Inhong Hwang, Governor of Muju County, Elected President of Jeonbuk Association of Mayors and Governors

"Strengthening Cooperation Among 14 Cities and Counties...
Carefully Addressing Local Issues"

Inhong Hwang, governor of Muju County, has been elected as the president of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Association of Mayors and Governors for the first half of the ninth popularly elected term. Unanimously nominated by the heads of all 14 cities and counties in Jeonbuk, Governor Hwang will, for the next two years, coordinate joint municipal and county issues and lead a cooperative system for local autonomy and balanced regional development.

Inhong Hwang, former governor of Muju County, Jeonbuk.

The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Association of Mayors and Governors held an extraordinary meeting on July 10 and elected Governor Inhong Hwang as the president for the first half of the ninth term. His term will run until June 30, 2028.

Upon taking office, President Hwang expressed his intention to strengthen cooperation among cities and counties to address challenges such as population decline and the risk of regional extinction facing local communities. He stated, "All 14 cities and counties must cooperate closely as a single community in order to achieve substantial results in local autonomy and decentralization," adding, "I will carefully address local issues for Jeonbuk's new leap forward."

The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Association of Mayors and Governors is a consultative body composed of the heads of 14 cities and counties in the province. Since its establishment in 1996, it has discussed joint policies to expand local autonomy, promote balanced development, and improve residents' quality of life. The association also serves as a channel to share local issues and deliver joint proposals from the cities and counties to the central government and Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province. Recently, the association's role has grown as key agendas include responding to regional extinction, expanding the resident population, fiscal decentralization, and strengthening the authority of the special self-governing province.

Meanwhile, President Hwang has served three terms as governor of Muju County and has been active in various local government consultative bodies.

Since 2024, he has served as president of the Eastern Region Association of Mayors and Governors of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, and from 2022 until June of this year, he served as vice president of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Association of Mayors and Governors. In addition, he has served as co-president of the Local Government Association for Village Development and as vice president of the National Association of Governors of Agricultural and Fishing Villages, building a foundation for cooperation in the fields of local autonomy and rural policy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.