By responding to regional crises through investment attraction, overseas agriculture expansion, local currency, and global branding, Mayor Park Jung-hyun is promoting engines for Buyeo’s future growth

Park Jung-hyun, Mayor of Buyeo County, is a politician who succeeded in winning re-election in Buyeo, and is a representative figure of Chungcheongnam-do Province who enjoys wide support beyond political parties and factions. Based on his experience as an entrepreneur during his younger days, he is helping to create practical results in the economic and welfare sectors – thanks to his customer-centered thinking and outstanding business execution capability.
His notable achievements include the global marketing of Goodtrae agricultural products, expansion of agriculture to overseas, fostering the largest smart farm in Korea, attracting foreign investment companies, expanding Goodtrae pay incentives, and the Social Impact and Compensation Business (SIB). We met with Mayor Park in order to listen to his views on recent hot issues and future plans.

Mayor Park Jung-hyun

 What is your vision for the future of Buyeo County?
Rural local governments across Korea are facing the threat of extinction due to population decline and aging. Given this situation, the most important value is
sustainability. The future development strategy of Buyeo County is to secure economic growth momentum to build a ‘sustainable rural community.’ It is thus intended to create a ‘Buyeo where people want to live.’

What are Buyeo County’s goals and strategies for attracting corporate investments?
Buyeo County was selected as an Opportunity Development Zone (ODZ) by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) in 2024. Last year, it attracted Hangke, a Chinese partner of LG Energy Solution, to Buyeo County, gaining an investment of KRW 65 billion. In order to foster the County, with its ancient capital of Baekje, as a historical and cultural city, the County is visualizing its plan to build a 5-star hotel, and an investment of KRW 150 billion is expected to be made soon.
We are converting undesirable facilities into preferred facilities. For example, our bio-gasification facility was selected for a public contest of 47.1 billion won. We aim to achieve sustainable development through eco-friendly energy production and resource recycling. We plan to actively attract bio companies in connection with the selected ODZ.

Buyeo is known to be an advanced county in agriculture. Could we hear more about any strategies for strengthening agricultural competitiveness?
Buyeo County is generating annual sales of KRW 900 billion in the field of horticultural facilities such as smart farms. Buyeo County has global competitiveness in smart farm operations. In addition, the County has been planning and promoting the plant leather industry, which replaces animal leather and artificial leather, for more than 10 years. Buyeo County is the largest mushroom producing region in Korea, and is utilizing mushroom mycelia as plant leather materials. Currently, a prototype has been developed, and the vegan leather development and demonstration cluster construction project has won a government contest, securing KRW 13 billion in project expenses until 2027.
As for overseas agriculture, Buyeo County is carrying out a K-Goodtrae rice cultivation project in Namangan Province, Uzbekistan, and it is expected to produce seven tons of rice per hectare. The crops produced in this way will be exported to neighboring countries. Buyeo County’s agriculture will contribute to the globalization of K-agriculture, and also contribute to the nation’s food security.

What is the globalization strategy of the agricultural specialty brand Goodtrae?
Goodtrae is the No. 1 local agricultural brand in Korea. We will increase Goodtrae’s international recognition through global marketing. We are pursuing various projects such as securing sales channels for Goodtrae agricultural products through collaboration with Lotte Wellfood.

What is your future economic strategy for balanced regional development?
Goodtrae Pay is recognized for having protected local businesses, leading to stable growth of the regional economy. Goodtrae Pay in fact created KRW 52.7 billion of circulated added value in Buyeo County.
In the administrative sector, Buyeo County secured the largest amount of KRW 148.1 billion in investments ever among Chungcheongnam-do’s balanced development projects.
What we sensed through our interview with the Mayor Park Jung-hyun was that he is administrating the county as if he were a leader of a strong but small nation, despite the fact that he is a Mayor in a lower-level local government. The Mayor is playing a leading role in responding to the crisis of local extinction through overseas agricultural development, attracting foreign investment, and global city marketing targeting the global market. Thus, Mayor Park Jung-hyun is seen to be building a foundation for a bigger global small, but strong, county.

 
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