Jinju City Outlines Three Major Issues for the Development of Innovation City

Attracting the Consolidated Headquarters of Power Generation Public Companies,
Retaining the LH Headquarters in Jinju, and Promoting the Second Round of Public Institution Relocations

Civic Resolution Rally Set for August 26 to Gather Local Community Opinions

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province has outlined three major issues to ensure the continued development of the Gyeongnam Jinju Innovation City and to strengthen its linkages with regional strategic industries, in response to the restructuring of public institutions and the ongoing discussions regarding a second wave of relocations.

On August 20, Jinju City held a press conference in the city hall briefing room. The city identified the following key agenda items: attracting the consolidated headquarters of power generation public companies, including Korea South-East Power Co.; opposing the split and relocation of Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) and keeping its headquarters in Jinju; and promoting the second round of public institution relocations to Jinju Innovation City.

[Photo by Soonkyung Choi] Mayor Kyu-Il Cho of Jinju City explained the three key issues for the continuous development of Gyeongnam Jinju Innovation City and the linkage with regional strategic industries on the 20th in the city hall briefing room, responding to discussions on the restructuring of public institutions and the second relocation.

The city plans to respond to these issues by cooperating with Gyeongsangnam-do Province, relevant agencies, and the local community, given that the outcome could have a significant impact on the region's economy and the innovation city's future growth trajectory.

◆ Attracting the Consolidated Headquarters of Power Generation Public Companies

Jinju City has made attracting the consolidated headquarters of power generation public companies one of its top priorities.

The city highlighted Jinju's strengths as a potential location, citing its excellent accessibility to key power generation hubs in the Yeongnam and Honam regions, as well as its well-established infrastructure and related organizations.

In particular, the city emphasized that by utilizing the existing Korea South-East Power Co. building, it could significantly reduce the expenses associated with constructing a new headquarters, advocating for an integrated headquarters that leverages existing facilities.

Jinju City has already partnered with Gyeongsangnam-do Province, the Korea South-East Power Co. labor union, and other stakeholders, and is leading a signature campaign to collect public opinion from local citizens.

◆ Responding to Discussions on Splitting and Relocating the LH Headquarters

The second major issue is retaining the headquarters of Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) in Jinju.

The city stressed the need for sufficient dialogue with the local community regarding the recent discussions about splitting and relocating LH.

Since relocating to Jinju Innovation City, LH has contributed by hiring local talent, increasing local tax revenue, and carrying out projects connected to the community. Jinju City explained that, considering these contributions, it is necessary for the LH headquarters to remain in its current location.

The city plans to closely examine the potential impact of any move to split and relocate LH on the intended purpose of Jinju Innovation City and on the regional economy and to coordinate countermeasures with relevant agencies.

◆ Promoting the Second Round of Public Institution Relocations

Jinju City also intends to actively respond to the second round of public institution relocations by strengthening ties between public institutions previously relocated to Jinju Innovation City and local strategic industries, such as aerospace and defense.

Given that Jinju is expanding its foundation in key regional industries, particularly aerospace and defense, the city aims to attract public institutions that would generate strong synergy with these sectors, thereby further reinforcing the innovation city's function.

The city will continue to propose these priorities to the National Assembly, the central government, and relevant organizations, while building a systematic cooperation network with Gyeongsangnam-do Province and other stakeholders to address the second wave of public institution relocations.

◆ Civic Resolution Rally on August 26

Jinju City will hold a large-scale civic resolution rally on August 26 to gather local opinion regarding the attraction of the consolidated headquarters of power generation public companies, the retention of the LH headquarters in Jinju, and the second round of public institution relocations—its three major issues.

Mayor Kyu-il Cho of Jinju stated, "Cooperation among the local community and relevant agencies is essential for the continued development of Gyeongnam Jinju Innovation City," adding, "We will continue to convey local opinions to the relevant institutions and pursue efforts to advance the innovation city and revitalize the regional economy."

This press conference marked Jinju City's official presentation of its main agenda items and response strategy amid continued discussions concerning the restructuring of public institutions and a second wave of relocations. Attention is now focused on how local opinions will be reflected in future policy decisions by the central government and relevant agencies.

With Jinju City outlining the three core issues—attracting the consolidated power company headquarters, maintaining the LH headquarters in Jinju, and the second round of public institution relocations—the next challenge will be achieving concrete outcomes by building consensus within civil society and negotiating with relevant agencies based on specific attraction strategies.

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