Jeonnam Assembly Member Jaetae Lee Urges Establishment of "Innovation City Management Office"

"Beyond Relocating Public Institutions,
Building an Industrial Ecosystem"

Jaetae Lee, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea, Naju 3), strongly urged the establishment of an "Innovation City Management Office" to complete the national balanced development policy at the "Listening Meeting for Gwangju-Jeonnam Joint Bitgaram Innovation City Season 2" held at Dongshin University Korean Medicine Hospital in Naju on May 29.

The meeting was hosted by the National Land and Spatial Innovation Committee, which is directly under presidential candidate Jaemyung Lee of the Democratic Party of Korea. It was attended by Taenyeon Kim, Co-Chair of the National Land and Spatial Innovation Committee, Dogeol An, Standing Vice Chair, Jeonghun Shin, Chair of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, as well as officials from the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, who listened to voices from the field.

Jaetae Lee, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly, demanded the establishment of an Innovation City Management Office at the 'Listening Meeting' for the Gwangju-Jeonnam Joint Bitgaram Innovation City Season 2. Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Assembly

Lee stated, "If the first phase of balanced development under the Participatory Government in 2007 focused on relocating public institutions to local areas, now we need a second-phase strategy to attract companies and talent to the regions and build an industrial ecosystem." He emphasized, "A dedicated national-level organization is essential to support this."

He argued, "The current system of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is skewed toward development projects, and has limitations in improving residential conditions or attracting businesses." He added, "Just as there is the Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency in Sejong, an independent national organization, the 'Innovation City Management Office,' is needed to systematically manage innovation cities nationwide."

He continued, "National funding support for the operation of complex innovation centers, maintenance of infrastructure, and operation of development support centers is key to creating sustainable residential conditions." He also said, "The autonomous budget of local governments should be focused on improving residents' quality of life and expanding the foundation of innovation cities."

He further stated, "The second phase of public institution relocations should be prioritized in existing innovation cities, which aligns with the original purpose of establishing innovation cities." He added, "We must accelerate the implementation of the Season 2 strategy so that Bitgaram Innovation City can leap forward as a core hub for national balanced development."

Meanwhile, this meeting was organized to reflect local residents' complaints about the stagnation in the development of Bitgaram Innovation City and the lack of adequate residential conditions. The opinions gathered at the site are expected to be actively reflected in future policies.