Jeollabuk-do is currently facing a demand for new growth strategies. Issues such as population decline, youth outflow, and weakening industrial foundations are not confined to specific cities or counties. These are structural challenges that cannot be resolved by any single city alone. The development strategy for Jeollabuk-do should focus on inter-city connectivity and functional distribution rather than individual city competition. In particular, the strategy of linking Jeonju and Gimje into a single living and industrial zone, while connecting it to the Saemangeum economic zone, represents the most realistic growth path for the region.
Jeonju serves as a central city with concentrated administrative, educational, research and development, medical, and cultural functions, but it faces limitations in industrial space and expansion. Conversely, Gimje has a vast industrial and logistics hinterland but relatively weak population and residential foundations. Therefore, the integration of Jeonju and Gimje should be viewed as a strategic partnership that goes beyond mere administrative adjustments, aiming to complement each city's functional limitations and establish a competitive metropolitan living economy.
As of April 2026, the combined population of Jeonju and Gimje is approximately 704,000. This demographic foundation indicates that Jeollabuk-do can be restructured into a single living economic zone with shared labor markets, consumer markets, residential bases, and administrative capabilities, moving beyond fragmented competition among individual municipalities.
However, regional growth will not occur automatically through administrative integration. The key lies in organically connecting Jeonju's research, education, medical, and service functions with Gimje's industrial land and agricultural bio-foundations, as well as the logistics, energy, and advanced industry functions of Saemangeum, to operate effectively within a single urban area. To attract businesses, a comprehensive strategy that integrates industrial sites, logistics, workforce, and residential environments is necessary.
Hyundai Motor Group's investment agreement of 9 trillion won in Saemangeum serves as a pivotal moment for reconsidering Jeollabuk-do's development strategy. Plans for an AI data center, a robotics manufacturing and parts cluster, an electrolyzer plant, solar power generation, and an AI hydrogen city are not merely about attracting factories; they aim to create a future industrial ecosystem that combines artificial intelligence, robotics, hydrogen, and energy. For this investment to translate into local economic benefits, the industrial demands of Saemangeum must be linked to the spatial resources of Gimje and the workforce, education, research and development, and living services of Jeonju. Focusing solely on the investment amount will not lead to growth that residents can feel.
Thus, for sustainable growth in Jeollabuk-do, it is essential to adopt an endogenous development strategy that does not solely rely on central government support or attracting large corporations. This strategy should focus on attracting external investments while transforming local resources and capabilities into growth drivers. It is crucial to connect the agricultural bio-food industry, universities and research institutions, businesses, and the supporting functions of Saemangeum, while also transitioning agriculture into a high-value-added industry through smart agriculture, food tech, and biotechnology.
The goals of policies should not be limited to attracting investments. Performance should be evaluated based on indicators that connect to residents' lives, such as local employment rates, procurement rates for local businesses, youth settlement rates, women's reemployment rates, and increases in local tax revenues. Industrial complexes should also include housing for youth and newlyweds, commuting transport, vocational training centers, and shared childcare facilities. Middle-aged individuals should receive job transition training, families with children should have access to extended childcare and after-school care, and the elderly should have comprehensive access to medical services and transportation.
Ultimately, the purpose of connecting Jeonju and Gimje is not merely to enlarge administrative boundaries. It is about ensuring that people stay, businesses grow, and the benefits translate into jobs, housing, care, and welfare for the residents of Jeollabuk-do. The integrated region of Jeonju and Gimje, encompassing Saemangeum, should function as an economic center that generates industrial profits and transforms those profits into improved living conditions for the people of Jeollabuk-do. The future of Jeollabuk-do depends more on intricate connections than grand slogans. Linking Jeonju and Gimje and extending that strength to the western coastal region of Jeollabuk-do, including Saemangeum, will serve as a practical starting point for renewed growth in the province.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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