President Yoon Suk-yeol held the 19th “Folk Life Discussion with the People” at the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office on March 11 under the theme of “Happiness for the People, Power for Gangwon!” and discussed development issues such as high-tech industries and tourism that will open up the future of Gangwon.
In his remarks, the president said that through the public forum, which began this year, he realized that it is the right direction to discover policy issues from the perspective of policy consumers and break down the barriers between ministries and departments to speed up policy implementation, and that all ministries will work together to speed up policy implementation to achieve life changes that all citizens can feel.
The President emphasized that Gangwon Province has protected our security with its military facilities and safety from natural disasters with its lush forests, dams, and lakes, but has suffered economic difficulties due to restrictions, and that he will innovate regulations that stifle regional development and ensure support for high-tech industries and tourism so that Gangwon can take a new leap forward.
The president said he would reorganize Gangwon Province’s main industries into digital and bio-based high-tech industries and foster it as a new high-tech industrial base in Korea. Specifically, the president said he would create the Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Cluster in Chuncheon, where cold water from the Soyang River Dam is used to cool data centers and heated water is reused to heat nearby smart farms.
The president promised to make Gangwon the capital of the data industry, and to support the early success of the “333 Project,” which aims to create 30,000 digital industry workers, 3,000 digital companies, and 300% growth in revenue.
Noting that Gangwon has been designated as a “Global Innovation Zone” for healthcare data this year, the president said he will support companies to freely develop technologies and challenge various areas, making Gangwon the center of the biohealth industry.
The president added that he would also promote the pioneering project of the Chuncheon Enterprise Innovation Park, which grants land expropriation and land development rights to private companies, and transform the East Sea and Samcheok into a future hydrogen energy hub.
He also announced that Gangneung was selected last year as a candidate for a natural product bio national industrial complex, and if the prequalification process, scheduled for the second half of this year, passes, the government will invest 260 billion won ($262 million) to expedite its creation.
The president also announced that the Oksaek Cable Car in Seoraksan National Park, which was Gangwon-do’s No. 1 pledge and a 40-year-long dream, was inaugurated last year and will provide a major boost to the region with an economic impact of more than 130 billion won when it is fully operational in 2026, and said that he will continue to build more cable cars where local residents want them.
The president also announced that, in order to utilize the legacy of the Olympics as a tourism resource, Jeongseon Gariwangsan Mountain, which was used as a skiing venue, will be transformed into a forest garden so that more people can visit the tourist attraction, which attracted 180,000 visitors last year alone.
Finally, to improve the medical infrastructure in medically vulnerable areas such as Inje, Yanggu, and Hwaseong, the president promised to improve the standard of medical equipment installation so that MRI, CT, and other advanced medical treatments can be provided at local hospitals, and to build underground water storage dams to collect groundwater in Yeongdong, a region that often experiences water shortages.
The president said he would connect the GTX B and D routes to Chuncheon and Wonju, respectively, and ensure that the Chuncheon-Sokcho section of the East-West High Speed Rail and the Yeoju-Wonju double-track train are completed. He also promised to take care of the Yeongwol-Samcheok Expressway, the last section of the six-axis East-West highway, which will greatly improve the lives of people in mountainous areas.
In the discussion that followed, various opinions were shared on three topics: ▴ Gangwon-do, a new high-tech industrial base; ▴ Gangwon-do, a mecca for high-quality mountain tourism; and ▴ Gangwon-do, a place where people are happy.
The discussion was attended by more than 100 people, including businessmen, local residents, farmers, national meritors, and students, with representatives from the government, including Environment Minister Han Hwa-jin and Forest Service Chief Nam Sung-hyun; local governments, including Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Governor Kim Jin-tae; and the presidential office, including Policy Chief Sung Tae-yoon, Civil Society Chief Hwang Sang-moo, and Social Affairs Chief Jang Sang-yoon.
