Gwangju City and Lawmakers: "The Future of the Region Depends on the Next 100 Days"

"All-Out Efforts to Reflect National Policy Agenda"
Response Meeting Held at the National Assembly
Sharing and Pledging Cooperation on National Projects under the Lee Jaemyung Administration

Gwangju Mayor Kang Kijeong is taking a commemorative photo after the "Gwangju National Assembly Members-Gwangju City Government Task Response Meeting" held at the National Assembly Main Building in Yeouido, Seoul on the afternoon of the 10th. (From left in the photo) Assembly members Min Hyungbae, Jung Junho, Jung Jinwook, Ahn Dogeol, Yang Bunam, Mayor Kang Kijeong, Assembly members Jo Incheol, Jeon Jinsook, and Park Gyuntaek. Provided by Gwangju City. Photo by Gwangju City

Gwangju Mayor Kang Kijeong and local National Assembly members have joined forces to ensure that regional pledges, which are crucial for the future of the area, are incorporated into the Lee Jaemyung administration's national policy agenda. During the approximately 100-day period in which the national policy agenda is being established, Gwangju City and the local National Assembly members have committed to working as a "one team" to make every effort to include local issues in the national agenda.

On the afternoon of June 10, Gwangju City held a meeting at the National Assembly Main Building in Yeouido, Seoul, together with local National Assembly members, to discuss responses to the new government's policy agenda and major local issues.

All eight local lawmakers attended the meeting: Yang Bunam, head of the Gwangju branch of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Assembly members Jung Jinwook, Ahn Dogeol, Jo Incheol, Jung Junho, Jeon Jinsook, Park Gyuntaek, and Min Hyungbae. From the city government, Mayor Kang Kijeong and department heads participated.

This was the first meeting of its kind since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, and it was organized to share the current status of incorporating regional pledges and major national-funded projects, as well as to discuss cooperation for including these issues in the national policy agenda.

During the meeting, the city and local lawmakers shared seven key pledges, including the promotion of an AI National Pilot City, active advancement of a civil-military integrated gateway airport in the southwestern region, and the development of Gwangju as Korea's leading mobility city. They also discussed five major pledges for each autonomous district and 32 pledges for individual neighborhoods.

The participants agreed to take a comprehensive approach to ensure that regional pledges are reflected in the national policy agenda, including maintaining close communication with the National Policy Planning Committee of the Lee Jaemyung administration.

With the formulation of the 2026 government budget proposal and the second government supplementary budget approaching, the city requested parliamentary support for 12 major national-funded projects currently being prioritized, as well as five projects that require inclusion in the supplementary budget.

The major national-funded projects include the establishment of an AX Demonstration Valley, the creation of an innovative infrastructure for the circular economy of automotive parts, the construction of the Gwangju branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the expedited exemption from preliminary feasibility studies for the Gwangju-Daegu Dalbit Railway construction, full national funding for the expansion of the Honam Expressway (Donggwangju to Gwangsan IC), and the creation of a nationally led 5·18 History Cluster, among other key issues and projects included in this presidential election's pledges.

The projects requiring inclusion in the supplementary budget are the construction of Gwangju Subway Line 2, support for the local currency (Gwangju Sangsaeng Card), and the operation of Gwangju's public delivery app.

Yang Bunam, head of the Gwangju branch of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "A significant number of pledges proposed by National Assembly members, Gwangju City, and the autonomous districts were reflected during the presidential election process. Going forward, it is important for these pledges to be prioritized in the national policy agenda, and for budget allocations to be made to implement them. I hope this meeting serves as a foundation for turning regional pledges into action, not just promises."

Mayor Kang Kijeong said, "The key to Gwangju's development lies in cooperation between the city and the National Assembly. I will work hard together with the National Assembly members to ensure that Gwangju firmly establishes itself as a central axis of Korea's future growth under the Lee Jaemyung administration."