President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged Thursday to construct a superhighway similar to Germany's Autobahn in South Jeolla Province, one of a series of measures aimed at boosting the region's economic development. Yoon made the promise during a government-public debate at the provincial government building in Muan, 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul, the first time he held the townhall meeting in the southwestern Jeolla region. He noted that for the people of South Jeolla, the most important task for pushing the borders of everyday life and creating an economic metropolis is to expand transport infrastructure. "We will move to construct a superhighway like Germany's Autobahn in the 47 kilometer section from Yeongam to Gwangju by spending approximately 2.6 trillion won (US$1.97 billion)," he said, referring to a South Jeolla county and the biggest city in the Jeolla region, respectively. "We will immediately begin a study to come up with a detailed plan this year," he added. "This was a promise I made during the pr esidential campaign during my visit to Gwangju and to the people of South Jeolla and Gwangju." Yoon expressed hope the new highway will attract more tourism to the region and serve as a test bed for self-driving cars. He also stated plans to accelerate the construction of a separate highway linking Gwangju and the county of Gangjin, and another highway connecting Gangjin to Wando, while investing over 1 trillion won in improving the speed of express railways in Jeolla. In addition to transport infrastructure, Yoon said the government will foster South Jeolla's industries, such as by constructing an automated port in Gwangyang and a civilian rocket launchpad in Goheung. He also promised support for the dried laver industry, noting South Jeolla accounts for 78 percent of the country's production of the food. Yoon further pledged to respond firmly to illegal Chinese fishing operations in waters off South Jeolla, develop the region's tourist and cultural attractions, and build an animation industry cluster in Suncheon. Source: Yonhap News Agency
