Ulsan International Garden Expo (Ulsan); establishment of a national support system for the bid to host the 2036 Jeonju Summer Olympics (Jeonbuk); creation of the Solaseado AI Energy New City (Jeonnam); and establishment of the Gyeongnam Special Economic Self-Governing Province (Gyeongnam).

The Young-Honam city and provincial governors plan to propose and advocate for the inclusion of the interregional development projects and key issues discussed at the meeting in the upcoming presidential election pledges.

The Young-Honam City and Provincial Governors' Cooperation Meeting was launched in 1998 and has continued to foster close ties, exchanges, and cooperation between these regions.

It is composed of the broader Young-Honam region, including Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam, with the chairmanship rotating annually among the governors and mayors of each region.

At today's meeting, the next chairmanship was scheduled to be handed over from the current chair, the Governor of Gyeongnam Province, but since the Mayor of Daegu is absent due to running for president, the Governor of Jeonnam Province, who is next in line, was appointed as the 16th chair.