Recognized for Achievements in Nuclear Hydrogen and Welfare Innovation
Emerging as a Model for Responding to Regional Extinction
Uljin County has reaffirmed its status as a future innovation city, gaining external recognition for its urban competitiveness based on future-oriented industries and welfare innovation.
Uljin County announced that on the 25th it received the Grand Prize in the Future Innovation City (K-City) category at the "2026 K-Brand Awards" ceremony held at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul, achieving the feat of winning the award for three consecutive years.
The K-Brand Awards, hosted by TV Chosun, is an event that selects and honors outstanding institutions, companies, and content that have contributed to national economic development and the enhancement of brand value. It conducts a comprehensive evaluation of urban competitiveness, policy innovation, and sustainability.
Uljin County received high marks for building an industrial ecosystem for nuclear hydrogen, expanding customized welfare across the life cycle, and promoting structural transformation in tourism, agriculture and fisheries, and forestry. Through these efforts it has established a foundation for future growth that both responds to regional extinction and prepares for the era of carbon neutrality. In particular, the project to attract the Uljin Nuclear Hydrogen National Industrial Complex is drawing attention as a key strategic initiative that will simultaneously drive energy transition and the advancement of the regional industrial structure.
In addition, the establishment of a Uljin-style welfare system to improve living conditions, the expansion of tourism infrastructure aimed at ushering in the era of 10 million tourists, and communication-focused administration based on citizen participation have all been evaluated as policy achievements that are leading balanced regional development and improving quality of life.
An official from Uljin County said, "This award is the fruit of the changes and challenges we have created together with our residents," adding, "We will successfully establish the Nuclear Hydrogen National Industrial Complex to strengthen our future industrial base, and by realizing a welfare city that all generations can tangibly experience, we will prepare for Uljin's next 100 years."
As industrial transition and securing residential competitiveness emerge as core tasks for local governments, Uljin County's consecutive awards are being seen as evidence that its comprehensive growth strategy encompassing industry, welfare, and tourism is translating into tangible results.
Uljin County's strategy of simultaneously promoting new energy industries and welfare innovation is significant in that it presents a clear direction for policies responding to regional extinction. It serves as a case showing that regional competitiveness is strengthened when industrial base expansion and improvements in the residential environment move in tandem, and the implementation capacity in establishing the National Industrial Complex is expected to be the key variable that will determine the region's future.
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