Gyeongsangbuk-do Picks 2025 Tasks, Including APEC Sumit and ‘Super World-Class Country’ Strategies

Geyongsangbuk-do Gov. Lee Cheol-woo. (Photos: Gyeongsangbuk-do)

Gyeongsangbuk-do held a session to report the provincial government’s business for the year 2025, based on the vision “Spearhead Korea, Super World-Class Country” on Jan. 13.

The session consisted of Part I on policies on the successful hosting of Gyeongju APEC Summit, slated for late October, and Part II on strategies to become a super world-class country in science, technology and cultural enrichment sectors.

Each office and bureau of the provincial government came up with related policy ideas, particularly innovative ideas that could lead to lots of national tasks, and they had active discussions on them.

Gyeongsangbuk-do Gov. Lee Cheol-woo and participants gesture to show solidarity at a session to report the provincial government’s business for the year 2025, based on the vision “Spearhead Korea, Super World-Class Country” on Jan. 13.

Gyeongsangbuk-do Gov. Lee Cheol-woo said at the session, “At last year’s business report, Gyeonsanggbuk-do established low-birth and the private sector’s expanded investments as its innovation icons, and main themes of this year’s business report — APEC Summit as well as science & technology and cultural enrichment — will become Gyeongsangbuk-do’s representative brands for this year.”

In its New Year’s message for the year 2025, Gyeongsangbuk-do said even though Korea joined advanced countries through industrialization and democracy, the nation is suffering from a declining potential growth rate and a crisis amid political strife.

And now is a significant time on the way to becoming a super world-class country.

The provincial government pledged to build up a foundation to make Korea a super world-class country by focusing on science & technology, as well as cultural enrichment.

During the latest business report, participants shared 42 policy tasks related to the 2025 APEC Summit, as well as 28 policy ideas on science and technology, and 19 ones on cultural enrichment.

In particular, Gyeongsangbuk-do stressed that the successful hosting of the 2025 APEC Summit will be a watersheds of letting Gyeongbuk and Korea move toward a super world-class country.

Gov. Lee said, “Hosting of APEC Summit, a new symbolic one, will serve as an opportunity to raise the standing of Gyeongbuk and Korea, and provincial government officials will have to make their utmost to make the hosting of the APEC Summit successful based on enthusiastic desires of residents in Daegu and Gyeongbuk.”

Participants suggested diverse policy ideas for the successful hosting of APEC Summit.

The Provincial government has arranged diverse strategies with goals, such as attracting of global companies, spreading of Hallyu (Korean Wave) and regional integration under catchphrases “Economy APEC, Culture APEC and Peace & Prosperity APEC.”

Gyeongsangbuk-do discussed “Saemaeul Project,” a follow-up project to be implemented after the end of the summit.

Gov. Lee stressed science & technology and cultural enrichment on the way of becoming a super world-class country.

The provincial government suggested diverse mega projects and innovative ideas so that Gyeongsangbuk-do cam spearhead efforts to make Korea a super world-class country.

Gov. Lee: Gyeongsangbuk-do Focuses on Culture, Science and Public Livelihood in 2025’

In his New Year’s message, Gov. Lee revealed efforts to concentrate on cultural enrichment, science & technology and public livelihood in 2025.

“Last year was a proud year in which Gyeongsangbuk-do attracted the APEC Summit, and innovative policies, proposed by Gyeongsangbuk-do, like combatting a low-birth rate and a great agricultural shift became Korea’s representative policies,” he said.

Gov. Lee said, “Super world-class Korea could be a cultural enriched nation in which people eat and enjoy and a diversity-rich country in which science and technology are respected and creation and ideas could lead to success.”

To this, Gov. Lee said, “Gyeongsangbuk-do will make 2025 APEC Summit a historic watershed of making Korea’s national economy and culture move toward a super world-class country.”

He said Gyeongsangbuk-do will build a “Semiconductor Complex” for semiconductor core part infrastructure in western Gyeongbuk, a specialized zone for future car raw materials, parts and equipment in southeastern Gyeongbuk, “medical food tech” zone in northern Gyeongbuk and “clean hydrogen production cluster” along the East Coast.