Naju Bitgaram City, mid-2014
Posted by Wesley on
City of the future is almost here
Most public corporations in Korea were naturally situated in or near Seoul, the capital city. But to promote a more balanced growth in other regions, these companies are being spread out, relocating to newly-built "innovation cities". There is one in every province.
The one in South Jeolla Province (Jeollanam-do) is called Bitgaram City, and is located in the middle of the vast rice fields in Naju. This is where headquarters of many electricity-related companies, including KPX (where I work) and KEPCO are being moved to. All the companies will have completed the move by the end of 2014.
The new 31-story KEPCO headquarters building pokes out
At the end of July, most of the buildings looked mostly complete, at least as far as the structural shape was concerned. KEPCO's new 31-story building is the tallest of them all, and is easily recognizable from far away because Naju is mostly "flat" throughout. But other buildings have certain futuristic looks to them and stand out of the landscape as well.
In the case of KPX, its new HQ building was basically complete a month ago. It is now waiting for the new Energy Management System and CBP-based Electricity Trading System to finish testing and the whole workforce to move in. This will happen at the end of September, less than two months from now. From then on, I will start living in Naju as well, ending 6 years of residence in Suwon. I await with hope and a bit of uncertainty.