[Nationwide Inside┃Jeonbuk] “Achievements in Words Only”… Three Years of Kim Kwan-young’s Administration Marred by Faltering Promises and Policies

[Cheonji Ilbo Jeonbuk=Reporter Kim Dong-hyun] Jeonbuk Province has promoted ₩14 trillion in investment agreements and accomplishments in the industrial and tourism sectors as key achievements at the midpoint of the 8th popularly elected administration. However, criticism from the provincial council points out that the actual implementation rate of these pledges and the secured budget remain below half, falling short of fulfilling promises made to the public.

Behind the performance-focused briefings, the reality is harsher. The investment execution rate stands at just 8.5%, and the budget secured for policy pledges is only 33%. Lawmakers Yeom Young-seon, Lee Myung-yeon, and Kim Dae-jung criticized that “only the numbers have been inflated, while the actual policy effectiveness remains poor.” This report examines the gap between pledge implementation and policy completion, based on regular session inquiries of the provincial council and responses from Jeonbuk Province.

◆₩14 Trillion Investment, But Falling Behind in Jobs and Industrial Complexes

Provincial Assemblyman Yeom Young-seon emphasized that “numbers don’t lie,” arguing that the province's performance announcements are mere illusions. “Like the saying ‘a good reputation lives a hundred years,’ Jeonbuk's administration is merely overhyping fictional achievements while remaining passive,” he criticized.

According to Yeom, during the first half of the 7th administration, ₩1.1 trillion out of ₩7.1 trillion (15.6%) was realized as actual investment. In the 8th administration, only ₩1.2 trillion out of ₩14.6 trillion (8.5%) has been executed.

Job creation also fell short. Although agreements promised 17,181 jobs, only 684 positions were actually created, amounting to a job execution rate of just 4%. The average number of jobs per company fell from 36.2 in the 7th administration to 22.1 in the 8th, a decrease of 14.1.

Governor Kim Kwan-young explained, “It generally takes 3 to 5 years, or even up to 8 years, for investments to be completed,” adding that the province would implement a management system and pre-payment of subsidies to boost execution. He also noted, “Rising labor costs and automation have reduced hiring demand, and employment is being pursued gradually.”

Yeom further pointed to delays in industrial complex approvals and geographic concentration of company attraction. “While four complexes were approved per term during the 5th to 7th administrations, none have been approved under the 8th,” he said. Of 174 projects, 126 (72.4%) were concentrated in the northwestern cities of Iksan, Gunsan, and Gimje, with most rural counties receiving none.

In response, Kim stated that “industrial complex approval typically takes more than four years,” and mentioned that Iksan’s 3rd industrial complex and Gimje’s 2nd Jipyeongseon complex are slated for approval in July, with eight others in progress. “Companies choose their locations autonomously,” he added, “but the province is guiding various cities and counties to promote balanced regional development in connection with local specialized industries.”

◆58.8% Implementation, 33% Budget Secured—“Huge Gap”

Assemblywoman Lee Myung-yeon noted that “it’s time for pledges made to residents to visibly take shape.” Out of 124 pledges from the 8th administration, only 11 have been completed. Sixty-two are ongoing, 46 are in normal progress, and five are partially in progress.

Although the overall implementation rate is 58.8%, only ₩5.3 trillion has been secured out of the ₩16 trillion required, resulting in a budget securing rate of 33%. For the top 10 key pledges, the rate is 32.8%.

Lee pointed out, “Among the projects marked as ‘normal’ or ‘partial,’ some have no secured budget or implementation plans, showing a large discrepancy with the reported progress.”

Governor Kim responded, “We are pursuing these projects with annual goals and holding quarterly reviews and implementation reporting sessions to improve execution.” He added, “We will strive to achieve pledges through competitive grant applications and securing national funds.”

However, Lee stated, “At the current rate of budget securing and project progress, it will be difficult to fulfill promises to residents.” She also noted that private sector investment fell significantly short of plans, with the proportion of private funding in the fiscal composition dropping by 13.3 percentage points.

Kim replied, “Amid economic uncertainty and rising interest rates, private investment has slowed,” and said the province will “strengthen infrastructure and institutional cooperation to revitalize private investment.”

Lee also raised concerns over the credibility of the pledge modification process. “The advisory evaluation panel is reduced to a formality and is used to justify administrative convenience,” she said.

As a representative example, she cited the revision of the Jeonbuk Global MICE Promotion Center pledge. Initially, the project included building a MICE industry ecosystem and supporting the construction of a convention center in Jeonju. These were deleted, reducing the project budget from ₩233.6 billion to just ₩3.3 billion. Lee argued, “This is not a revision but a de facto withdrawal.”

Kim explained, “The city of Jeonju is pursuing the project independently. Given the province’s fiscal situation, it is more reasonable to operate the initiative through staff reinforcements at the Cultural Tourism Foundation.” He added that the advisory evaluation panel “includes internal and external experts and conducts formal reviews.”

In an interview with this paper, Lee said, “The administration announces achievements, but the public does not feel the impact.” She warned, “Pledges that are only spoken of become false hope.” She emphasized, “If budget is excluded, the reasons and alternatives should be explained.” She concluded, “If a pledge is made, seeing it through to the end is the basic responsibility of politics.”

◆No Core Industry or Strategy—Jeonbuk Lags Behind

Assemblyman Kim Dae-jung criticized the province’s continued lag in industrial attraction strategies and execution. He noted that Jeonbuk has never been selected as an exemplary local government under the Ministry of Industry’s business relocation support policy.

This year, the Ministry offers up to ₩15 billion per company, with an additional 10% for underdeveloped regions. All 10 Jeonbuk municipalities qualify as such, but none were selected.

Kim stated, “Jeonbuk trails behind other regions in all indicators—attraction performance, job creation, and post-management,” calling for a reevaluation of the investment strategy. “Even if multiple industries are attracted, there is no representative industry in Jeonbuk,” he said, stressing the need to preemptively identify and lead future growth sectors like AI and K-Culture.

Governor Kim responded, “Other regions have already secured their leading industries, so Jeonbuk, as a latecomer, is focusing on niche sectors such as defense and biotech.”

In a phone interview, Kim Dae-jung said, “Borrowing industries already pursued by other provinces and labeling them as niche won’t secure Jeonbuk’s future.” He added, “It’s time to establish an independent strategy and build a proper industrial foundation.”

The numbers—₩14 trillion in investment agreements, 58.8% implementation rate, and 8.5% investment execution—may appear promising, but the provincial assembly insists the reality is different. As Jeonbuk remains a latecomer in industrial strategy and continues implementing pledges without adequate budgets or planning, the situation demands concrete strategies and accountable execution to fulfill promises made to residents.