Central Inland Golden Triangle Special Autonomous Government Proposal

Proposal for Central Inland Golden Triangle

• 💡 Lee Chung-hyung officially proposed the Central Inland Golden Triangle Special Autonomous Government for Jecheon, Chungju, and Wonju.
• 🎯 This initiative aims to establish a new growth model for central inland small and medium-sized cities, which are currently marginalized by metropolitan-focused development.
• 📌 The goal is to create a federated special autonomous government that maintains each city's identity while pursuing joint policies, rather than administrative integration.

Addressing Regional Challenges

• ⚠️ The current national development strategy, centered on large metropolitan areas, leads to population decline, industrial hollowing, and regional extinction in central inland cities.
• 📈 This proposal seeks to overcome the structural limitations of individual local governments in securing national policies and budget allocations.
• 🔑 It represents a win-win strategy for mutual prosperity, expanding opportunities rather than engaging in zero-sum competition between regions.

Key Benefits and Development Areas

• 💰 The special autonomous government would receive increased central government funding, authority, and regulatory exemptions, similar to support for larger metropolitan integrations.
• 🚀 Plans include accelerating metropolitan transportation networks, such as extending the GTX to Wonju-Jecheon and advancing the Yeoju-Chungju-Jecheon privately funded expressway, creating a one-hour living zone with the capital area.
• 🏭 Joint industrial clusters in sectors like semiconductors, bio, green energy, and advanced components are envisioned, alongside linking medical and educational infrastructure.
• ✨ This strategy aims to secure unprecedented financial support and regulatory exemptions from the central government as the first case of a special autonomous entity between basic local governments.

Vision for a Megacity

• 🗺️ The proposal includes expanding participation to neighboring regions like Danyang, Yeongwol, Hoengseong, and Pyeongchang.
• 🏙️ This expansion could lead to the formation of a central inland megacity with a population of 1 million, building on existing regional cooperation efforts.
• ✅ The legal framework is supported by the Special Act on Local Autonomy and Balanced Regional Development, making practical implementation feasible through inter-local agreement and deliberation.

Implementation and Support

• 🤝 Implementation requires agreement from the three cities, forming a joint consultative body involving city leaders, council members, experts, and citizens.
• 📊 Joint research and a detailed agreement outlining shared projects and requested special provisions would be developed and submitted to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.
• 💬 Consultations with the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET) and positive consensus from high-ranking officials in neighboring local governments indicate strong foundational support.