Go After Public Institutions ... Gyeongsangnam-do: "Focus on 9 Key Agencies, Go All Out to Attract Them"

Gyeongsangnam-do has made a major push to attract public institutions ahead of the government’s second round of relocations, narrowing its priority targets to nine institutions.

At a briefing held at the Press Center on the 21st, Gyeongsangnam-do said, “Based on the government’s plans for the second round of public institution relocations, we have strengthened the first-stage functional groups for industrial support and housing construction and identified specific institutions to target in each field that can develop in tandem with the region’s strategic industries.”

Cho Hyunjun, head of the Balanced Development Bureau of South Gyeongsang Province, announces the province's response to the government's plan for a second relocation of public institutions, along with its key targets for attracting institutions. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]

In August, the province launched a pan-provincial committee to attract public institutions in the second round of relocations and announced 40 institutions as targets.

After comprehensively considering the links between the province’s industrial structure, institutions relocated in the first round and regional strategic industries, it narrowed the list to nine priority targets.

They are the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, the Korea Nanotechnology Institute, the Korea Environment Corporation, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, the Korea Institute of Construction Technology Education, the Korea Racing Authority, the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency and the Korea Copyright Protection Commission.

The Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning and the Korea Nanotechnology Institute can be linked to key national strategic industries, including shipbuilding, defense, nuclear power and aerospace. By supporting businesses and quickly applying research and development成果 to manufacturing sites, they can help upgrade the region’s manufacturing industries and support the transition to advanced industries.

With its concentration of industrial complexes and manufacturing companies, Gyeongsangnam-do can maximize synergies in environmentally friendly development, carbon-neutral infrastructure and the training of highly skilled construction professionals by linking the Korea Environment Corporation, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology and the Construction Technology Research Institute with the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) and the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety, both of which relocated to the province in the first round.

The Korea Racing Authority is expected to generate economic benefits, including by revitalizing tourism and leisure industries, securing a stable tax base and creating jobs, based on LetsRun Park (Busan-Gyeongnam Race Park).

The Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency can work with the Korea Copyright Commission, which relocated to Gyeongnam Innovation City in the first round, to strengthen local companies’ ability to respond to technology leaks and intellectual property disputes.

The province will also work to attract seven institutions whose strengths align with those of its priority targets: the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology, the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, the Korea Defense Industry Association, the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, the Korea Construction Equipment Safety Institute, the Korea Heritage Agency and the Korea Institute of Intellectual Property.

The province will also seek to bring the integrated headquarters of the five state-owned power generation companies to the region.

As grounds for its bid, the province cited the concentration in Gyeongsangnam-do of major domestic turbine and power generator manufacturers, including Doosan Enerbility and Unison; leading offshore wind foundation manufacturers, including SK oceanplant and HSG Sungdong Shipbuilding; and key energy technology research institutions, including the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute.

It also pointed to the planned closures of the Samcheonpo and Hadong power plants, in line with the government’s energy transition policy aimed at achieving carbon neutrality.

The province also noted that the headquarters of Korea South-East Power in Gyeongnam Innovation City could be used as the integrated headquarters, avoiding the cost and time of constructing a new building because the organization and operational infrastructure are already in place, while minimizing work disruptions during the integration process.

The province also cited the region’s favorable living conditions, including education, healthcare, culture and transportation, and its suitability for the stable settlement of employees and their families after integration.

Gyeongsangnam-do plans to coordinate its response to the second round of public institution relocations with Busan and Ulsan.

The three regions will support and cooperate with one another to help bring institutions they are strategically seeking to attract to the southeastern region.

At the end of this month, the three cities and provinces of Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do will hold an official working-level consultative meeting to discuss concrete measures for cooperation on attracting key public institutions that reflect each region’s industrial characteristics and strengths, as well as coordinating their response to the integration of public institutions.

Cho Hyunjung, head of the Balanced Development Headquarters, said, “The second round of public institution relocations and the establishment of an integrated headquarters for the state-owned power generation companies are important tasks directly tied to securing future growth engines for Gyeongsangnam-do and achieving balanced national development. We will work closely with the government, the National Assembly and local communities and do our utmost to achieve a positive outcome.”

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