Anchor Summer Forum Kicks Off Super-Regional Growth in Capital Area and Three Special Autonomous Regions

Seoul and the three special autonomous regions of Gangwon, Jeonbuk, and Jeju convened to explore super-regional collaboration projects based on a regional growth talent development system (ANCHOR) and to enhance exchanges and cooperation among universities, regions, and industries.
 
On August 4, the Ministry of Education, the Local Era Committee, and six provinces (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Jeonbuk, and Jeju) jointly hosted the '2026 Capital Area and Three Special Autonomous Regions Anchor Summer Forum' at Yonsei University. The event, themed 'Synergy of the Hexagon Drives Balanced Growth,' is the final regional summer relay forum following those held in Honam, Southeast, Daegu-Gyeongbuk, and Central regions.
 
The forum attracted over 700 participants, making it the largest gathering during the relay forum series, including officials from the Ministry of Education, the Local Era Committee, central and regional anchor centers, and university anchor project teams.

In his opening remarks, Oh Kyun, Director of the Seoul Research Institute, expressed hope that, like a hexagon where six vertices are interconnected, the collaboration between Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and the three special regions will create a larger innovation ecosystem that drives balanced growth in South Korea by linking each region's strengths and resources.
 
Hong Won-hwa, Chair of the Korea Research Foundation, stated, "If the global competitiveness and industrial research capabilities of the capital area combine with the specialized industrial bases and regional innovation capacities of the three special regions, we can create a new balanced growth model for South Korea that goes beyond individual regional growth."
 
Han Byeong-do, acting leader of the Democratic Party and floor leader, also delivered a video message, saying, "It is time to unite the capabilities of the capital area with the potential of the three special autonomous regions to open a new path for the entire nation to thrive together. If the six provinces cultivate the necessary talent for each region and universities become the center of revitalizing local areas, we can overcome the significant crisis of regional extinction."

The keynote address was delivered by Lee Gwi-hyun, Director of the Local Era Committee's Five Extremes and Three Special Policies Division, who discussed the 'Regional Growth Talent Development System (ANCHOR) and the Five Extremes and Three Special Industrial Strategies.' He illustrated the necessity of mutual development between the capital area and local regions with specific examples and outlined the core direction of the anchor project.
 
Lee cited the development of Sokcho's Central Market in Gangwon and the attraction of tourists to Jeju, explaining that "the development of local areas benefits not only the regions themselves but also residents of the capital area, creating a win-win structure." He added, "If a humanoid factory is established in Jeonbuk, the robots produced will primarily be used in the capital area," emphasizing the interconnectedness of industrial infrastructure.
 
Regarding talent development, Lee stressed the necessity of super-regional cooperation, stating, "Even the capital area cannot independently supply all the necessary talent. In the past, knowledge in specific fields like engineering was sufficient, but now, even in the automotive industry, we need top-level talent from diverse fields such as IT, the internet, AI, and chemistry."
 
He further explained, "No local government can cultivate world-class talent across such diverse fields alone; it is a contemporary demand for multiple local governments to collaborate to nurture and exchange talent suited to their respective strengths."
 
Lee also presented five key points for successfully advancing the anchor project: 1) Designing differentiated industry-academia cooperation programs based on cooperation types within regions; 2) Identifying and nurturing small and medium-sized enterprises capable of long-term industry-academia cooperation; 3) Establishing a virtuous cycle of short-term industry-academia cooperation investment; 4) Establishing robust governance to coordinate various institutions; and 5) Creating synergies through connections with support projects from other ministries.

Following the keynote address, a ceremony was held to declare the joint vision of 'Synergy of the Hexagon Drives Balanced Growth.' Subsequently, the six provinces presented their 'super-regional collaboration plans' sequentially, linking regional strengths and resources, starting with Incheon, followed by Jeju, Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Jeonbuk.
 
In a comprehensive discussion, Lee Gwi-hyun served as the moderator, with participants from universities and anchor centers in the six provinces engaging in in-depth discussions on ways to organically link regional industries and talent development while expanding practical cooperation among regions.
 
Meanwhile, alongside the main event, the 'Anchor Consultation Group' was operated at Yonsei University's Business School. This forum allowed experts to directly listen to the challenges submitted in advance by university anchor project teams and seek practical solutions focused on the field, receiving positive feedback.