Min Hyung-bae vows 'overwhelming growth' as inaugural mayor of South Jeolla-Gwangju Special City

"If necessary, we will concentrate the 20 trillion won integrated budget on developing the semiconductor industry." Min Hyung-bae, the inaugural mayor of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City — South Korea's first integrated special city — took his oath of office at midnight Tuesday at the special city council session held at the Muan government complex, then crisscrossed the eastern and Gwangju campuses to pledge what he called "overwhelming growth."

The South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City launched 40 years after South Jeolla Province and Gwangju separated in 1986, reuniting the two as a historic turning point for creating future industries and jobs in the region. The city was born out of residents' hopes to write a new chapter for South Jeolla-Gwangju — one that draws global attention through a locally driven semiconductor growth strategy.

Honoring that vision, Min took his oath of office at the special city council's first extraordinary session that day, pledging accountable governance before the city's residents and declaring a new start for the integrated special city as a government of civic sovereignty.

As his first official directive, Min called for the swift preparation of a semiconductor support plan, disaster safety measures and livelihood stabilization measures, saying issues directly affecting residents' daily lives would be his top priority.

He then joined special city council members for breakfast at the Muan complex cafeteria, where they discussed the successful launch of the integrated special city and ways to foster citizen-centered cooperation between the council and the administration.

After breakfast, Min greeted employees arriving for work and signed the official handover document in his office, marking his first formal act as mayor of the integrated special city.

He went on to visit the public service workers' union office, where he listened to sanitation workers and other field staff about their working conditions and concerns, then stopped by the resident services communication center to personally inspect the automated civil document kiosk system. He urged staff to do their utmost to provide stable administrative services so residents would face no inconvenience following the integration.

Meeting with reporters at the Muan press room, Min outlined the significance of the integrated special city's launch and his plans for running the administration, and expressed his commitment to open governance through active communication with residents.

After beginning his day at the Muan complex, Min moved immediately to the eastern campus, where he approved the first official order — a livelihood support and 100-day action plan for the integrated special city's launch — and sat down for a luncheon with business leaders as his first field engagement. He then traveled to Gwangju to pay his respects at the National May 18th Democratic Cemetery, visited the disaster response center at the Gwangju campus to review the city's emergency preparedness system, and attended the inaugural ceremony of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Semiconductor Strategy Committee, where he presented the vision of "The power of integration: a great transformation of South Korea opened by semiconductors."

"The integration of South Jeolla Province and Gwangju is not simply about merging administrative boundaries — it is a new beginning in which 3.2 million special city residents build a greater future together," Min said. "I will create an 'overwhelmingly growing special city where we live together' alongside our residents, through governance that looks to the field first and listens closely to the voices of citizens."