Gyeongnam Province Invites 10 Citizens Who Achieved Their Dreams to a Provincial Forum

[Changwon = Newsis] Reporter Hong Jeong-myeong — Gyeongnam Province held its “April Provincial Forum” on the 22nd, drawing attention by inviting 10 citizens who have achieved their dreams in Gyeongnam to share success stories, discuss challenges, and present policy proposals.

The 10 participants included Kim Dong-hyeok, CEO of ICU Corporation (new industry); Jo Eun-woo, CEO of Bokmandaneun Saramdeul Co., Ltd. (agriculture); Yoon Gi-nam, CEO of Waining Korea Co., Ltd. (startup); Lee Dong-hak, CEO of Jayeon-ae Ranch (livestock); Hwang Guk-hyeon, Vice President of Sejin ADT (economy); Choi Bo-gyeong, CEO of Samnammae Oyster Story (fisheries); Kang Seok-hee, CEO of Daram Co., Ltd. (new industry); Kang Seung-hoon, CEO of All Banana (agriculture); Kim Man-su, CEO of Dunchul Wild Farm (forestry); and Kim Tae-hyun, Director of Blue Ocean Fisheries Cooperative (fisheries).

In his opening remarks, Governor Park Wan-soo said, “Many young people in our region leave for the metropolitan area due to issues such as jobs and education, but I understand that the level of happiness among those who move to the capital region is not necessarily high.” He added, “The stories of citizens who achieved their dreams here in Gyeongnam through passion and a spirit of challenge can serve as valuable role models for our youth.”

Kim Dong-hyeok, CEO of ICU Corporation, was the first to share his story.

The company is currently researching and developing digital therapeutics for visual function disorders, including strabismus in infants.

Kim said, “While working at a hospital in Seoul, I saw patients traveling eight hours round-trip by bus from regional areas, which made me want to contribute to reducing the medical gap between Seoul and the provinces.” He also noted that “in regional areas, obtaining information on new industries and regulatory certifications requires significant time and cost.”

He called for greater interest and investment from Gyeongnam Province, including expert consulting support in new industries to reduce the gap with the metropolitan area.

Jo Eun-woo, CEO of Bokmandaneun Saramdeul Co., Ltd., the first company to develop frozen gimbap and now exporting to 19 countries, said, “I wanted to build a business that benefits society beyond simply making money, so I named the company ‘Bokmansa,’ meaning ‘sharing blessings.’ I hope young people can see that success is possible even outside the metropolitan area.”

Yoon Gi-nam, CEO of Waining Korea Co., Ltd., which provides comprehensive coffee services, shared his journey from a roadside café to building a specialty coffee brand, saying, “I believe that if you consistently and diligently pursue what you love, you can achieve something meaningful. It would be helpful to have more experts who can provide ongoing advice and management support after young people start their businesses.”

Lee Dong-hak, CEO of Jayeon-ae Ranch, who returned to farming after working at a partner company of a major corporation, said, “Producing high-quality dairy cattle is directly linked to farm income, making breed improvement essential,” and requested administrative support for dairy cattle improvement.

He also requested support for resuming the ‘Gyeongnam Dairy Cow (Holstein) Evaluation Contest,’ a provincial dairy event that has been suspended since its first edition in 2018 due to infectious diseases and COVID-19.

Hwang Guk-hyeon, Vice President of Sejin ADT and a second-generation business leader born and operating in Gyeongnam, said, “While we focus on defense industry support such as K9 self-propelled howitzers and K2 tank components, the aging of technical personnel in small and medium-sized enterprises has become a serious issue.” He suggested provincial-level measures such as youth housing and transportation support to secure manpower, and called for expanded domestic and overseas marketing support programs for SMEs.

Choi Bo-gyeong, CEO of Samnammae Oyster Story, a female fisher who returned to Geoje and balances childcare with fisheries work, said, “There are many cases where people give up returning to fisheries due to income instability in the early stages.” She requested that the eligibility age for settlement support payments be expanded from the current 39 to 49, in line with youth farmer standards, to prevent young returnees from leaving.

Kang Seok-hee, CEO of Daram Co., Ltd., who won an Innovation Award at CES 2024 in the United States for developing a men’s home-care device, noted that startups often face limitations in capital and marketing despite having strong ideas, and proposed expanding investment support and export promotion programs to overcome these challenges.

Kang Seung-hoon, CEO of All Banana, who returned from overseas corporate life to farm in Sancheong and successfully cultivated Korea’s first domestically grown land bananas, said, “In the early stages of farming entrepreneurship, securing sales channels for hard-earned produce was difficult, limiting income generation,” and suggested expanding market access for startup farmers.

Kim Man-su, CEO of Dunchul Wild Farm, who returned to farming after preparing for civil service exams and now generates high income through organic log-grown shiitake mushroom cultivation, said, “Although Gyeongnam ranks third nationwide in forest product output, household income from forestry is only sixth,” and requested expanded consumption promotion events, additional distribution personnel, and enhanced education to strengthen forestry competitiveness.

Kim Tae-hyun, Director of Blue Ocean Fisheries Cooperative, who previously worked as an ICT researcher in Busan before returning to Tongyeong to pursue his dream, is researching sustainable aquaculture based on smart farming and leading the development and dissemination of AI-based aquaculture management platforms.

Kim said, “Fisheries are often perceived as labor-intensive and high-risk work, which discourages young people,” emphasizing the need for expanded distribution of smart and automated equipment and support for establishing fisheries data systems to attract youth and build a sustainable fisheries industry.

Gyeongnam Province plans to actively review the proposals raised at the forum, reflect them in provincial administration, and inform the proposers of follow-up action plans.

After the forum, Governor Park Wan-soo delivered follow-up instructions to heads of departments and offices.

Referring to the Ministry of Education’s announcement on the 16th regarding preliminary selections for the Global University program, Governor Park said, “Gyeongnam has the highest number nationwide, with four models and seven universities selected,” and instructed officials to make every effort to achieve strong results in the final evaluation to be announced in August.

He also emphasized the need for a systematic plan for the efficient conservation and sustainable development of the Nakdong River, which has rich natural and ecological resources.

Governor Park instructed officials to hold thorough discussions with cities and counties in the Nakdong River basin, including Haman, to establish a comprehensive master plan for the river.

He also proposed promoting a “Nakdong River Declaration” in cooperation with local governments, outlining measures for both conservation and utilization of the river.

Regarding the recent launch of the Gyeongnam Youth Culture and Arts Planning Committee, he called for exploring ways to engage local young artists in city and county events.

Governor Park instructed officials to first compile lists of young artists by city and county, and to actively reflect policies such as ordinances that set a certain quota for engaging young artists.