Six Additional Local Special Zones Designated

Six areas, including a special zone for foreign language education in Seo-gu, Incheon have been designated as local special zones for specialty development in which many types of government regulations will be exempt.

Chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance and Economy Minister Han Duck-soo, the government additionally designated six local special zones at the commission for local specialization development zones. The special zones are designated for: foreign education in Seo-gu, Incheon; ginseng health care in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province; state-of-the-art medical and health industries in Wonju, Gangwon Province; medicinal herbal well-being in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province; a firefly ecology experience village in Youngyang-gun, North Gyeongsang Province; and Jiri Mountain medical herb research and development in Sancheong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province. Accordingly, the “elementary, middle and high school education law” will not apply in the local special zone for foreign language education in Seo-gu, Incheon, so foreign teachers can be employed by schools here.

The ginseng health care special zone in Geumsan is to be created into a hub for the international circulation of ginseng and tourism with the help of the “2006 Geumsan World Ginseng Expo” and enlarging the national museum for ginseng.

The government decided to develop the special zone for state-of-the-art medical and health industries in Wonju into a cutting-edge medical industrial city by hosting excellent domestic and foreign medical appliance companies and research personnel.

The medical herb special zone in Jecheon will maintain and develop itself as one of the four major medical herb markets in Korea.

The firefly ecology experience special zone in Youngyang will be developed into a tourist site through the promotion of an ecology village for fireflies, a panorama, and an agriculture zone.

The Jiri Mountain medical herb research and development special zone will be made into a hub for medical herb research and development through the establishment of a medical herb research lab and development education center for herb remedies.

Chang-Won Kim changkim@donga.com