Prime Minister Kim Min-seok [Newsis]
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok [Newsis]

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will make a series of visits to Gwangju and South Jeolla Province from Tuesday to Thursday. Some analysts say the trip is aimed at winning over party member votes ahead of the Democratic Party's national convention in August.

With roughly two weeks remaining before the July 1 launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, Kim will inspect preparations at relevant agencies while visiting key sites tied to the region's core agenda — including offshore wind power, eco-friendly steel and a regional hub university.

On Tuesday afternoon, Kim will chair a preparatory meeting with relevant agencies in Naju ahead of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City's launch.

The meeting will bring together officials from Gwangju city, South Jeolla Province, the Ministry of Interior and Safety and the integration task force to review administrative, fiscal and personnel preparations for the new city. A draft enforcement decree for the special law establishing the integrated city is set to be submitted to the Cabinet that same day. Attention will also focus on what solution emerges over an anticipated inter-regional dispute stemming from the Ministry of Interior and Safety's interpretation that a main administrative headquarters can be located in only one place.

On Wednesday, Kim will attend an offshore wind power supply chain conference and exhibition in Yeosu. In the afternoon, he will visit the completion ceremony for an electric arc furnace at POSCO's Gwangyang steelworks.

On Thursday, Kim is scheduled to deliver a lecture at Mokpo National University. He is expected to introduce the government's balanced regional development policy and discuss talent development at the South Jeolla Province hub university.


sij@heraldcorp.com