Gyeongsangbuk-do Spearheads Inauguration of ‘Provincial Era of Decentralization’

Dignitaries, including Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Economy and Finance Chu Kyung-ho, Deputy Prime Minister-Education Minister Lee Joo-ho, and Senior Secretary for State Planning Lee Kwan-sup, Chairman Woo Dong-gi of the Presidential Commission for Decentralization and Balanced Development, and Gyeongsangbuk-do Gov. Lee Cheol-woo, attend a ceremony for the inauguration of the committee at Sejong City on July 10.

Gyeongsangbuk-do Gov. Lee Cheol-woo, his first year in office of the publicly elected eighth-term local government on July 1, said that preparations had been made to inaugurate a national agendum of “provincial era” and decentralize power.

In an interview with a vernacular daily at his office on July 5, Gov. Lee said, “I, serving as Chairman of the Governors Association of the Republic of Korea (GOAK), has confirmed President Yoon Suk-yeol’s determination to usher in a “provincial era of decentralization.”

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

Gov. Lee said, from the start of the publicly elected 8th-term local government, Gyeongsangbuk-do has explored policy tasks toward the provincial era initiative and proposed them to the government and parliament. He said the efforts have paid off, in particular, via national institutional reform.

Legislation and institutional reform tasks, such as the transferring of authority to promote provincial universities to local government, the passage of a special law on an integrated airport and a law on introducing a differentiation electricity charging system are expected to contribute to laying a foothold to revive provincial areas.

A project to build a bridge to cross Yeongil Bay, the Moongyeong-Gimcheon section of the Jungbu Inland Railroad Line, and the designating of three state-run industrial complex sites are expected to serve as Gyeongbuk’s new growth axes, he said.

Gyeongsangbuk-do’s policies toward the provincial era initiative start from the provincial government’s conviction that “if provincial areas live well, things go well for the nation.” People have the right to enjoy a happy life in provincial areas, not only in the Seoul metropolitan area, he said.

In this regard, Gyeongsangbuk-do is implementing the Gyeongbuk-style U-City Project, which is designed to help youth work and settle down in the provincial areas.

Provincial universities have to develop manpower tailored to meet corporate needs, provincial companies must offer good jobs to provincial youth and local governments must build a virtuous cycle of supporting youth’s long-time career and settlement.

As for a project to build a new airport, Gov. Lee said even though the provincial government hit many stumbling blocks, such as the designating of a location and a master plan on the airport’s development, it had managed to cope with them, saying he would extend his thanks to provincial residents for their unwavering support.

Gov. Lee stressed his affection for nuclear power once again. “Nuclear power is base load power sources for the stabilizing the supply of large amounts of electricity at a low cost, and it is responsible for realizing energy security,” he said.