A decade-long plan to develop the northern regions of Gyeonggi Province has been set in motion. At the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex on March 31, members of the provincial government and assembly, as well as appointed researchers and university professors, held discussions for the first time as members of the development committee at the ‘Project launching briefing for the 10-year plan to develop northern Gyeonggi Province by the Strategic Committee for the Development of Northern Gyeonggi’.

The circumstances in each city and county differ; however, the regions and residents in northeast Gyeonggi Province including Yeoncheon and Pocheon, places where circumstances appear bleak, are passionate about developing their regions, going so far as to demand secession from Gyeonggi Province to form ‘Gyeonggibuk-do’ (Northern Gyeonggi Province). 

■ Governor Nam Kyung-pil, ‘these days people call me Buk Kyung-pil (‘Nam’ means south and ‘Buk’ means north in Korean)

Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil said, “These days people call me Buk Kyung-pil instead of Nam Kyung-pil (‘Nam’ means south and ‘Buk’ means North in Korean) because I’ve been spending most of my time in northern Gyeonggi.” He added, “Northern Gyeonggi is an underdeveloped region, but that also gives it great growth potential.”

Governor Nam specified keys to the 10-year development plan stating, “We must keep in mind the fact that we should devise a plan in preparation for a unified Korea.” He also hinted that the Gyeonggi Provincial Government will continue to invest, saying, “In the past, development was slow because of reverse discrimination and countless regulations; however, northern Gyeonggi has great growth potential with a unified Korea lying ahead in the future.”

Governor Nam continued, “A decade might seem like a long time, but it took 10 years to realize the plan for Pangyo Techno Valley. So I hope the Committee works consistently over the mid-to-long term and comes up with items with attainable goals.”

■ Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Planning and Budget Committee Chairman Bae Soo-moon: “Shouldn’t Gyeonggi Province become an international metropolis?”

Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Planning aand Budget Committee Chairman Bae Soo-moom (New Politics Alliance for Democracy, Gwacheon) said, “Outsiders say that Gyeonggi Province is well off, but I do think we have to consider that it has a large population base of 11.7 million.” He specified the objective for Gyeonggi Province, commenting, “A metropolis like this must transform itself into an international metropolis.”

Chairman Bae also said, “Each city and county will have their own 10-year plan; these cannot act in isolation. We must review the possibility of continuing our financial support for various plans.”

■ Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Kim Hee-kyeum: “This is now an era of functional division not regional division”

Vice Governor Kim Hee-kyeum said, “The situation is that residents in northern Gyeonggi are asking for secession.” He added, “But it is not a realistic option.” Vice Governor Kim also said he believed everyone should pay heed to the sentiments of the residents in northern Gyeonggi.

Kim continued, “When we think about northern Gyeonggi, we must think about the emotional aspects as well as development. We divided municipalities according to geographical regions in the past, but now it is time to think about grouping them in terms of function as well.”

■ Kyunghee University Professor Lee Tae-hee: How to untangle the tourism business

Kyunghee University Professor Lee Tae-hee said that it is necessary to reconsider the tourism business in northern Gyeonggi Province.

Kyunghee University Professor Lee Tae-hee noted, “If you ask a foreign tourist to pick the most memorable place [in Korea], they choose the DMZ first. But the DMZ isn’t fun. It is memorable because it is a special place. We must think about developing background stories for our tourism resources.”

■ Gyeonggi Textile Industries Association President Jung Myung-hyo: “If you want them to work, sort out the housing problem first!”

Gyeonggi Textile Industries Association President Jung Myung-hyo opened his comments with the above plea, saying, “As a business owner, I would like to ask for this.” He stressed, “In the end, you have to have residential areas placed next to factories in order for people to work.”

Jung continued, “Commuting costs take up too much of monthly salaries. Making long-term plans to develop industries in northern Gyeonggi Province will happen when housing units become available near workplaces. Also, we must get rid of the sentiment that we should help northern Gyeonggi because it is a place that deserves our pity.”

■ Seoul Institute of the Arts Professor Kang Han-seop: “In terms of infrastructure for cinematography, it is best in Gyeonggi Province but…”

Seoul Institute of the Arts Professor Kang Han-seop revealed, “As a cinematography professor, I feel Gyeonggi Province has some great infrastructure for cinematography, educational facilities and film festivals.” In particular, according to Professor Kang, Gyeonggi Province hosts a large number of film festivals, even when considered on a global scale. However Kang also said that Gyeonggi Province lacks a system that can link these components systematically and that this must be considered for northern Gyeonggi Province. 

■ Daejin University Professor Choi Joo-young: “Military facilities will be a hidden advantage, not a point of weakness”

Meanwhile, reminding the audience members that northern Gyeonggi Province is home to a large number of military facilities, Daejin University Professor Choi Joo-young said, “This may have been a source of weakness in terms of development in the past, but now we can develop this as our specialty.” Moreover, with regards to the textile industry, which has been the subject of considerable effort in northern Gyeonggi Province, Professor Choi said, “Textiles and the military are inseparable.” He further stated that he hopes military areas and the textile cluster can develop together.

Professor Choi also asserted, “We should start at least one specialized project that will be welcomed by residents in northeast Gyeonggi. That way, it can be welcomed by the people and contribute to the overall development of northern Gyeonggi Province as well.”

■ Daejin University Professor Soh Seong-gyu: “The expression that northern Gyeonggi Province lags behind is incorrect; we must come up with new way to describe the situation”

Daeijin University Professor Soh Seong-gyu argued the expression that northern Gyeonggi Province lags behind is incorrect. He asserted that people from other cities and counties will not believe regions such as Uijeongbu, Namyangju, and Goyang lag behind in terms of development. Furthermore, he stated that local residents of those regions would prefer not to hear the particular expression. Professor Soh said it is necessary to develop a new way to describe the situation, adding, “In fact, it seems the gap between eastern and western Gyeonggi is larger. 

The newly launched committee, chaired by Vice Governor Kim Hee-kyeum, has been filled out with 26 experts from various fields such as culture, tourism, unification, industry, economics, transport, and construction. The committee will function in an advisory capacity for two years until 2017 so as to push ahead with pledges made during the 6^thdemocratic election, and offer overall policy guidance pertaining to the governance of northern Gyeonggi Province. 

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