Governor Jin Tae Kim Requests Passage of Third Gangwon Special Act Amendment, Citing Hopes for Anthracite and International Schools

Governor Jin Tae Kim Meets Chairman Jung Hoon Shin
Earnestly Requests Passage of the Third Amendment to the Gangwon Special Act Within This Year
Chairman Shin: "I Will Work to Ensure the Gangwon Special Act Passes This Year"

Jin Tae Kim, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, visited the National Assembly on the 12th to meet with Jung Hoon Shin, Chairman of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party (Naju-Hwasun, Jeollanam-do), to request the prompt review and passage of the third amendment to the Gangwon Special Act.

Jintae Kim, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, visited the National Assembly on the 12th to meet with Jeonghoon Shin, Chairman of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party (Naju-Hwasun, Jeonnam), to request the prompt review and passage of the third amendment to the Gangwon Special Act. Provided by Gangwon Province

Governor Kim stated, "When the Gangwon Special Act was amended two years ago, there were many difficulties, and afterward, around a thousand residents from the province visited the National Assembly to urge for its review. The focus of this third amendment to the Gangwon Special Act is not on demanding significant new powers, but rather on gradually easing existing regulations. Two-thirds of the total legislative agenda have already been coordinated with the government."

The current third amendment (partial amendment) to the Gangwon Special Act was jointly proposed by National Assembly members Kiho Han and Giheon Song on September 26, 2024. It was submitted to the Public Administration and Security Committee on November 20 and consists of 40 legislative tasks and 68 articles in total.

The bill was submitted to the first subcommittee on legislative review of the Public Administration and Security Committee on August 26 last year, but has been waiting for review for over a year since its proposal.

Chairman Jung Hoon Shin remarked, "I have a deep interest in the special law unique to Gangwon and fully understand the sense of urgency. I hope to see continued achievements in areas such as military, environment, forestry, and agriculture, and I will actively work to ensure that bills reflecting Gangwon's unique characteristics can be passed within this year."

Governor Jin Tae Kim emphasized, "As it has been over a year since the third amendment was proposed, I sincerely hope that bills reflecting the aspirations of the province's residents, such as those related to anthracite and international schools, will be passed during this year's regular session of the National Assembly."

Meanwhile, through the second amendment (full revision) to the Gangwon Special Act, which took effect on June 8, 2024, the province lifted restrictions on a total of 350,000 pyeong in nine districts across six cities and counties designated as agricultural promotion areas, and designated the Goseong Unification Observatory as a forest utilization promotion district.

Additionally, by easing military regulations, the restricted area in Cheorwon and Hwacheon was lifted to an extent equivalent to about 1,818 soccer fields. Furthermore, improvements to the environmental impact assessment system have enabled the processing of a total of 210 assessments, including small-scale evaluations, demonstrating tangible results in regulatory relaxation.