ULSAN < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

Won Hee-ryong, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, visited Ulsan on July 3 to discuss a project to develop an 'urban convergence special zone'.

On the afternoon of that same day, Minister Won attended a discussion meeting to seek how successfully develop the urban convergence special zone in Ulsan city and deal with current issues related with land and infrastructure.

The meeting convened about 20 officials and figures including Ulsan Mayor Kim Du-gyeom, members of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (the MOTIE), and national assembly.

During the meeting, speakers made presentations on how far the project has gone forward, strategies to foster the urban special zone, and the basic plans on the project being implemented by Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS).

In short, after being designated as a special industrial zone in 1962, Ulsan has taken a role in spearheading the national economic growth with 4 major industries, automobiles, shipbuilding, petrochemical, and non-ferrous metals at its heart.

Over time, however, the manufacturing industry fell out of favor with the cohort of young people and now the youth population in the city has been on a decline as they are leaving Ulsan to other cities.

In order to turn the tide and foster high-tech industries that are expected to create high quality jobs for young workers, Ulsan participated in the urban-convergence-special-zone project executed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport with an aim to facilitate a balanced growth across the nation.

An urban convergence special zone refers to a high-density innovative space equipped with outstanding infrastructure encompassing industry, housing, and culture so that companies and talents can be induced to gather in the city center of a provincial metropolis.

Ulsan's urban convergence special zone will be built near the KTX Ulsan station, located in Ulju-gun and on the premises of Ulsan Technopark located in Jung-gu, which are expected to be the best areas to tap into outstanding infrastructures integrating various sectors of industries, academia, and research since they are adjacent to High Tech Valley, UNIST, Ulsan Technopark, Ulsan Innovation City, and Janghyeon Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex.

According to Ulsan's plan, a high-tech industrial cluster will be mainly about eco-friendly energy industries such as hydrogen and future mobility, while incorporating residential, industrial and cultural districts to expand the functions that the city provides.

Minister Won said, "For now, Ulsan is the one and only city that was designated by the authorities as the region to build the urban convergence special zone twice, which proves the enormous efforts and firm determination made by officials of the local government and business leaders in Ulsan." He added, "The MOTIE will be in a close cooperation with Ulsan to boost not just the industrial but cultural and commercial aspects to ensure Ulsan becomes an attractive destination where young people flock to."

In the meeting, attendees discussed various issues, such as how to advance the major high-tech industries in the region, measures to win state projects, and pending issues that require the MOTIE's supports. Ulsan called for the MOTIE to review 11 issues including a relaxation of the green belts to ease them in a rational manner, one of the top priorities of Mayor Kim.

Minister Won answered in reply, "With regard to lifting the green belts, the overall deliberative process is almost completed at a local level, and the MOTIE clears that it sicks to its principle that the Ministry will intervene in matters related to green belts only in special cases, such as when conflicts between local governments occurs."

hkm@yna.co.kr

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Source: Yonhap News (Jul. 3, 2023)

*This article was translated from Korean.