Suwon City has come forward in opposition to the government's announcement to construct mini new towns on sites of relocated public institutions.
Mayor Kim Yong-seo convened an emergency countermeasures meeting at 9 a.m. on the 23rd at the city hall situation room regarding the government's housing supply plan, calling in district chiefs and heads of major departments to issue instructions for preparing follow-up measures in the near term.
Prior to this, Gyeonggi Province Governor Son Hak-gyou, Mayor Kim, and Yongin City Mayor Lee Jung-mun held an emergency meeting at 7 a.m. on the 23rd at the provincial governor's official residence and reached consensus to actively respond to the government's announcement to construct mini new towns on relocated public institution sites.
At the meeting, Mayor Kim and others exchanged views on the government's housing supply plan for relocated public institution sites and confirmed their opposition stance to development focused on residential and commercial facilities through land-use change exceptions.
Mayor Kim stated on the day, "The government's plan to construct mini new towns on relocated public institution sites contradicts the government's purpose of promoting public institution relocation for addressing congestion in the Seoul Capital Area and achieving balanced national development."
Mayor Kim further pointed out, "Mini new town development that does not align with the Seoul Capital Area Management Plan and urban planning is a contradiction that fuels haphazard development in the Seoul Capital Area and is expected to result in excessive density development, undermining the consistency of the government's national land policy."
In this regard, considering that most relocated public institution sites mentioned as mini new towns, such as the Crop Research Institute and Livestock Research Institute, are greenbelts and management areas, the city expressed a desire to utilize these sites for expanding urban infrastructure facilities such as parks, schools, and public cultural spaces that embody Suwon's future, rather than housing supply.
Additionally, the city has a goal to develop Hwaseong, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, as a center of world-class cultural and tourism industry, and link the currently under-development Gwanggyo TechnoValley as the center of 21st-century advanced industry.
In particular, the city plans to jointly visit related institutions such as the Ministry of Construction and Transportation and the Open Our Party with Gyeonggi Province and Yongin City in the future, convey its position, and demand withdrawal of the housing supply plan.
The city will also explain its position to relevant National Assembly members and make efforts to have local government opinions reflected in the policy decisions of related central government ministries.
Meanwhile, the government announced on June 25 a plan to develop mini new towns on relocated public institution sites for real estate market stabilization and housing supply.
Currently, there are 11 target sites for relocated public institutions in Suwon, including the Crop Research Institute, Livestock Research Institute, and the National Tax Service Officials Training Institute.
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