Chungnam Province and 15 Cities and Counties Hold Local Government Meeting
Agreement Signed for the Successful Hosting of the 2026 Taean International Horticultural Healing Expo
Chungnam Province and its 15 cities and counties have decided to make every effort to achieve the provincial administration’s goals during the remaining one year of the 8th popularly elected term.
On July 9, Chungnam Province held the '8th Local Government Meeting' in the main conference room of the provincial government building, with around 40 attendees including Governor Kim Taeheum, mayors and county heads from the province, and heads of departments. The participants shared the achievements of the 8th term and discussed future cooperation measures.
Governor Kim Taeheum stated, "Over the past three years, the province has secured an additional 1 trillion won in national funding each year, ushering in an era of 11 trillion won in national funding this year. Investment attraction achievements during the 8th term have reached 35.69 trillion won." He added, "We have resolved long-pending projects such as Seosan Airport and the Chungnam National University Naepo Campus, and have also secured a number of large-scale public project bids, including pumped-storage power generation."
He continued, "The remaining one year will be a time to further strengthen the driving force of the provincial administration," emphasizing, "We will focus on securing 12.3 trillion won in national funding and achieving 45 trillion won in investment attraction, while completing five key tasks."
The five key tasks are: ▲Bay Valley Megacity and Daejeon-Chungnam administrative integration ▲Agricultural and rural structural reform ▲Leading the carbon-neutral economy ▲Balanced regional development ▲Strategies to address low birth rates.
The meeting also addressed current issues such as 'The Future of Chungnam Public Architecture' and the '2026 Taean International Horticultural Healing Expo'.
Kim Kwanghyun, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, suggested follow-up strategies including strengthening the authority of the dedicated architecture department, expanding eco-friendly wooden architecture, and utilizing vacant houses for urban regeneration projects, stating, "Public architecture should become a symbol embodying regional identity."
In response, Governor Kim instructed, "Create architectural landmarks that will represent Chungnam, and ensure thorough management of neglected vacant buildings."
In addition, the province and the cities and counties signed a joint business agreement to ensure the success of the '2026 Taean International Horticultural Healing Expo'.
The agreement includes cooperation on expo promotion, attracting national and international events to Taean, and developing tourism products and operating promotional centers.
Governor Kim said, "The expo should serve as an opportunity to revitalize not only Taean but also the province’s horticultural industry and regional economy," and called for united efforts over the remaining 290 days so that Taean becomes synonymous with flowers and horticulture.
Additionally, mayors and county heads in the province discussed key issues such as Daejeon-Chungnam administrative integration, the creation of smart farms, and responses to next year’s government budget.
The province is aiming to create 2.53 million pyeong of smart farm sites, with plans to begin construction on about 1.6 million pyeong and complete 1.25 million pyeong this year.
Regarding the government budget, the province and the cities and counties agreed to jointly respond to ensure that large-scale SOC projects not included in the ministry’s draft are reflected during the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s review stage.
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