Democratic Party Honam Development Special Committee Opens Gwangju Office and Holds First Meeting

Lee Byunghoon: "A Golden Opportunity for Honam's Development"
Five Subcommittees Formed; Regional Issues to Be Reviewed

The Democratic Party's Honam Development Special Committee held a signboard unveiling ceremony for its Gwangju office and convened its first Gwangju meeting at the Gwangju City Party office on the afternoon of September 23, 2025. This event marked the official start of activities in the Gwangju region, following the full committee meeting on September 16.

The Democratic Party's Honam Development Special Committee Gwangju Committee held its first meeting on the 23rd at the Gwangju City Party office and took a commemorative photo. Provided by the Democratic Party Honam Development Special Committee

The Gwangju Committee consists of 21 members, including Senior Vice Chair Lee Byunghoon, as well as Assemblymen Yang Bunam and Cho Incheol. The committee is organized into five subcommittees: Future Growth Engines & New Industries, Economy & Finance, Climate Energy & Disaster Safety & Infrastructure, Culture & Tourism & Sports, and Pan-Regional Cooperation. These subcommittees will establish strategies and an action roadmap for the development of Gwangju.

Senior Vice Chair Lee attended a budget review meeting presided over by Party Leader Jung Cheongrae on September 18, where he examined next year's budget for the Honam region. Moving forward, the Gwangju Committee plans to hold meetings at least twice a month and will visit key sites such as the National AI Data Center, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chosun University Hospital, Kia Motors Special Vehicle Research Institute, the National Industrial Complex for Future Vehicles, and the National Asia Culture Center to assess current issues and identify new policy initiatives.

Briefings for the heads of Gwangju’s five district offices and local council members, citizen opinion hearings, and meetings with local National Assembly members are also scheduled. The final plan will be reported to Party Leader Jung Cheongrae between late November and early December.

Senior Vice Chair Lee stated, "The Honam Development Special Committee was launched based on President Lee Jaemyung's philosophy that special sacrifices deserve special rewards, as well as the determination of Party Leader Jung Cheongrae." He added, "This is a golden opportunity for the development of Honam, and it is essential for the political community, experts, and civil society to pool their wisdom." He further emphasized, "We aim to identify policies that citizens can truly feel and will report them within this year. We will also create opportunities to listen to citizens' opinions for the development of Gwangju."

Meanwhile, the Honam Development Special Committee plans to begin on-site inspections of regional issues starting with a visit to the Artificial Intelligence Industry Convergence Project Group in Oryong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, on the morning of September 24, 2025.