Yongin City Attracts Four Government Agencies This Year, Achieving 'Significant Results in Enhancing Urban Competitiveness'

Yongin City has drawn attention for achieving significant results in enhancing urban competitiveness through regional balanced development by attracting four government agencies this year.

The city is an urban-rural complex with an area similar to Seoul (591.36 ㎢) and a population of 1.1 million, resulting in diverse civil petition demands according to regional characteristics.

In particular, Cheoein-gu, which accounts for 80% of the city's total area, relatively lacks cultural and living facilities compared to urban areas, and parts of Giheung-gu have been left behind as old city centers, making it urgent to devise measures for balanced development.

Against this backdrop, the city's efforts to attract four government agencies to appropriate locations this year alone—adding citizen convenience and enhancing urban public value—are noteworthy.

The positive effects that public agency placement can bring can be gauged from the rapid growth in living conditions and commercial districts in areas where the central government relocated its offices to Sejong City and North Gyeongsang Province relocated to Andong City.

We examine what efforts the city has made to attract each agency and how they will impact enhancing urban competitiveness.

▲'National Human Rights Education Institute' to Revitalize Old City Centers
The National Human Rights Education Institute, a dedicated human rights education institution under the National Human Rights Commission, is scheduled to be established on the site of the former (old) customs logistics center in Singal-dong, Giheung-gu in 2023.

Singal-dong was renowned as a representative commercial district of the city but has been rapidly declining as citizens have stopped visiting. Accordingly, the city's proposed 'Smart Cultural Street' plan was finally selected as a target site for the government's urban regeneration new deal project in November, putting the revival of the Singal old city center on a fast track.

The city expects that with a national institution located at a transportation hub adjacent to Singal Interchange, the city's image will be enhanced and the surrounding traffic and living environment will be significantly improved.

Moreover, once the education institute is established, approximately 70,000 government and local government officials annually will visit this location, contributing to revitalizing the commercial district of Singal-dong and surrounding areas. The city anticipates that such vitality will create a major synergy effect for local economic activation.

The city plans to actively support the opening in consultation with National Assemblyman Kim Min-gi and others who greatly contributed to attracting the education institute.

▲'Small Business Market Promotion Corporation Yongin Center' as a Support for Small Business Owners
While small business owners in alley commerce faced direct damage from the COVID-19 crisis through decreased sales and business closures, there was no regional center of the Small Business Market Promotion Corporation in the city to support them, causing inconvenience as they had to use the Suwon Center in Youngtong-gu, Suwon City.

Accordingly, on the 3rd, the corporation confirmed the opening of the Yongin Center as the 11th in the province, allowing small business owners in the city to more conveniently use various funds and startup support.

To this end, the city explained the necessity of opening the Yongin Center at parliamentary party-government coordination meetings and persuaded central ministries and local National Assembly members by visiting them.

In particular, Yongin City Mayor Baek Kyun-ki met with Cho Bong-hwan, Chairman of the Board of the corporation, at a temporary center established in the city for COVID-19 damaged small business owners' emergency loan applications in April and actively led the effort to attract the center by requesting its opening for citizen convenience.

▲'Ministry of Foreign Affairs Suji Branch Office' for Passport Issuance Convenience for Suji and Giheung-gu Residents
To overcome east-west imbalance, the city created the Yongin Culture and Welfare Administrative Town in Samga-dong, Cheoein-gu to raise the symbolic value of the Cheoein area, but residents of Giheung and Suji-gu have had to travel 15 kilometers, leading to continuous complaints about reverse discrimination.

In particular, passport issuance services were only provided at City Hall, causing significant inconvenience for residents in these areas. Accordingly, on the 3rd, the city received approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a passport service agency and announced that it will operate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Suji Branch Office at Suji-gu Office starting in February next year.

The city expects that residents of the northwestern Giheung and Suji-gu areas, who previously had to travel to City Hall as well as other areas including Seongnam City, will now be able to conveniently handle passport services at nearby locations, improving administrative service satisfaction.

The city expresses gratitude to National Assemblywoman Jung Chun-suk and other relevant officials who worked together for the approval of the Suji branch office, and plans to prepare by organizing communication networks and deploying dedicated staff.

▲'National Institute of Agricultural Products Quality Management Yongin Office' Fulfilling the Wishes of Over 16,000 Farmers
"The National Institute of Agricultural Products Quality Management's Yongin office should be established in the Cheoein area, where over 90% of 16,000 farmers are located."

Mayor Baek said this on February 17 at his office at City Hall. At that time, he strongly requested that the office location be reconsidered with priority given to resolving citizen inconvenience.

At that time, the National Institute of Agricultural Products Quality Management was preparing to establish a new Yongin office in the Giheung area. However, the city had a different view. Since most farmers had to visit the National Institute of Agricultural Products Quality Management's Icheon/Yongin office in Bupyeong-eup, Icheon City, travel was inconvenient, and the Giheung-area opening was seen as only a half-measure solution.

Accordingly, the city made proposals to establish the National Institute of Agricultural Products Quality Management's Yongin office in the Cheoein area, including preparing separate spaces for office location selection and construction periods, and recommended seven candidate sites. In March, the National Institute of Agricultural Products Quality Management's Yongin office was established in Samga-dong, Cheoein-gu.

By attracting the National Institute of Agricultural Products Quality Management's Yongin office to Cheoein-gu, which supports agricultural product quality management and farm income stability, the city greatly contributed to resolving the long-standing wishes of 16,000 farmers and promoting the convenience of distribution business workers.