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rea Electric Power Corp.’s plan to create an “energy valley in the city of light and water” by inviting 500 energy businesses to relocate themselves into the city by 2020. For its part, our provincial government is working on its own plan to build a cluster of informationcommunication technology businesses and content providers as well energy companies. In what we call a “5/6/700 Roadmap,” we are planning to work with five agencies — KEPCO, KEPCO KDN, the Korea Post Information Center, the Korea Internet and Security Agency and the Korea Creative Content Agency — to relocate 700 corporations to Naju in six years. GN: Jeonnam has so many transnational-marriage families. What policy do you have for foreign women married to Korean men and their children? Lee: Our provincial government has created an exclusive office for women and families and empowered it to handle matters concerning transnationalmarriage families.
Governor Lee participated in the demonstration of harvest cultivation
Lee: The era of organic farming is opening now, with the certification of low-level pesticide use scheduled to be abolished in 2016. Though next year will be first year of certified organic farming nationwide, we are starting it in our province this year. Currently, our province accounts for 50 percent of the nation’s agricultural products certified as environment-friendly. We will try to keep our share of the nation’s agricultural products certified as organic above the 50 percent level. To keep the sale of environment-friendly agricultural products steady, we will ensure that all rice supplied to nurseries, kindergartens, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools is organically grown. GN: Korea Electric Power Corp. and other government-invested corporations have now moved into Naju. What will you do to create more jobs and encourage more investments in the city? Lee: We are trying to get the most out of their relocation by encouraging their suppliers and businesses under their supervision to move into Naju, while training skilled manpower for employment in the city in cooperation with other government agencies and municipalities. Encouraging in this regard is Ko-
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To make use of their native language skills, we are running programs of hiring those immigrants as language teachers in after-school classes, as language and culture instructors at multi-cultural centers and lifetime educational institutions and as tourist guides. Some of those proficient in the Korean language are hired to give advice to new arrivals from their native countries and work as interpreters for them at hospitals and other public institutions. We are also running a variety of educational programs to assist them in overcoming cultural and social difficulties they encounter here and in settling in our society. The programs include Korean language classes, from which 21,000 people benefited in 2014, and cross-cultural classes, from which 61,000 people, mostly parents-in-law and spouses of immigrant women, benefited last year. GN: What message do you have for foreigners reading the Gwangju News? Lee: The provincial government is trying to help them settle in our society without too much difficulty and prevent them from being isolated or discriminated against. At the same time, I urge foreign residents to be open-minded, try to understand Korea and Jeonnam, help them promote diversity in the society, economy and culture and take pride in the contributions they are making.
Choi Nam-hyun is a former editor-in-chief of the Korea Herald.
2015-02-24
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