Gyeonggi Province Holds Open Forum on Relocation of Public Institutions...Will Related Issues Be Resolved?

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Noh-hoon] Gyeonggi Province will hold an open forum on April 22 at 10 a.m. to address issues related to the relocation of public institutions in the province.

The forum, to be held at the Gyeonggi Province Government Building, will be attended by Gyeonggi Province councilors and provincial residents representing both positions on public institution relocation, including Kim Jong-woo, chairman of the Gyeonggi Province Public Institutions Labor Union Federation; Lee Gang-hyeok, chairman of the Gyeonggi Province Citizens' Coalition Against Public Institution Relocation; Lee O-su, chairman of the Gwanggyo Residents' Representative Council; Kim Yong-chun, chairman of the Citizens' Promotion Committee for Attracting Public Institutions to Yangju; and Lim Jin-hong, CEO of Urban Platform Policy Empathy.

The forum will be conducted in an open forum format, where participants will express their pro and con positions on the relocation of Gyeonggi Province public institutions and discuss various issues related to the relocation, seeking solutions through discussion.

The topics and specific themes for discussion will not be predetermined or decided in advance.

The forum will be broadcast live through Social Broadcasting Live Gyeonggi (Live.gg.go.kr), allowing anyone interested to view it.

The province announced on February 17 its plan to relocate seven public institutions: Gyeonggi Research Institute, Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation, Gyeonggi Economic Science and Technology Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Agriculture and Fisheries Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation, Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corporation, and Gyeonggi Women and Family Foundation.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "We have organized an opportunity for provincial representatives with opposing and supporting positions on the relocation of public institutions to gather in one place and have candid conversations and discussions," and added, "We hope that by listening to each other's voices and engaging in rational and logical discussion, any misunderstandings will be clarified and concerns will be alleviated."