Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Governor Woo Sang-ho wrapped up his transition committee's work Friday evening — 10 days after taking office — and begins receiving departmental briefings from the provincial government's 16 offices and bureaus Monday. The fire department headquarters and the autonomous police committee are scheduled to brief him first.
Woo plans to use the briefings not only to get up to speed on ongoing work but also to review key policy and project plans aligned with the direction he has set for the ninth elected-term provincial administration.
Earlier, at a vision-sharing session for the ninth elected-term Gangwon provincial administration held Wednesday, Woo shared the policy direction and progress updates on major initiatives with staff involved in planning and policymaking.
Woo laid out the specific project plans and rationale behind his three governing themes — "Clean Gangwon, Youth Gangwon, Peace Gangwon" — in a wide-ranging exchange with staff, explaining in detail why the province is pursuing AI data center attraction, what the clean energy highway initiative means, and why Gangwon-style industries such as a food convergence cluster and the timber sector are worth pursuing and how.
He said his overarching goal is to build a virtuous cycle by attracting large-company investment and creating jobs for young people, and he stressed that making the province a place where young people can put down roots is critically important.
"Gangwon Province is in a structural crisis — population outflow, a weakening industrial base — and the serious exodus of young people stems from a lack of quality jobs and poor living conditions," Woo said at the session. "In this time of transition, the goals and direction of provincial governance must clearly change. I will reward those who work hard and deliver results. We will judge the administration's performance not by abstract indicators but by real changes in residents' lives. Let us work faster and produce results than any other region."
Staff who had previously learned of Woo's plans only through media coverage or video said hearing the details directly from the governor — including the concrete rationale behind each initiative and its current progress — gave them a much clearer foundation for drawing up their own work plans.
abc@heraldcorp.com
