[Recap of Governor Nam’s visit to China] Governor returned from 3-day trip on March 28

Emphasizes establishing international standard at big data discussion session; also active in local diplomacy

◇ Governor Nam Kyung-pil has returned from the 2015 Boao Forum, which is also known as the ‘Davos Forum of Asia’. After attending the opening ceremony for the annual general meeting, Governor Nam concluded his 3-day visit to China and returned on March 28. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News

Governor Nam Kyung-pil has returned from the 2015 Boao Forum, which is also known as the ‘Davos Forum of Asia’. After attending the opening ceremony for the annual general meeting, Governor Nam concluded his 3-day visit to China and returned on March 28.

During his visit, Governor Nam proposed the need for governance in order to expand the use of big data, an idea that was positively received by participants at the forum. Governor Nam was also active in terms of regional diplomacy, meeting with Jiangsu Province Governor Li Xue Yong and proposing to push forward discussions regarding a consultative group for municipal governments within the Yellow Sea region.

At 1pm on March 27, a day before the forum commenced, Governor Nam proposed the need to establish an international standard to expand the use of big data, and also stated that Gyeonggi Province seeks to play an active role in such efforts during the big data discussion session at the BFA Hotel in Boaojin of Hainan Province, China. His remarks caught the attention of the participants at the forum. 

Governor Nam delivered his speech, titled ‘Let’s Build Big Data Governance’, in English and emphasized the importance of governance with an international standard, stating, “The vast amounts of data we have accumulated so far and will continue to collect in the future are extremely powerful. The reason we fear Google is because nobody knows what Google does with the mountains of data they possess.” He also added, “We must monitor such aspects, and I think this is possible through governance.”

Governor Nam then revealed his plans to open the ‘BIG-FI (Big Data-Free Information) Center’ in Pangyo of Gyeonggi Province through which the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, other government agencies, and private enterprises can share data . He said that the BIG-FI Center will be open to the public and is expected to create numerous business opportunities along with new jobs through the sharing and utilization of big data.

Additionally, Governor Nam proposed Gyeonggi Province’s active role in establishing such governance: “Gyeonggi Province will continue to carry out experiments and research with regards to big data governance, and shall hold a forum on big data this autumn in Pangyo. I hope experts on big data from around the world can find common ground and declare their thoughts under the ‘Pangyo Consensus’.” 

Governor Nam’s remarks were supported by Western Digital CEO Steve Miligan and Baidu President Zhang Ya Qin. LeJohansson President Ericsson also agreed with Governor Nam, quoting his comments that preparing big data governance is important for the happiness of all and stands as an issue that needs to be resolved.

Local diplomacy, which has become Governor Nam’s trademark, also yielded significant results. On the afternoon of March 27, Governor Nam met with Jiangsu Province Governor Li Xueyong, head of a province that has cooperative ties with Gyeonggi Province, and proposed more active discussions regarding a cooperative body for municipal governments within the Yellow Sea region, reaching a consensus.

The cooperative body for municipal governments within the Yellow Sea region is equivalent to an extended version of the ‘6+6 Pan Yellow Sea Forum’ proposed by former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo. The new proposal widens the scope of cooperation from commerce to science, the environment, tourism, aging populations, and more. The members of the cooperative entity have also been expanded from a handful of cities in China and Korea to encompass entire areas near the Yellow Sea in Korea, China and Japan. There are plans to include North Korea in the future.

Governor Li Xueyong agreed with Governor Nam’s proposal and said, “Jiangsu Province also wanted to propose a top-level cooperative body between the two regions. I will discuss Governor Nam’s proposal with other provinces within the Yellow Sea region.”

Governor Li suggested possibilities in economic cooperation, the formation of a top-level cooperative body, youth exchanges, and more to Governor Nam. Governor Nam agreed to the proposals put forward by his counterpart and invited Governor Li to visit Gyeonggi Province. With this official invitation, we can expect exchange and cooperation between the two regions to gain momentum.

Governor Nam also met with Zhongxin Securities President Wang Dongming and continued his efforts to attract investment, stating that corporations in Gyeonggi Province hope to cooperate with Chinese companies in areas such as infrastructure, construction, and logistics.

Meanwhile, at 10am on March 28, over 80 leading figures from around the world and CEOs as well as 65 companies on the top 500 list attended the opening ceremony for the 2015 Boao Forum at the Boaojin International Convention Center in Hainan, China.  

Hosted by Secretary General Zhou Wenzhong, the opening ceremony was headlined by a welcoming speech from former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo and a keynote speech titled ‘Working Together Toward a Better Future For Asia’ by Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping. Governor Nam Kyung-pil exchanged greetings and posed for photographs with participants at the opening ceremony. 

◇ Governor Nam was active in his local diplomacy efforts. He met with Jiangsu Province Governor Li Xueyong and proposed pushing forward with discussions regarding a cooperative body for municipal governments in the Yellow Sea region. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News