Now Residents of 'Suwon,' Not 'Yongin'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young received a plaque of appreciation from Lee Sang-hee, the representative president of the Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment Residents Association, at a community harmony celebration commemorating the 'Suwon-Yongin Boundary Adjustment' held on the 9th in the back garden of Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon.

Mayor Yeom said, "I warmly welcome you, who have become Suwon citizens, together with Suwon citizens. I am truly delighted to see the residents happy. Over the past seven-plus years, I have worked to adjust administrative boundaries. I also thank Baik Kun-gi, Mayor of Yongin, for your efforts together," he said.

The community harmony celebration was attended by approximately 100 residents of the apartment complex, as well as Park Gwang-on, a member of the National Assembly (Suwon District), and Ahn Hye-young, Vice Speaker of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council.

The Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment area was transferred from Yongin City to Suwon City on the 13th of last month when the 'Regulation on Change of Jurisdiction between Suwon and Yongin' went into effect.

A quasi-residential area surrounding National Route 42 in Woncheon-dong, Suwon, measuring 42,619.8 square meters was incorporated into Yongin City, while the Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment area in Yongin, measuring 85,961 square meters, was incorporated into Suwon City. This is the first time in South Korea that administrative district boundaries have been adjusted for a residential area within a city.

The daily living sphere of Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment residents is Suwon, but during the development of the Yeongtong New City, the area was administratively included in Yongin City. Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment is surrounded in a 'U' shape by Woncheon-dong and Yeongtong-dong in Suwon's administrative district.

In 2012, the boundary adjustment issue emerged when residents of Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment demanded incorporation into Suwon City, citing child commute safety concerns and other issues. Due to irrational administrative boundaries, elementary school students living in Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment had to bypass Hwanggok Elementary School in Suwon, which is a 4-minute walk away (246m), and instead commute on foot for about 20 minutes to Heungdeok Elementary School in Yongin, 1.19 kilometers away. The commute route also had an eight-lane road in both directions, raising significant safety concerns.

Gyeonggi Province presented a mediation plan in 2015, but Yongin City did not accept it. Subsequently, several boundary adjustment plans were proposed, but negotiations were difficult to achieve. In June 2017, Suwon City proposed a policy regarding boundary adjustment on 'Gwanghwamun No. 1' (a policy proposal platform). Mayor Yeom also registered a petition on the Blue House's 'Citizen Petitions and Proposals' bulletin board in November 2017 with the title 'We ask the central government to actively take steps to address irrational administrative boundary adjustments.'

Mayor Yeom Tae-young and Baek Kun-gi, Mayor of Yongin, when confirmed as candidates for the mayors of Suwon and Yongin in the 7th nationwide simultaneous local elections last year, promised, "If elected, we will surely adjust administrative boundaries for the residents." After the launch of the 7th popularly elected administration, Suwon City and Yongin City continued boundary adjustment negotiations. Finally, in March, the Suwon City Council and Yongin City Council expressed support for the boundary adjustment, and on April 4, the Gyeonggi Provincial Council held a plenary session and passed the 'Suwon-Yongin Boundary Adjustment' agenda.

On April 18, Suwon City and Yongin City agreed through the 'Joint Agreement on Boundary Adjustment between Suwon and Yongin' to swap the quasi-residential area surrounding National Route 42 in Woncheon-dong, Suwon, and the Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment area.

As a result of the administrative boundary adjustment, elementary school students residing in the Cheongmyeong Centrevil Apartment complex who currently attend Heungdeok Elementary School will be able to attend Hwanggok Elementary School, a 4-minute walk away, starting next year.