Through this agreement, the two organizations will mutually cooperate in discovering and improving sustainable regulations and difficulties, and together contribute to fostering provincial industries and revitalizing the local economy.

Key contents of the agreement include: △joint promotion of regulatory innovation △establishment and operation of a regulatory improvement cooperation system △sharing and investigating regulatory information and cases △joint public relations activities.

Chungcheongnam-do has been seeking practical support measures with a policy aim to shorten or simplify the period for industrial complex or construction related permits and approvals. This includes implementing a one-stop permit and approval service to shorten the processing time for landscape, construction, and traffic reviews, and improving the unreasonable central investment review system for projects fully funded by local budgets.

With this agreement, the province plans to strengthen the competitiveness of local businesses and vitalize the regional economy by improving unreasonable systems in cooperation with the Small and Medium Business Ombudsman, a specialized regulatory improvement agency.

At the signing ceremony, Governor Kim Tae-heum stated, "Chungcheongnam-do is a hub for advanced industries such as semiconductors, displays, and future automobiles, where large corporations and SMEs form a robust industrial ecosystem." He added, "Therefore, I hope that we can work with the Small and Medium Business Ombudsman, a specialized regulatory improvement agency, to break down unreasonable regulations and significantly enhance corporate competitiveness."

Governor Kim continued, citing the saying, "Even good laws, when they last long, breed malpractice (法久弊生)," and elaborated, "Once regulations are made, they can remain for a long time and hinder businesses. Moving forward, we will work together through close cooperation, including joint discussions, to identify outdated regulations and build a Chungnam where it's easier to do business."

Choi Seung-jae, the Small and Medium Business Ombudsman, evaluated, "In the 'SME-focused local regulatory realignment' process over the past two years, Chungcheongnam-do improved a total of 229 regulations across 5 areas, including the shared property ordinance and construction ordinance, achieving the third highest regulatory improvement performance among the 17 metropolitan local governments nationwide." He added, "This was primarily due to Governor Kim Tae-heum's interest and leadership." *Regulatory improvement rate: Chungcheongnam-do 54% (National metropolitan local government average 47%)

Ombudsman Choi also stated, "To attract and grow businesses during the province's strategic industry promotion, such as the creation of Bey Valley and carbon neutrality/energy transition, bold regulatory innovation is necessary." He continued, "We will work closely with Chungcheongnam-do to achieve noticeable regulatory improvement results that strengthen the competitiveness of Chungnam businesses. As a first step, we plan to hold a joint discussion with the province in the near future to address pending regulations, including the easing of designation standards for alley-type shopping districts, which is also related to the new government's pledged tasks."

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