Local governments in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces gather to address environmental issues

[Suwon Ilbo=Lee Suwon] Nine local governments in the Gyeonggi southern region and Chungcheong west coast gathered in Pyeongtaek City to jointly address environmental issues.

Pyeongtaek City held the sixth working-level meeting of the Gyeonggi Southern Region and Chungcheong West Coast Joint Council (herein referred to as the Gyeonggi-Chungcheong Joint Council, with Pyeongtaek City as the representative local government) at Pyeongtaek City Hall on the 27th.

The Gyeonggi-Chungcheong Joint Council was launched in 2019 with the participation of a total of 12 cities and counties to improve air quality, and held five working-level meetings until August 2022.

The working-level meeting of the Gyeonggi-Chungcheong Joint Council, resumed after more than two years, was attended by representatives from five cities and counties in the Gyeonggi southern region (Pyeongtaek, Hwaseong, Osan, Anseong, and Yeoju) and four cities and counties in the Chungcheong west coast (Boryeong, Seosan, Hongseong, and Taean).

At the meeting, the Gyeonggi-Chungcheong Joint Council agreed to continue requesting the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to designate slow-speed shipping zones in the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port and restrict vehicle access grades to port facilities, and shared fine dust-related projects and best practices implemented by each local government.

Subsequently, participants toured the urban stream created as part of Pyeongtaek City's smart green city (water circulation) project.

Pyeongtaek Mayor Jung Jang-seon said, "Through this meeting, we have once again recognized that there are no boundaries between cities when it comes to environmental issues," adding "I hope this meeting will lead to efficient responses to problems that are difficult for local governments to address alone. Let us continue to develop joint countermeasures between local governments to solve air pollution problems."