The Special Autonomous Province of Jeonbuk's Special Autonomous Education Cooperation Office announced its policy direction for the second half of the year under the vision of "creating sustainable growth momentum through cooperation between special autonomy and education" during a media briefing on the 30th. The autonomous education office has implemented 58 special cases by the first half of this year and plans to pursue an additional 8 special cases in the second half, including the promotion of agricultural and livestock industrial zones and fintech development zones. Along with expanding special zones, they will also enhance their role as a "testbed for the industries of South Korea" by simultaneously improving laws and regulations.

The Jeonbuk-style RISE (Regional Innovation Project based on Local Government-University Cooperation) is being carried out with 14 universities, 128 projects, and a total budget of 83.3 billion won. Jeonbuk National University and Wonkwang University have been selected as the headquarters for 30 local universities. Jeonju University and Howon University have been designated as preliminary joint universities, and the province is actively supporting them through budget allocations and agreement signings.

Efforts to bridge educational disparities and attract talent are also active. The province is operating the "Regional Leading Talent Development Project" for about 8,700 high school students, and support for residential facilities for rural exchange students' families is being expanded. In addition, efforts are being made to enhance lifelong learning infrastructure through the operation of the Jeonbuk Citizens' University, support for lifelong education passes, and expansion of digital literacy education.

Youth policies have also been strengthened. Over 10,000 people participated in the Youth Expo held in May, and more than 80,000 cases of integrated services such as counseling, protection, and self-reliance support were provided for at-risk youth. The self-reliance support allowance for youth leaving shelters has been increased to 500,000 won per month, and in the second half of the year, surveys on out-of-school youth and the development of demand-based policies will be pursued. Activities such as operating youth training facilities, after-school academies, and expanding policy participation will also be carried out simultaneously.

The province is also pushing for improvements in regulations that are closely related to daily life through the amendment of the Jeonbuk Special Law. They have identified and improved 50 out of 205 regulations, including easing fishing vessel reporting standards, transferring local permitting rights for agricultural land, and expanding priority purchases for small and medium-sized enterprises. They plan to continue promoting on-site-centered regulatory innovation through initiatives such as the Local Regulation Reporting Center and municipal regulatory innovation competitions.

Furthermore, cooperation between special autonomous cities and provinces is being strengthened. Jeonbuk, along with Jeju, Sejong, and Gangwon, has formed a "Special Autonomous City and Province Administrative Consultative Council" to jointly propose bills and discuss enhancing local autonomy. Joint research on finance and carbon neutrality is actively being conducted between Jeonbuk and Gangwon. Additionally, the 2nd Jeonbuk Forum is scheduled to be held in Namwon in September, where discussions on international cooperation in tourism and the life economy sectors are expected to intensify.

Jeonbuk's Director of Autonomous Education, Kang Young-seok, stated, "We have been tirelessly working towards our goal for this year, which is 'creating sustainable growth momentum through cooperation between special autonomy and education,'" and expressed, "We will continue to steadily promote institutional improvements and educational policies that residents can feel."