Naju Mayor Yoon Byung-tae has been actively engaging with lawmakers in Seoul.
His efforts are focused on securing national funding for key projects in advanced energy, agriculture, and tourism, as well as addressing major issues such as the second phase of public institution relocation and increased government support for the Korea Energy Engineering University.
According to the city of Naju, Mayor Yoon met with Lee Kwang-jae, chairman of the National Assembly's Budget and Accounts Committee, on October 22, and returned to the National Assembly on October 27 to meet with Han Byeong-do, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, Kwon Chil-seung, chairman of the Policy Committee, Lee Jae-jung, chairman of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, and Choi Hwi-young, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
He requested their cooperation in securing national funding for local key projects and addressing Naju's pressing issues.
This outreach coincides with the National Assembly's budget review process.
During his meetings with Han Byeong-do and Kwon Chil-seung, Mayor Yoon outlined seven proposed national projects totaling 197.6 billion won and requested active support to ensure necessary funding is included in the budget review.
Key projects include establishing a support base for the commercialization of core materials for advanced industrial power equipment (25 billion won), building infrastructure for high-power semiconductor modules and corporate support (45 billion won), developing a GX/AX platform for autonomous development of climate tech materials and components (46 billion won), creating an energy community cloud sharing platform ISP/ISMP (49.8 billion won), connecting a premium bicycle path along the Yeongsan River (2 billion won), improving drainage in Naju (22 billion won), and supporting the 2027 International Agricultural Expo (7.8 billion won).
Mayor Yoon emphasized the necessity of expanding Naju's energy industry base into future advanced industries.
He requested 3 billion won in national funding to support the testing and certification of high-quality power equipment essential for the semiconductor industry and AI data centers, as well as 5 billion won to support the demonstration and technological development of high-power semiconductors, which are key components of next-generation power grids.
He also proposed national funding for the GX/AX platform that utilizes artificial intelligence to enhance the competitiveness of climate tech materials and components, as well as for the cloud sharing platform that integrates and utilizes energy data.
Furthermore, he stressed the need to connect Naju's industrial base, which includes Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Energy Engineering University (KENTECH), and energy public institutions and companies, to strengthen national energy industry competitiveness.
Mayor Yoon requested 2 billion won in national funding for the design of the Naju drainage improvement project to prevent flooding of agricultural land due to heavy rainfall, as well as 2 billion won for connecting the disconnected bicycle path in the Yeongsan River park to enhance convenience and safety for citizens and visitors.
He also called for 2.1 billion won in national funding to ensure the successful hosting of the 2027 International Agricultural Expo, addressing agricultural and tourism issues.
Mayor Yoon actively sought cooperation on major issues directly related to Naju's future.
Regarding the government's second phase of public institution relocation, he emphasized the need to concentrate related institutions around the existing innovation city and urged the National Assembly to support the relocation of key public institutions, such as the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and the headquarters of the five power generation companies, to the Bitgaram Innovation City.
He explained the necessity of expanding government financial support and amending relevant laws to establish a stable educational and research foundation for KENTECH, requesting that the scope of government contributions be broadened to cover overall university operations and that the 2027 government support budget be increased to 92 billion won.
Mayor Yoon discussed with Lee Jae-jung and Choi Hwi-young the possibility of changing the second phase of the southern region's large-scale tourism development project to a Yeongsan River waterfront landmark project, requesting their support to develop Naju's Yeongsan River tourism resources into a representative stay-type tourism content for the southern region.
He also urged that the process of establishing roles and functions among cultural and arts support organizations, as per the revision of the Cultural Arts Promotion Act, consider both local cultural and arts development and national balanced development, and that the newly integrated cultural and arts-related institutions be located in the Bitgaram Innovation City.
Mayor Yoon collaborated with Representative Shin Jeong-hoon.
Following their meeting with Lee Kwang-jae on October 22, Representative Shin accompanied Mayor Yoon to the meeting with Han Byeong-do, jointly explaining the necessity of Naju's key projects and local issues, and contributing to efforts for securing national funding and policy support.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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