Kang Myeong-su, Gwangju Metropolitan City’s inaugural vice mayor for industry and economy: “I will support corporate growth through a major industrial transformation”

【Financial News, Jeonnam-Gwangju = Hwang Tae-jong】Kang Myeong-su, the inaugural vice mayor for industry and economy of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Metropolitan City), said on the 26th, “I will support corporate growth through a major industrial transformation and translate the gains of industrial development into quality jobs and greater vitality in citizens’ lives.”
 He laid out three guiding principles for industrial and economic policy: seeking effective solutions in industrial workplaces and the everyday economy; creating an optimal industrial ecosystem where businesses come and grow; and building a virtuous cycle that turns industrial growth into quality jobs and greater vitality in citizens’ lives.
 At his inauguration ceremony that day at Yi Sun-sin Auditorium in the Eastern Government Office, attended by around 300 people, including Special Mayor Min Hyung-bae, heads of local governments in the eastern region, bureau and department heads, and staff, Vice Mayor Kang said, “I am deeply moved to be leading the regional economy at the starting line of this historic integration, and I am keenly aware of the tremendous responsibility to achieve ‘overwhelming growth.’”
 He also emphasized, “We are facing an opportunity for a major industrial transformation, as a strong manufacturing base in energy, steel, petrochemicals, aerospace and shipbuilding converges with advanced infrastructure centered on artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors and mobility. I will bring to bear all the policy experience and know-how I have built up at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and in the industrial field, and do everything I can to help the region emerge as an industrial hub on the world stage.”
 He added, “I will bring together land, power and tailored infrastructure to create an exceptional environment for attracting investment, and lay a solid growth ladder so that businesses rooted in the region can take another step forward.”
 Finally, Vice Mayor Kang pledged, “I will always begin by listening with humility, keep learning, and take the lead in putting in the work. I will be a steadfast partner, supporting public officials from close at hand so they can work with conviction.”
 In his congratulatory remarks that day, Special Mayor Min Hyung-bae emphasized, “The eastern region plays a pivotal role in the growth of South Korea’s industry, with petrochemicals, steel and ports at its center. We need to add AI and new technologies to our key industries and foster new sectors such as secondary batteries. It is time for the eastern region to once again lead change in South Korean industry.”
 He continued, “Vice Mayor Kang will work at the Eastern Government Office to create new momentum close to businesses and industrial workplaces,” and urged, “Let’s work together to create a new leap forward for Jeonnam-Gwangju.”

[email protected] Hwang Tae-jong Reporter