Park Jong-won was inaugurated as the 46th governor of Damyang-gun on Tuesday at Damyang General Gymnasium, launching the ninth directly elected term of the county administration.
Earlier that morning, Park visited the martyrs' memorial tower at Peace Arts Plaza to pay his respects to fallen patriots and war heroes before heading to the county office, where he signed the administrative handover document and his inauguration oath to begin his first official day in office.
About 2,000 people attended the ceremony, including county residents, provincial and county lawmakers, heads of public institutions and civic organizations, and former residents who had moved away. The event featured a pre-ceremony performance followed by the inauguration oath, an inaugural address, congratulatory speeches and video messages, and a communal singing of the county anthem.
In his inaugural address, Park said the public's support "was not a choice for one person, but an earnest desire for a newer, happier Damyang," pledging to "listen to residents' voices first and make their lives and happiness the most important standard of county governance."
Park said he would harness Damyang's strengths as a new engine of growth amid rapidly shifting conditions, including population decline, regional depopulation and the sweeping transformation driven by AI.
He said he sees the era of South Jeolla Province-Gwangju integration as a turning point for Damyang to seize greater opportunities within a broader metropolitan economic zone, and outlined plans to develop the county into a central hub driving growth across the northern reaches of the South Jeolla-Gwangju region.
Park also identified the government's recently announced plan to establish a southwestern semiconductor cluster as a new opportunity for Damyang. Drawing on the county's geographic advantage of bordering Gwangju, he said he would actively work to attract advanced industries, related companies and talent, and expand residential infrastructure so that large-scale investment translates into local growth.
Park urged county officials to "look for ways to make things work before reasons they cannot, and to practice field-based governance rather than desk-bound administration," adding, "Let us listen even to the smallest voices of our residents and build trust in Damyang's county governance through results they can feel."
sij@heraldcorp.com
