New Year's Address Pyeongtaek Mayor Jeong Jang-seon

Esteemed citizens of Pyeongtaek numbering 540,000! And public officials!

The eventful year of 2020, the Year of the Rat, has passed, and the new year of 2021, the Year of the Ox, has dawned. The new year of the Ox is the "Year of the White Ox." The ox has long been an animal in our lives symbolizing prosperity and wealth. As we welcome the new year, I sincerely hope that all of your endeavors will be accomplished and that it will be a year of abundance.

Looking back on the past year, it was a meaningful time spent running tirelessly to prioritize citizen safety from COVID-19 while revitalizing the stagnant local economy. Despite difficult circumstances, I express my deep gratitude to all citizens for gathering wisdom and strength for the development of city administration and doing their best in their respective positions.

Esteemed citizens! Since taking office, I have worked to improve serious urban environmental problems caused by various development projects and to create a city where citizens want to live together. To this end, I am focusing on improving citizens' quality of life by redesigning and implementing vulnerable urban spaces and structures together with citizens.

Over the past year, although city administration was limited due to COVID-19, there have been many achievements in preparing for Pyeongtaek's future.

First, Pyeongtaek was selected as an excellent institution for three consecutive years in the "Autonomous Government Innovation Assessment," achieved "Grade 2 Institutional Integrity," and was designated as a "Green City" along with winning the National Excellence Award in the "Fine Dust Blocking Forest Institutional Assessment." Additionally, Pyeongtaek was selected for the "Smart Green City Project Contest" and the "Hydrogen Transportation Complex Base Pilot Project." In competition projects with the central government and Gyeonggi Province, projects including water quality improvement for Tongbok Stream and the Seojeong-dong Urban Regeneration New Deal were selected, securing 105.7 billion won in national treasury funds for 107 projects and pushing forward major policy initiatives without interruption. Furthermore, with the name change of "Jije Station" to "Pyeongtaek Jije Station," we anticipate enhanced status and development for Pyeongtaek.

I believe these achievements were made possible because 540,000 citizens and our public officials worked together, and I offer my heartfelt thanks.

In the new year, based on the Pyeongtaek-style New Deal project, I will focus on balanced development between the new city and the old downtown area while making my utmost efforts for rapid economic recovery and renewed vitality. Let me outline the major city administration directions for the new year by sector.

First, I will concentrate on "Local Economic Revitalization" to overcome COVID-19 induced stagnation.

First, I will prepare for the future for sustained growth through fostering future industries and advancing the industrial structure. While Pyeongtaek has 20 industrial complexes, it lacks specialized industrial zones. For Pyeongtaek to make another leap forward, we must reorganize the industrial structure around new industries such as hydrogen, semiconductors, and automobiles. To this end, I will actively support hydrogen production facilities as an eco-friendly energy source and Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek plant expansion, and will establish specialized advanced semiconductor clusters by creating cooperation complexes for semiconductor materials and components. I will develop the automobile cluster industrial complex incorporating cultural and tourism facilities into an industrial zone where businesses and citizens coexist. To strengthen Pyeongtaek Port's competitiveness, I will diversify regular shipping routes and proactively respond to changing logistics and distribution environments through increased e-commerce cargo and new recruitment of LNG container cargo. I will establish the Pyeongtaek Industry Promotion Foundation to build infrastructure for systematic business support. I will promote local economic revitalization through activating the distribution of Pyeongtaek Love Card electronic gift certificates and constructing a non-contact smart online service platform. For traditional markets, shopping districts, and alleyway commerce, I will secure self-reliance of small merchants through smart digital delivery systems and development of specialized content, infusing vitality into the local economy. For all citizens seeking employment, I will strengthen employment competency through reemployment and customized education, and will provide diverse quality jobs through public and industry-tailored job creation projects.

Second, I will create a "Smart City" that leads the future through citizen-centered urban space innovation.

Balanced urban development in preparation for future megacities is an issue that must be resolved. Compared to rapidly developing southern and northern regions such as Sosabul and Godeok New City, western region development, which had proceeded slowly, is now steadily progressing. I will expeditiously promote projects reflecting local characteristics such as the Pyeongtaek Lake Tourism Complex, Hyunduk District, Poseung Rural Center Project, Pyeongtaek Port Waterfront Space Creation, Kwangwan Management Fishing Village New Deal Project, Manho District, and Hwayang District in response to western region residents' aspirations. I will fulfill Pyeongtaek's role to ensure that currently ongoing development projects such as Godeok New City and Brain City are created centered on citizen convenience. To ensure that existing downtown areas are not relatively neglected compared to rapidly changing new city areas due to urban development, I will push forward without interruption the Urban Regeneration New Deal projects at eight locations—including Anju, Seojeong, Sinpyeong, Sinjang 1-dong, and Sinjang 2-dong—selected in government competition projects. The Pyeongtaek Station surroundings redevelopment project will be implemented with plans reflecting diverse citizen opinions, and I will create a cultural space in the city where citizens can conveniently visit and wish to stay, thereby invigorating downtown commerce. To establish an urban safety network, I will complete the smart city integrated platform infrastructure project connecting CCTV across different sectors—crime prevention, traffic, and disaster—this year and begin service.

