South Korea’s Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone Forms Local Advisory Network

FTZ News: South Korea’s Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone has formed a local advisory network in Hadong County to keep residents, government offices, and companies in regular contact as the Galsaman development plan moves forward.

The Hadong office of the zone authority said the group, named Manisane, will pass along updates on the project and give local participants a place to suggest joint work. Its first meeting is scheduled for November 2026. Members include officials from the province and county, local councils, businesses, and cultural organizations. The planned activities are quarterly meetings, specialist briefings, and shared workshops.

The network is not limited to industrial construction. Officials say it will also review historical sites and the environmental conditions of the Galsaman area and the Seomjin River estuary when considering possible projects. That marks a shift from earlier approaches that treated development mainly as an expansion of factories and supporting infrastructure.

Setting up the group shows the zone authority is trying to connect industrial plans with local participation and existing assets in the area. It does not, by itself, approve any new projects or guarantee investment. Results will depend on concrete proposals that the network identifies and then carries out in later stages./.