President Moon Jae-in's efforts to revive South Korea's regional economies has kicked off-- with series of trips on Tuesday.
The president, toured two regions in a day,... one on the west and the other on the east,... focusing on ways to boost the economy at the local level.
Shin Se-min reports.
President Moon Jae-in,... sweeping from Korea's west to its east in a single day,... as he tries to boost regional economies that have fallen on hard times.
Highlighting the importance of Korea's drive toward renewable energy,... President Moon started the day at a ceremony in Saemangeum -- a coastal area in the city of Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do Province,... where he unveiled his vision for a massive renewable energy cluster by 2022.
The Saemangeum cluster will contain three solar parks and a wind farm, producing a total of 4 gigawatts of power, the equivalent of four nuclear reactors.
"The government has included finding and fostering eco-friendly energy in the administration's 100-point national policy agenda, and aims for 20 percent of its electricity generation to come from clean, renewable energy by 2030."
The Saemangeum cluster alone, is set to attract around 100 renewable energy-related companies and create 100-thousand jobs over the next decade.
Attending a separate ceremony in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, marking Local Autonomy Day,... the president vowed to push forward with his administration's plan of boosting local governments' autonomy and promised support for job policies.
"The government will become a powerful assistant in creating local jobs. The state will spare no financial and systematical support in pushing ahead with the local governments' customized job policies."
President Moon says it will happen through a virtuous cycle of talented individuals, investments and jobs,... in other words, backing local schools and universities to foster talent from the region.
The President added his administration will work to boost the recruitment rate at public institutions in local areas to 30-percent by 2022... and will support mid-sized firms so they become the center of local development.
He said efforts for decentralization will be possible, even without the need for constitutional reform.
The presidential office had previously come up with the government's proposal focused on upgrading local governments' autonomy and economic democratization as part of its constitutional amendment bill earlier this year in March - which the National Assembly failed to pass.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.