Next, I will establish a convenient smart transportation system for citizens. First, I will make efforts to improve public transportation services by comprehensively reorganizing metropolitan bus and trunk bus route systems and creating regional bus public depots by zone. Additionally, in preparation for increased traffic volume accompanying entry into a megacity, I will expand national roads, provincial roads, urban planning roads, and trunk road networks with connectivity, and will work with relevant local governments to ensure the Seoul Metropolitan Area Express Transit (GTX) C line can be extended. I will construct an artificial intelligence traffic signal control system and expand public parking facilities in the city to create a convenient transportation environment.

Third, I will create a "Warm Welfare and Education City" where no one is left behind.

In the COVID-19 era, I will create a Pyeongtaek where every citizen is respected and wishes to live. First, I will maintain and expand welfare infrastructure facilities. The university hospital recruitment, which has been citizens' wish, is proceeding smoothly, and once the general hospital in Hwayang District in the western region is completed, we anticipate that the inconvenience of citizens using upper-level hospitals in other regions will be greatly resolved. I will expeditiously push forward with the Western Welfare Town scheduled for completion in May of this year, along with the construction of the Western Disability Welfare Center and Western Youth Facilities, to address diverse welfare needs of western region citizens regarding regional welfare balanced development. Additionally, I will promote the construction of northern elderly welfare facilities to resolve the space shortage problem within the Northern Welfare Town due to the increasing elderly population, and will expand public childcare infrastructure services through expansion of public and private daycare centers so that parents can work with peace of mind. I will establish a robust social safety net by identifying welfare blind spots, providing support, and implementing substantial linked services through activation of sharing culture. I will do my best to create a city where elderly living alone, youth, women, and people with disabilities are happy. In preparation for rapid aging, I will support diverse leisure activities for seniors and expand opportunities for social participation to support active and dignified later life. I will expand youth policy projects such as monthly rent, job search transportation costs, and interview suit rental so that Pyeongtaek becomes a city where youth want to live. Along with this, I will widely install IoT emergency safety systems to create a city where elderly and people with disabilities are happy.

Next, I will create a healthy and future-oriented education welfare city cooperating with the local community. First, I will continuously improve the educational environment so that our children can grow up healthy and stable by supporting school facility complexes, free school meals, and school uniforms. Additionally, I will expand sustainable educational infrastructure through activating cooperative educational governance based on the Creative Fulfillment Education Center. To expand the library service beneficiary base, I will newly construct the Central Library and Baengseong Library, and will remodel existing libraries to create comfortable and specialized cultural spaces. To ensure no educational blind spots in the era of untact, I will establish a lifelong learning platform that empathizes with rapidly changing society.

Fourth, I will create a "Beautiful Green City" to pass on to future generations.

Since taking office, I have concentrated on maintaining the city that was disrupted by various development and raising citizens' quality of life. In particular, improvements to serious urban environmental problems caused by fine dust were urgent. Accordingly, as a result of implementing the Blue Sky Project to enhance citizens' quality of life along with urban growth, we were able to reduce Pyeongtaek's ultrafine dust by 26% compared to the previous year as of November last year (Gyeonggi Province average 19%). I will continue to implement fine dust reduction policies this year and pursue achieving EU-level 25 micrograms (25㎍/㎥) or less by 2022. I will strengthen cooperation between Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong provinces for external fine dust reduction, expand eco-friendly infrastructure such as hydrogen transportation complex bases and hydrogen and electric charging stations, and realize green mobility policies. I will seamlessly pursue long-term green way plans by continuously establishing wind corridor forests, fine dust blocking forests, and school forests.

I will make efforts to develop Pyeongtaek Port landfill as a waterfront space such as a marine ecological park. On November 2 last year, I attended the "4th Special Measure Committee on Fine Dust" presided over by the Prime Minister, and reported Pyeongtaek's comprehensive fine dust countermeasures. At that time, I proposed to the government that among the landfill totaling over 6 million pyeong, green space amounts to only about 20,000 pyeong, making it imperative to create waterfront green space equivalent to 10% of the total landfill. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries responded that "it aligns with Pyeongtaek's opinion and will be actively reviewed in the future." Going forward, I will secure green space around ports to enhance self-purification capacity in areas with heavy fine dust generation, and create large-scale parks in the western region lacking parks, thereby making Pyeongtaek a green city. I will make my utmost effort to realize this entire process through communication and sympathy with the city council, related organizations, and citizens.

