Raising the Need for a New Town in the Banwol District
"Jeollanam-do Must Take the Lead in Developing a Future-Oriented City Site"
Choi Mugyeong, Member of the Jeollanam-do Provincial Council
Choi Mugyeong, a member of the Safety, Construction and Firefighting Committee of the Jeollanam-do Provincial Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Yeosu District 4), strongly urged on February 3 during the 396th extraordinary session’s committee briefing on the 2026 work plan of the Construction and Transportation Bureau that Jeollanam-do should directly step in to actively review the creation of a 1-million-pyeong new town in the Banwol District, pointing out the structural limitations of Yeosu’s existing urban development.
On that day, Assemblyman Choi said, “As seen in the case of the Jukrim 1 District, urban development in Yeosu lacks sufficient provision of basic infrastructure, making it difficult to regard it as a systematic urban plan,” adding, “The Banwol area adjacent to Yeojaman is the optimal site for a 1-million-pyeong-scale development equipped with education, medical, and wellness infrastructure, and Jeollanam-do should directly design it as a future-city model.”
He went on to point out, “Even after developing 300,000 pyeong in the Jukrim 1 District, the area allocated to cultural facilities is only 500 pyeong, and land has not even been secured for a 119 safety center or a general hospital,” and added, “A development approach that excludes core infrastructure ultimately lowers citizens’ quality of life and instead weakens Yeosu’s competitiveness.”
In particular, he stated, “Yeosu’s existing urban development is losing competitiveness because basic infrastructure is lacking and sale prices are excessively high,” and continued, “With residential land prices higher than those in Gwangyang and Suncheon, it is difficult to expect population inflows, and unless a systematic new town is built from a broader perspective, Yeosu’s future development will inevitably be constrained.”
He further noted, “Banwol is an area that possesses urban competitiveness factors such as accessibility to the Namhae Expressway, connectivity to KTX, excellent sunlight, and the coastal scenery of Yeojaman,” adding, “It has sufficient potential to grow into a future-oriented marine city that Jeollanam-do should pursue, namely a ‘San Francisco of Jeollanam-do’ where jobs, culture, and welfare are combined.”
Lastly, Assemblyman Choi called for a stronger commitment to implementation, saying, “A large-scale, future-oriented new town development led by Jeollanam-do will become a strategic urban model capable of attracting population not only from Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang, but even from the Seoul metropolitan area.”
Regarding this, Moon Inki, Director of the Construction and Transportation Bureau, said, “The Banwol area is not currently a development zone officially requested by Yeosu City, but we will establish a separate plan for the area and comprehensively review its development potential.”
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