Lee Cheolwoo Requests Support for APEC Preparations
Hopes for a "Gyeongju Big Deal" at the Summit
Seventeen metropolitan governors took a commemorative photo with President Lee Jae Myung and others after a nationwide governors' meeting at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 1st. Photo by the Presidential Office
The governors of 17 metropolitan and provincial governments congratulated President Lee Jaemyung and expressed their gratitude to him during their first meeting with the President on August 1, celebrating the smooth conclusion of the Korea-US tariff negotiations.
Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, stated in a briefing, "The governors expressed their congratulations and gratitude for the successful conclusion of the Korea-US negotiations."
Oh Younghun, Governor of Jeju, said, "Residents of Jeju, where the primary industry such as citrus farming is significant, consider it a miracle that the negotiations were concluded without further opening of the agricultural sector." According to spokesperson Kang, Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeonnam, mentioned, "Farmer groups who were preparing for a large-scale protest in front of the provincial government office instead called to express their gratitude."
Among opposition party governors, Kim Younghwan, Governor of Chungbuk, said, "With advanced industries concentrated in the province, the tariff negotiations were of utmost interest, and I am pleased that the negotiations have been successfully concluded." Kim Dookyum, Mayor of Ulsan, also stated, "The automotive industry has found relief, and shipbuilding has gained new opportunities. The citizens of Ulsan are truly delighted."
There was also a request for support in preparing for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, said, "The previous administration abandoned preparations for the Gyeongju APEC summit after the December 3 Martial Law last year. That is why I am practically living in Gyeongju," and added, "We must use the Gyeongju APEC summit as an opportunity to show that Korea is a top-tier nation."
He continued, "I hope that during this Korea-US summit, President Donald Trump can be persuaded to achieve a 'Gyeongju Big Deal' at the Gyeongju APEC summit, comparable to the 'Hanoi Big Deal'," and spokesperson Kang reported that this remark was met with cheerful laughter from the attendees.
Meanwhile, Yoo Jeongbok, Mayor of Incheon and chairman of the Council of Governors, stated, "We need to prepare a constitutional amendment for local autonomy that includes the spirit of decentralization in the Constitution."
He further emphasized, "The central and local governments are equal partners in national administration," and added, "It is necessary to boldly and rationally transfer powers such as the authority over local organizations, personnel, and finances, which are currently concentrated in the central government, to local governments."
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