Gangwon Council Member Yoon Mikyung: "Explain Basis for Announcing Success in Attracting Gangneung AI Data Center"

Calls for scrutiny of fairness in public institution appointments
Also urges strategy to attract institutions in the second round of relocations

Yoon Mikyung, member of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Provincial Council. Photo provided by the Gangwon Provincial Council.

Yoon Mikyung, a member of the Gangwon State Council and the People Power Party, called on the provincial administration on Nov. 3 to disclose the basis for its announcement regarding a pledge to attract an AI data center to Gangneung, saying, "A pledge to attract one and an announcement that the effort succeeded are clearly different."

Speaking during a five-minute address at the first plenary session of the 350th regular session that day, Yoon, a member of the Council's Planning, Safety and Firefighting Committee, said, "During the campaign, they said they had completed final talks with a major company and touted an investment of up to 70 trillion won and more than 200,000 jobs. But during a provincial administration question session last October, they said the deal had not yet been finalized and was still under discussion."

Yoon said, "If they had not even confirmed the basic condition of power supply, they should explain what basis they had for announcing that final talks had been completed." She also said that questions from residents and the council about the basis for the pledge should not be dismissed as political infighting or obstruction of efforts to attract investment.

She also raised concerns about fairness in appointments to institutions funded or established by the province. Yoon pointed out that there had been public calls for the heads appointed by the previous provincial administration to clarify whether they would remain in their posts, and asked whether expertise, competence and qualifications had been given priority in selecting new heads of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation and the Gangwon Credit Guarantee Foundation.

"Public institutions exist to serve residents, not to be used as a means of dividing up political positions," she said, calling for the establishment of fair appointment standards.

On the second round of public institution relocations, she called for Gangwon Province to develop a specific strategy to attract institutions.

Yoon said, "What residents expect from the governor is not merely to relay the government's position, but to secure more opportunities for the benefit of all of Gangwon Province."

She added, "I urge the provincial administration to provide sincere answers to residents' questions, apply fair appointment standards to public institutions, and present a concrete strategy for attracting public institutions."

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