Min Hyung-bae, went down in history as the first mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City while presenting growth, balance, basic income, a green city and citizen sovereignty as principles for his city administration in his inaugural address at the Special City Council held at the Muan Government Complex on July 1.
In his inaugural address that day, Min reminded everyone that Jeonnam and Gwangju have long suffered social, economic, and political hardships.
Min went on to assess that in May 1980, they stood firm with their whole bodies to prevent the collapse of democracy in the Republic of Korea in the face of the new military regime’s guns and bayonets, but they were not respected to that extent; furthermore, Jeonnam and Gwangju were forcibly separated, and their strength was subsequently exhausted by competition and discord.
However, a golden opportunity has arrived for Jeonnam and Gwangju to unite passionately once again and leap forward as a massive growth axis that will support fuel the Republic of Korea, driven by President Lee Jae-myung’s insight that the entire nation will only survive if regions become the engines of their own growth.
Three mega projects for Korea’s great leap forward and a vision for a great transformation of national spatial planning recently announced by President Lee represent a historic challenge to redraw the industrial and growth map of the Republic of Korea.
Min expressed his conviction that if Jeonnam’s seas and islands, sunlight and energy, the power of agriculture and life, Gwangju’s history of democracy, artificial intelligence and high-tech industries, and educational and cultural capabilities are all connected, they will stand tall as a new growth axis for the Republic of Korea.
He also stated his intention to manage city administration based on five principles.
First of all, Min emphasized “overwhelming growth.”
The goal is to change the landscape of growth by combining large-scale support promised by the central government, authority and special provisions in the special act and administrative capabilities expanded through integration.
A recent announcement by the central government and Korean chipmakers regarding an 800-trillion-won Jeonnam-Gwangju semiconductor cluster is a historic opportunity for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, according to Min.
Furthermore, given that the Special City Council has swiftly enacted relevant ordinances, Min’s determination is to design a package of talents and infrastructure to create a Jeonnam-Gwangju area that companies will inevitably choose, allowing young people to realize their dreams in their hometown.
Min also brought up a principle of balance. The principle is to create a new growth economic map that does not lean toward any one side.
It involves combining the AI and cultural capabilities of the Gwangju region, the materials, port, and industrial capabilities of the Eastern region, the offshore wind and energy capabilities of the Western region, and the agricultural and bio-life capabilities of the Central-South region.
This map ensures that all living areas — East and West and Gwangju and Jeonnam — function independently, while the positive results spread throughout the entire Jeonnam-Gwangju region.
Min also made a pledge to present a leading model for Korea’s basic income policy.
The plan is to meticulously prepare for basic income to protect the region and revitalize its communities by finding ways to ensure that income circulates within the region, small businesses survive and grow and residents’ lives are stabilized.
Min emphasized turning Jeonnam-Gwangju region into a green area.
As the sunlight, wind, sea, forests, farmland, and tidal flats of Jeonnam-Gwangju constitute future competitiveness, his policy aims to integrate the southwestern offshore wind and solar power, energy storage and power grids and the RE100 industry infrastructure into a single entity.
This will ensure that renewable energy becomes a source of regional income, corporate competitiveness, and a force that protects the lives of citizens.
Through this, he expressed his stance to advance toward becoming a world-leading carbon-neutral city and a sustainable ecological civilization city.
Min also stressed citizen sovereignty. He believes that the starting point of policy and the standard of administration for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City must be the lives of citizens.
Therefore, he intends for the administration to follow proposals, discussions, and decisions made by citizens.
_민형배 전남광주통합특별시장 취임선서02.jpg)
