CHANGWON — South Gyeongsang Province Governor Park Wan-su called for swift follow-up measures to turn investment, export and tourism agreements signed during his trip to China last week into actual projects, presiding over a meeting of provincial bureau chiefs at the provincial government office on the 21st. The meeting also covered physical AI, the Geoje shipbuilding and offshore plant materials, parts and equipment specialized cluster, livelihood and safety measures for the Chuseok holiday, and issues surrounding the Arctic shipping route and ports.
Referring to his four-day trip to China from the 17th to the 20th, Park asked relevant departments to press ahead with follow-up steps without delay so that agreements with local travel companies, export consultations and investment agreements lead to business results. He said he had seen firsthand how fast artificial intelligence robots and humanoid technology are advancing during a visit to Chinese humanoid robot maker AGIBOT, and stressed that South Gyeongsang Province must not fall behind the change, given that countries and companies around the world are competing on technology.
Park said the province has been fostering physical AI as a new industry and must continue doing so in step with changes on the industrial floor. Applying physical AI and automation technology to shipbuilding, the province's mainstay industry, can be expected to improve competitiveness, he said, adding that the recently designated Geoje shipbuilding and offshore plant materials, parts and equipment specialized cluster should be used as an opportunity for an AI transition in the shipbuilding industry. He also asked officials to manage follow-up work after the cluster designation at the provincial level and to work with companies to raise the competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry.
The meeting also reviewed livelihood and safety measures ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Park asked officials to prepare measures in areas close to daily life, including traffic management during the holiday, the operation of emergency medical institutions and garbage collection, and to ensure thorough safety management at multi-use facilities and prevent accidents. He also stressed the need for close attention so that vulnerable groups can spend a comfortable holiday. Citing an announcement by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency that the influenza season has arrived earlier than usual, he instructed officials to push preventive measures such as vaccinations and publicity on infectious disease prevention rules.
On port issues, Park cited the case of the Pan Star Arc, the first South Korean container ship to make a trial voyage on the Arctic route, which arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in Britain 21 days after leaving Busan. With the potential of the Arctic route growing and the role of ports becoming more important, he said, there is a need to carefully review whether a merger of port authorities fits these conditions. If a merger goes ahead, he stressed, the province should actively convey its views to the central government and political circles so that the merged port authority can be based around Jinhae New Port, considering the port's standing — its entire site is being developed in Jinhae District, Changwon — and the future expansion of port functions.
