Naju Welcomes Second Round of Public Institution Relocations and Launches Full-Scale Attraction Campaign

【Financial News Naju = Hwang Tae-jong】 Naju-si welcomed the government’s policy for a second round of relocating public institutions outside the capital area and decided to make every effort to attract them.
 On the 4th, Naju-si said that, regarding the government’s “Policy for Promoting a Second Round of Public Institution Relocations to Regions Outside the Capital Area,” announced the previous day, Yoon Byung-tae, Mayor of Naju, stated in a position paper, "We wholeheartedly welcome this together with Naju’s 120,000 residents," adding, "We will launch full-scale efforts to attract public institutions functionally linked to Bitgaram Innovation City and have them relocated there in a concentrated manner."
 In its announcement, the government presented a policy of pursuing relocation to regions outside the capital area in principle unless an institution must remain in the capital region. It also said it would cluster and concentrate functionally related institutions around existing innovation cities.
 It also plans to pursue the relocation of public institutions not simply as a matter of regional distribution, but from the perspective of linking industries and functions, strengthening the self-sufficiency of innovation cities, and fostering regional growth hubs.
 Regarding the policy, Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, "The second round of public institution relocations must establish a sustainable innovation ecosystem in which companies, universities, research institutions, and talent gather around public institutions, creating new industries and jobs." He emphasized, "At the same time, we must dramatically expand self-sufficient living conditions—including housing, education, healthcare, culture, and transportation—to create a fully developed innovation city where workplaces and living spaces grow together."
 He added, "Bitgaram Innovation City, the only joint innovation city of Gwangju and Jeonnam in South Korea, has developed into a leading innovation and growth hub through the concentration of 16 public institutions, including Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), as well as the Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), companies, and research institutions." He continued, "The second round of relocations should give top priority to links with the existing functional clusters built around energy, information and communications, agricultural and life sciences, and cultural content, and should proceed by concentrating related public institutions in Bitgaram Innovation City."
 Mayor Yoon particularly stated, "Naju is ready. We have sites and office space that can accommodate rapid relocations, and we will continue expanding living conditions so that employees of relocating institutions and their families can settle here securely."
 In fact, there are currently 77 vacant office buildings totaling 157,549 square meters within the innovation city. Based on the average office space of public institutions relocated during the first round, the available space can accommodate approximately 3,580 people. In addition, numerous private office spaces—including large vacant facilities—are available for immediate occupancy, reducing the time and cost required to construct new headquarters and enabling rapid, flexible relocations tailored to the size and characteristics of each institution.
 In line with the government’s policy of pursuing relocations swiftly, Naju-si plans to actively use the infrastructure and private office space of the existing innovation city. If necessary, it will also work to secure additional sites and provide customized relocation support for each institution.
 Finally, Mayor Yoon said, "Through the second round of relocations, we will spread the strengthened industrial, technological, and talent ecosystem of Bitgaram Innovation City throughout the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City." He added, "We will establish a virtuous cycle for the regional economy in which the innovation and growth generated in Naju extend to the industrial complexes, universities, and companies of Jeonnam and Gwangju, and develop Bitgaram Innovation City into the core growth engine of the Integrated Special City’s future industries."
 He added, "If the first round of public institution relocations marked the birth of Bitgaram Innovation City, the second round must serve as the process of completing it."

[email protected] Hwang Tae-jong Reporter