Mayor Jung Jang-seon on Two-Year Anniversary: "Develop Pyeongtaek into a City Where Residents Want to Continue Living"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] On his two-year anniversary as mayor, Jung Jang-seon of Pyeongtaek pledged that he would "develop Pyeongtaek into a city where residents want to continue living."

Mayor Jung held a "Press Conference on the Second Anniversary of the 7th Directly-Elected Administration" at Pyeongtaek City Hall on the 9th. Held online to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the conference reviewed achievements over the past two years and outlined future directions for city policies.

Mayor Jung began with remarks stating, "I am now in my second year of office. We have Camp Humphreys, the world's largest U.S. military base, and our population has exceeded 500,000." He continued, "How we shape this city is a matter of concern not only for Pyeongtaek but for the entire country and the world. That is why I have given this considerable thought. Over the past two years, there have been many shortcomings, but with the help of our citizens, we have come this far."

He added, "However, there are also many challenges. By focusing only on development, we have seen urban imbalances and environmental problems emerge. Without special measures, the city could become inadequate. There are issues like fine dust, and demand for education and culture has increased. I am driven by an urgency to actively address these matters."

He then provided detailed explanations across various city policy sectors including COVID-19 response, economy, environment, and transportation.

Regarding COVID-19 response, Mayor Jung stated, "Fortunately, over the past two months, excluding U.S. troops and overseas arrivals, there have been no confirmed cases in our city." He added, "We have mobilized all resources to respond, focusing on thorough prevention through cooperation with the USFK."

On the economic front, he said, "Economic imbalance between regions is severe. To address this, we have tasked experts from the Future Innovation Research Institute to select 50 key projects." He further noted, "We are focusing on youth initiatives such as Hope Jobs programs and preparing for hydrogen economy development and cultivation of industries related to Samsung semiconductors. We are also considering the establishment of an Industrial Promotion Agency."

Regarding the environment, he explained, "We have been making efforts to improve fine dust and water quality. We have formed a cooperative body with nearby municipalities to address these issues. We are seeing results, with reduced fine dust emissions over the past winter."

He announced the distribution of 10 hydrogen buses this year and expansion of hydrogen vehicle supply, expansion of green areas such as urban forests, and also discussed education initiatives to reduce educational disparities between regions and prepare for equalized education distribution, as well as policies in agriculture, culture, and transportation sectors.

Mayor Jung concluded by pledging, "Pyeongtaek is the last city along the Gyeongbu axis. We will make efforts to win in competition with places like Bundang."