Goyang City Councilmember Gong Soja: "Bring Global AI Hub to Goyang"... Resolution Urging Bid Adopted Unanimously

Goyang City Council: All 34 Ruling and Opposition Members Vote in Favor
Urges Gyeonggi Province to Designate Goyang as Candidate Site and Provide Administrative and Financial Support

The Gyeonggi Goyang Special City Council has spoken with one voice in support of bringing a global artificial intelligence (AI) hub to the city.

Gong Soja, Goyang City Council member. Provided by Goyang City Council.

At the third plenary session of the first regular meeting of its 308th session, held on October 26, the Goyang City Council passed without amendment a resolution urging that Goyang be selected to host the Global AI Hub. The resolution was sponsored by Councilmember Gong Soja of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents Jungsan 1-dong, Jungsan 2-dong, Gobong-dong and Ilsan 2-dong, and co-sponsored by Councilmember Gil Jongseong. All 34 ruling and opposition party members voted in favor.

The Global AI Hub is an international cooperation center where AI specialists from international organizations will be based. It will support efforts to address shared challenges facing humanity and help developing countries use AI through education and training. The government is conducting a site selection process to establish the hub in South Korea.

In her explanation of the proposal, Councilmember Gong said, "A public hearing on site selection was held on the 14th, and as applications are now being sought from metropolitan local governments, the first hurdle is which location Gyeonggi Province chooses and submits as its candidate."

Through the resolution, the council urged the government and the Global AI Hub Promotion Committee to assess candidate sites fairly, taking into comprehensive consideration factors such as accessibility, conditions for occupancy, the living environment and infrastructure for AI testing, and to select Goyang. It also called on Gyeonggi Province to designate Goyang as its candidate site, submit an application and provide the administrative and financial support needed to attract the hub.

Councilmember Gong cited Goyang's transportation links to Gimpo International Airport, Incheon International Airport and Seoul; KINTEX's facilities for international conferences and exhibitions; and its medical facilities, including the National Cancer Center, as well as its abundant green space. She said the city offers suitable conditions for international organization staff and their families to work and live.

She also emphasized that bringing the AI hub to Goyang, which has faced constraints on expanding its industrial base due to overlapping regulations, including its designation as an overconcentration control area and the presence of development restriction zones, could establish a new foundation for growth and contribute to balanced development in northern Gyeonggi Province.

The council also decided to provide support by thoroughly and promptly reviewing ordinances, motions and budget proposals needed to provide land and buildings, offer financial support and establish a dedicated organization.

The final site will be decided after the government calls for candidate sites, evaluates them and conducts on-site inspections. The resolution will be delivered to the National Assembly Secretariat, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Science and ICT, Gyeonggi Province, Goyang City and the Global AI Hub Promotion Committee.

Councilmember Gong said, "The Global AI Hub is not a project that ends with its selection; it is a base where international organizations can stay and work for a long time. Together with residents, I will do my part to help Goyang become an international cooperation center that puts 'AI for All' into practice."

She added, "It is significant that all councilmembers, from both ruling and opposition parties, set aside their political affiliations and united for Goyang's future. We will continue to work across party lines on matters that benefit Goyang and its residents."

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