Song Hyung-gon, the chair of the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Council, expressed his commitment to providing budgetary and institutional support to alleviate labor shortages and the burden of upgrading aging facilities for companies in agricultural industrial complexes.
He emphasized that for the expanded economic zone resulting from the administrative integration of Jeonnam and Gwangju to translate into real growth opportunities for local businesses, support policies must be felt on the ground.
Song made these remarks on October 23 at the '2026 Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Agricultural Industrial Complex Leap Day' event held at the Sky Wedding Convention in Muan, where he highlighted the council's role in strengthening the competitiveness of agricultural industrial complex companies and establishing a foundation for sustainable growth.
The event was attended by over 200 participants, including Min Hyung-bae, the mayor of Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City, heads of relevant agencies and organizations, and employees of companies in agricultural industrial complexes.
The program included a pre-event performance, promotional video screening, awards for outstanding contributors, a safety management memorandum of understanding, capacity-building lectures, and introductions to related policies.
In his speech, Song emphasized that the integration of Jeonnam and Gwangju could present new opportunities for the local industrial sector, but he also pointed out the need to improve the practical business conditions faced by companies.
Song Hyung-gon stated, "After 40 years, Jeonnam and Gwangju can create greater opportunities as one economic zone. Now, agricultural industrial complex companies must also stand at the starting line of the opportunities created by this integration, allowing local businesses to confidently face broader markets and new challenges."
He added, "However, if companies struggle to find workers and lack the capacity to upgrade facilities, it will be difficult to seize opportunities. We must lower the barriers that hinder corporate challenges."
This reflects a recognition that without addressing the difficulties in securing labor and the investment burdens for facility upgrades faced by companies in agricultural industrial complexes, it will be challenging to feel the economic benefits of administrative integration on the ground.
Given that agricultural industrial complexes are a foundational industry supporting local manufacturing and employment, the need for policy support is underscored, as stable management and competitiveness of these companies are directly linked to revitalizing the local economy.
Song also stated that the inaugural integrated special city council would actively work to identify the practical issues facing agricultural industrial complexes and develop improvement measures.
He remarked, "The inaugural integrated city council will start by asking what needs to be changed. We will listen to the voices from the field to ensure that the slogan 'Together with Agricultural Industrial Complexes' translates into change in your workplaces, securing the necessary budgets and systems one by one."
These comments indicate a commitment to actively incorporate the voices of companies in agricultural industrial complexes into the direction of regional industrial policy following the administrative integration.
In particular, connecting the demands for labor supply, facility upgrades, and strengthening corporate competitiveness to specific support projects and budget allocations is expected to be a major task for future legislative activities.
During the event, awards were presented to individuals who contributed to the development of agricultural industrial complexes, and a safety management memorandum of understanding was signed, highlighting the importance of not only enhancing corporate management capabilities but also ensuring safety in industrial settings.
Additionally, capacity-building lectures and policy introductions addressed support policies available to resident companies and strategies to respond to changes in the industrial environment.
Song plans to continue legislative activities aimed at strengthening regional industrial competitiveness by gathering opinions from agricultural industrial complex companies and exploring necessary institutional improvements and budget support.
As Jeonnam and Gwangju have integrated into one economic zone, it is crucial to develop practical measures that consider regional industrial conditions alongside linked corporate support policies to enhance the growth potential of agricultural industrial complexes.
Meanwhile, the Jeonnam Agricultural Industrial Complex Association, established in 2017, comprises 69 agricultural industrial complexes and 1,600 companies across 20 cities and counties within the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City. The association engages in activities to strengthen corporate competitiveness and revitalize the local economy through management and technology information exchange and collaboration among resident companies.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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