Is Boryeong Falling Behind in the Race for the Integrated Power Generation Headquarters Site?

Only Now Forming Committee,
While Other Local Governments Leave No Stone Unturned in Headquarters Bidding War

Boryeong City Hall

Boryeong City in South Chungcheong Province is floundering and failing to respond in a timely manner to the competition to attract the "integrated headquarters of the five state-owned power generation companies," even though the government is on the verge of selecting the location.

Boryeong, which has been classified as a region facing population extinction, is being criticized for its belated response, despite the fact that attracting the integrated headquarters is a golden opportunity that could trigger the revitalization of the local economy.

The government has been conducting a study to establish the criteria for site selection from February to the end of July this year, after President Lee Jaemyung raised the need for integrating the power generation companies during the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment's work report in December last year.

If the government's plan proceeds as intended, the site selection for the integrated headquarters is imminent.

Local governments in the vicinity are moving swiftly and making every effort to align with the government's roadmap. On July 20, Park Suhyun, Governor of South Chungcheong Province, visited the National Assembly to meet with Kim Joungho, Chair of the Climate, Energy and Environment Committee, and Lee Soyoung, parliamentary secretary of the ruling party, and strongly requested the relocation of the integrated headquarters to Chungnam Innovation City.

The response from Taean County, where the power plant is smaller than Boryeong’s, is even more aggressive. On July 15, Yoon Heeshin, Mayor of Taean County, formed the “Taean Residents’ Committee for Attracting the Integrated Headquarters of the Five Power Generation Companies,” which includes the county council, the small business association, the village leaders’ association, and the public labor union. They held a joint press conference and declared their intent to rally the efforts of all 60,000 county residents.

In contrast, Boryeong City, which has suffered the most damage, has been utterly lethargic in its response. After the early closure of Boryeong Thermal Power Plants Units 1 and 2, the local population fell below 100,000, leading to a severe regional decline. However, the city is coming under fire for being far too late in responding to the integrated headquarters competition.

When mayor Eom Seungyong was mayor-elect, his involvement was limited to proposing the relocation of the headquarters to Boryeong during a town hall meeting with the governor and a visit to the provincial government. As late as July 21—when the announcement of the government's study results was imminent—Boryeong held its first meeting to establish the committee for attracting the power generation headquarters, highlighting its delayed reaction.

Amidst this, local political circles and residents are voicing criticism, saying, "The government’s discussions are already concluding—recruiting a committee at this stage is a textbook case of slow bureaucracy and merely a symbolic gesture."

While other local governments have been taking the lead with all-out efforts involving both the public and private sectors as well as political circles, Boryeong, the main stakeholder, failed to act and has missed the optimal timing, leading to further criticism.

A Boryeong City official explained, "We plan to hold the inaugural committee meeting as quickly as possible after recruiting members," but given that initiative has already been seized by other regions, it seems difficult for Boryeong to avoid criticism for its slow response. Voices are growing louder that Boryeong City’s complacent administration, which repeatedly misses critical timings during crises, is damaging the city's future prospects.

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