President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed support for the southwestern city of Gwangju, which hopes to gain global acclaim for its cultural assets and its cutting-edge technology. 

Presiding over a debate in Gwangju on Thursday, Yoon presented a vision for the city’s evolution into a high-tech center that leads future industries with artificial intelligence(AI) and mobility, as well as a vibrant place that radiates culture.  

The president promised the city will reach its goals to open a high school in 2027 for gifted students specializing in AI, and to build a 47-kilometer superhighway connecting it with the nearby county of Yeongam..

Yoon pledged to inject 118-point-one billion won, or around 88 million U.S. dollars by 2027, to build an exhibition hall for the Gwangju Biennale, an international art fair.

The president also promised to support the establishment of a bus rapid transit system amid the  push to build a shopping mall complex in Gwangju by 2027, as well as to foster the central hospital that delivers essential medical services.