South Korea Forms Super-Regional Economic Zone in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do

Gwangju Metropolitan City and Jeollanam-do Province are integrating into a super-regional economic zone to attract advanced technology firms ^[1].

This integration is a strategic response to the extreme concentration of population and economic power in the Seoul metropolitan area. By consolidating resources, the region seeks to prevent depopulation and establish a sustainable growth engine independent of the capital.

The new economic zone will encompass an integrated population of 3.2 million people ^[1]. Officials plan to leverage this scale to create a regional gross domestic product of approximately 160 trillion KRW ^[1]. The strategy focuses on establishing industry belts that specialize in semiconductors, energy, and artificial intelligence.

Central to the plan is the development of Gwangju as a global AI city. The administration intends to build a hub that attracts high-tech companies and a skilled workforce to the region ^[1]. This shift toward future-oriented industries is designed to create high-quality jobs and stabilize the local economy.

"The integration of Gwangju and Jeollanam-do was pursued because the concentration in the metropolitan area is intensifying and the sense of crisis regarding regional extinction is great," a YTN anchor said ^[1].

Kim Il-tae, a distinguished professor at Chonnam National University, highlighted the goal of autonomy in the process. He said the regions are integrating to determine how they can possess a region-led growth engine ^[1].

The project involves coordinating infrastructure and policy between the city and the province to ensure that the industry belts are contiguous and efficient. This coordination is intended to make the region more competitive against the pull of Seoul.