Kim Deokbae, Chair of Hongseong County Council, Proposes
A Turning Point for Balanced Development in Chungnam
The proposal urging the relocation of public institutions to Chungnam Innovation City was adopted by the Korea Association of City, County and District Council Chairs. Photo by Hongseong County Council
A proposal urging the relocation of public institutions to Chungnam Innovation City for its substantive completion was formally submitted and unanimously passed as an official agenda item by the Korea Association of City, County and District Council Chairs.
According to the Hongseong County Council, the Korea Association of City, County and District Council Chairs recently held its 265th metropolitan and provincial representatives’ meeting at the Dong-gu Council in Daejeon, where Agenda No. 598, titled "Proposal Urging the Relocation of Public Institutions to Chungnam Innovation City," was unanimously approved in its original form.
The proposal urging the relocation of public institutions to Chungnam Innovation City was first introduced by Kim Deokbae, Chair of the Hongseong County Council, at the 130th regular meeting of the Chungcheongnam-do City and County Council Chairpersons Association on April 11. After being unanimously adopted by the Chungnam City and County Council Chairpersons Association, it was submitted as an official agenda item at this nationwide representatives’ meeting.
At the representatives’ meeting, Kim Gyeongje, Chair of the Chungnam Association and Chair of the Seocheon County Council, acted as the proposer representing Chungnam. He formally submitted the proposal and, through his remarks at the meeting, emphasized the urgent situation facing Chungnam Innovation City, successfully building nationwide consensus.
The proposal includes the following points: prompt promotion of the relocation of public institutions to Chungnam Innovation City; the establishment of a concrete relocation plan by the government; and the strengthening of systematic government-level support to ensure Chungnam fulfills its role as an innovation city.
Chungnam Innovation City was designated as an innovation city in 2020 under the Special Act on Balanced National Development. However, the relocation of public institutions has effectively stagnated, preventing the expected benefits for regional development from being realized. Despite having sufficient conditions for relocation, such as metropolitan transportation networks, industrial complexes, and educational and cultural infrastructure, there is still no clear government plan.
In particular, the local community?including Hongseong County, which is home to the Chungnam Provincial Government and serves as the core area of the innovation city, as well as Yesan County?has continuously raised concerns about fairness with other regions and has persistently demanded the effectiveness of regional balanced development policies.
Kim Deokbae, Chair of the Hongseong County Council, stated, "The relocation of public institutions must no longer be delayed so that Hongseong County, the provincial capital where the Chungnam Provincial Government is located, and the Naepo Innovation City area can become the practical foundation for balanced development in Chungnam. I hope that the adoption of this nationwide association’s proposal will prompt the government to establish a substantive relocation plan for Chungnam and serve as an opportunity to address regional equity."
The Chungnam City and County Council Chairpersons Association also adopted a resolution urging the relocation of public institutions to Chungnam Innovation City last April. Photo by Hongseong County Council
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