DAMYANG — Damyang County, a rural area in the newly launched Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City facing the risk of population collapse, has set a target of 70,000 residents for its ninth elected local administration. That means adding some 20,000 people to the county's current population of about 44,000. The plan is to address the region's problems — a shrinking and aging population, a shortage of jobs and a lack of farm labor — by expanding the economic base that generates new jobs and income. County Chief Park Jong-won's central bet to get there is artificial intelligence-driven smart farming.
In a recent interview with The Seoul Economic Daily, Park outlined his administration's direction, saying he would "raise Damyang's competitiveness by adding advanced industry as a new growth pillar to the county's existing strengths in agriculture and tourism."
Park, who unseated the incumbent county chief in the June 3 local elections, has spent nearly two decades in local politics, serving as both a county and a provincial council member. Upon taking office, he set out "an era of a 1 trillion won budget and an AI smart green city of 70,000 people" as the top goal of his term.
The starting point is agriculture. The county will raise its farm budget gradually to 150 billion won during Park's term to build a virtuous cycle that links production, distribution, processing and sales. It plans to draw up a comprehensive plan for expanding smart farming by October and, starting in 2027, to introduce high-tech greenhouses and entry-level smart farms to ease the physical burden of farm work while lifting productivity and farm household income.
"To respond to climate change, an aging rural population and labor shortages, we have to change both how farming is done and how farm income is structured," Park said. "We will spread a Damyang-style customized smart farm model that existing farmers can also use, and we will move aggressively on helping young farmers settle and on farm labor problems."
The county is also looking beyond agriculture to broaden the local economy, aiming to attract companies and jobs and to increase visitors' length of stay and spending in order to secure a foundation for sustainable growth.
"For Damyang's economy to move up a level, we need to strengthen the competitiveness of agriculture and tourism while also adding advanced industry as a new growth pillar," Park said. "We will link the second general industrial complex and the Daejeon-myeon area to the industrial ecosystem of Gwangju's Advanced Science and Technology District 3, and build a base where future industries such as advanced manufacturing, medical care and biotechnology can grow."
The launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City is also opening new opportunities for Damyang's growth strategy. Being tied to Gwangju as a single living and economic zone has widened the scope for the county, as an adjacent area, to make use of its locational advantages. In particular, the county is pinning hopes on the Honam semiconductor cluster, where Samsung Electronics (005930) and SK hynix (000660) are pursuing investments in the 800 trillion won range.
Damyang plans to combine Gwangju's research and development and advanced industry base with the county's industrial land and living conditions to create an industrial ecosystem in which companies and suppliers in AI, semiconductors, medical care and biotechnology grow together. To that end, the county has joined a northern-area cooperative development council for Jeonnam and Gwangju to build a framework for cooperation with Gwangsan District, Buk District and Jangseong County, and has proposed developing a corporate-led city in Advanced Science and Technology District 4.
"This is not about asking Gwangju to hand over its industrial functions to Damyang, but about complementing each other in industry, housing and transportation based on each area's strengths," Park said. "By connecting Gwangju's advanced industries with Damyang's strengths, we will grow Damyang into a central axis of the metropolitan city's northern area."
Tourism is another area where the county sees a chance to win. Using Damyang's distinctive resources — bamboo, gardens and its ecological and cultural heritage — the county aims to open an era of 1 million de facto residents and to channel visitors' stays and spending into local businesses and farm income. In particular, it plans to use the 2027 Namdo Garden Biennale as an opportunity to link gardens with cultural, wellness and culinary offerings and to become a tourist city where visitors stay year-round. The wider living and economic zone created by the launch of the metropolitan city will also be used to expand the tourism market.
Park believes these policies will ultimately lay the groundwork for a city where people stay. "We will create a virtuous cycle in which visitors' spending flows into local businesses, young people find jobs and farmers are paid properly for their sweat," he said.
