Wonju City Holds 500,000 Population City Development Strategy Forum... Discussing Strategies to Secure Large City Privileges

Strategies for Securing Large City Privileges and Future Vision for Wonju
Mayor Won Kangsu: "The Optimal Location for the Metropolitan Semiconductor Cluster"

Wonju City in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province held the "500,000 Population City Wonju Development Strategy Forum" at Hotel Inter-Burgo Wonju on the 1st to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its elevation to city status.

Wonju City is holding a commemorative photo session after hosting the "500,000 Population City Wonju Development Strategy Forum" at Hotel Inter-Burgo Wonju on the 1st to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its city status. Provided by Wonju City

This forum was organized to bring together experts, citizens, and public officials to discuss strategies for securing special privileges for large cities, aiming for balanced development in Wonju.

The forum began with a keynote speech by Park Gikwon, Vice President of Sangji University, on the topic of "Five Poles, Three Specials: Decentralized Balanced Development and Wonju's Future Strategy." This was followed by a presentation from Park Hyunwook, Professor at Kyonggi University, on "Strategies for Securing Large City Privileges for Wonju." Afterwards, experts engaged in a panel discussion.

Article 58 (Special Administrative Privileges for Large Cities) of the Special Act on Local Autonomy Decentralization and Regional Balanced Development stipulates that a local government with a population of 300,000 or more and an area of at least 1,000 square kilometers may be granted the status of a city with a population of 500,000 or more. However, there are currently no cities in South Korea that meet these criteria, and it is realistically difficult to satisfy the area requirement through city-county mergers.

Through this forum, Wonju City plans to seek solutions to these issues and highlight the need to ease the requirements for large city status, aiming to build consensus among experts and citizens. The city also intends to collaborate with other local governments facing similar circumstances.

Won Kangsu, Mayor of Wonju, stated, "Wonju has an ecosystem based on the semiconductor industry and is the optimal location for the metropolitan semiconductor cluster designated as an Opportunity Development Zone. Securing large city status for Wonju is an essential goal and a task of our time, so I ask for the active interest and participation of our citizens in this forum."