Governor Park Wansu Proposes 'Local-Led Growth' Policies at Central-Local Cooperation Meeting ... Requests Designation of First Mega Special Economic Zone

Call for Enactment of Special Acts on Aerospace-Integrated City and Southern Coast Region

On August 26, Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, proposed key policies and current issues related to local-led growth at the '10th Central-Local Government Cooperation Meeting' presided over by the President.

Governor Park first called on the government to prioritize the designation of the 'First Mega Special Economic Zone,' focused on space and aerospace, robotics, and the Korea-US shipbuilding cooperation project MASGA.

He explained the justification for designating the First Mega Special Economic Zone, stating, "The southeastern region possesses not only a manufacturing foundation that leads national exports but also advanced industries such as aerospace and robotics."

He also requested that, during the process of establishing detailed support standards for growth engines, the government consider the region's industrial characteristics, scale, and growth potential, provide greater support to areas that are physically farther from the Seoul metropolitan area, and sufficiently communicate with local governments.

Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province.
Photo by Gyeongnam Province

Governor Park also urged the prompt enactment of the Special Act on the Construction of an Aerospace-Integrated City and the Special Act for the Development of the Southern Coast Region.

Additionally, he proposed improving regulations for the restricted development zones around Changwon, Gimhae, and Haman, as well as flight safety zones in Jinhae, rationalizing farmland regulations, expanding transportation networks such as the high-speed railway from East Daegu to Changwon to the new Gadukdo Airport and the Changwon-Gimhae Bieumsan Tunnel, and attracting the consolidated headquarters of public innovation corporations to Jinju Innovation City.

According to Gyeongnam Province, President Lee Jaemyung instructed relevant ministries to follow up on the suggestions made by Governor Park, including the designation of the Second Changwon National Industrial Complex, lifting restrictions on the Changwon area development zones, and easing flight safety regulations in the Changwon-Jinhae region.

Governor Park also expressed appreciation for the priority designation of special disaster areas in Geoje City, and Sanyang-eup and Bongpyeong-dong of Tongyeong City, all of which were heavily affected by recent torrential rains. He requested the additional designation of the remaining areas in Tongyeong that also meet the damage criteria.

He further proposed expanding practical recovery support, such as additional special grants and adjusting housing restoration costs to reflect actual market conditions.

Prior to the meeting, he visited the Presidential Secretariat to raise local issues and request active support.

According to Gyeongnam Province, at the meeting, four sectors in the southeastern region were selected by the government as part of its 'Five Poles, Three Specials Growth Engine' initiative: ▲advanced shipbuilding and shipping, ▲innovative manufacturing in future mobility, ▲aerospace and defense, and ▲next-generation nuclear power and energy.

To foster growth engines, the government will establish a special growth engine grant, while simultaneously providing regulatory exceptions, talent, and industrial infrastructure support through the designation of Mega Special Economic Zones.

Furthermore, from 2027 to 2029, each growth engine will receive 80 billion won annually in national funding—amounting to a total research and development budget of 320 billion won for the four major sectors in the southeast. Business commercialization support, including the production of prototypes and the development of new sales channels for small and medium-sized companies, will also be provided.

To maximize the synergy from the selection of these growth engines, the province plans to actively attract corporate investment with the Advanced Industry Initiative for a Leap Forward in Gyeongnam at its core.

The plan is to integrate physical AI into the core industries of shipbuilding, mobility, aerospace, defense, and nuclear power, link these efforts with Mega Special Economic Zone designation, legal and systemic improvements, and core infrastructure expansion, and foster Gyeongnam's existing and future industries as national growth engines.

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