I will develop Jinwi, Anseong, and Tongbok streams with beautiful natural landscapes into citizen leisure and rest spaces. First, last July, I efficiently reorganized the organizational structure to create a clean water circulation city, and along with this, I have established the "Pyeongtaek Lake Water Quality Improvement Council" comprising the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and 12 local governments, building an interregional community cooperation system. Tongbok Stream, selected in the Ministry of Environment competition project, has secured approximately 14 billion won in national treasury funds, establishing the foundation for improving Tongbok Stream water quality to Grade 2. I will develop the Oseong River waterfront into a beautiful cultural space with flowers blooming year-round, and will create the Noeul Recreation Area into a cultural park, sports park, and family camping park, establishing it as a specialized attraction in southern Gyeonggi. I will designate Jinwi Stream and Anseong Stream as fishing-prohibited areas and vigorously remove illegal facilities to manage streams safely and cleanly. I will provide natural environment conservation in urban areas and pleasant leisure spaces to citizens. I will establish a comprehensive park and green space roadmap reflecting rapidly changing urban conditions and future megacity green vision to create distinctive experiential theme parks by zone. I plan to sequentially commence work on 14 long-overdue urban parks such as Mosan and Eunshil Parks starting this year, and will expand and create Sopung Garden as a distinctive representative eco-friendly leisure space unique to Pyeongtaek.

In accordance with the implementation of the Military Noise Compensation Act, I will continue to jointly respond with local governments belonging to the "Local Government Council for Military Noise Damage Compensation and Resident Support" to ensure just compensation for citizens suffering from harm.

Fifth, I will create a "Dignified Cultural City" that anyone will want to visit.

For citizens' enriched lives, I will build cultural and arts tourism infrastructure and implement various policies. First, with the launch of the Pyeongtaek Cultural Foundation, I will enhance the diversity and expertise of cultural arts to realize an affluent, premium cultural city. Additionally, I will strengthen creative capacity through activating non-contact cultural arts and tourism programs in the COVID-19 era to resolve difficulties of related workers and provide diverse programs and content so citizens can enjoy leisure activities with peace of mind. Along with this, I will expand infrastructure for service tourism industry. Until now, Pyeongtaek prioritized development project policies, leaving the service tourism industry sector virtually nonexistent. Addressing this through our long-term efforts, we have recently been able to attract a five-star hotel. Going forward, through creating a large-scale waterfront cultural space extending from Pyeongtaek Lake to Pyeongtaek Port and waterfront projects along the Dugang River, I will activate exchanges with Chinese cities and attract domestic tourists, building an eco-friendly service tourism infrastructure where not just cargo but people come and go. I will balance and expand sports facilities by zone so all citizens can conveniently use them.

Pyeongtaek is a special city where U.S. military personnel stationed in Korea and multicultural families must live together. As an international peace and security city, I will strengthen Pyeongtaek's status as a global city by hosting international forums to spread Pyeongtaek's value. Through building history museums related to U.S. Forces Korea and establishing archive projects, I will re-examine the history and value of Korea-U.S. coexistence and implement arrangements for coexistence and exchange. Additionally, I will create a young cultural street around U.S. military bases and support Korea-U.S. Harmony Festival, U.S. Forces Korea Friendship Day, and multicultural festivals to be established as cultural content reflecting Pyeongtaek's unique characteristics and identity.

Sixth, I will build the foundation for "Sustainable Future Agriculture" realizing happy rural welfare.

Now our agriculture must develop anew as smart agriculture responding to COVID-19 and climate change. Accordingly, our city has reorganized the organization by integrating agricultural research, guidance, distribution, processing, and publicity functions into the Agricultural Technology Center to efficiently promote operations. Over the past year, we achieved results in supplying high-quality agricultural products produced locally to U.S. military bases, school meals, large companies within the city, and Pyeongtaek Rest Area promotion centers. Going forward, I will establish a Pyeongtaek-style local food distribution system to expand supplied items and strengthen agricultural competitiveness and sustainable future agriculture development through diversifying sales channels including online sales. I will expand agricultural machinery supply and rental services, and particularly operate the northern branch of the Agricultural Machinery Rental Center to resolve inconvenience for northern region users. Centered on the Agricultural Ecology Center with citizens, I will prepare festivals and experience programs to provide diverse attractions to citizens and create jobs for youth and vulnerable groups. Matching the era of 10 million pet animals, I will expand animal protection industry development and animal welfare infrastructure through constructing an animal protection center, operating shelters, and animal protection to create a culture where citizens and animals are happy together.

Finally, I will practice "Communication and Innovative Administration" preparing for environmental changes of a megacity.

True local autonomy can be realized only through citizens' power, and new changes begin with citizen participation and active communication. Through a fair and transparent communication culture that listens to even the smallest voice of citizens, I will create a "citizen-centered" Pyeongtaek where city administration opens together with citizens. To this end, I will substantively promote activation of sustainable civilian-government cooperation where citizens actively participate in policy decision-making processes, expand implementation of town and village resident autonomy councils, and create an environment for stable operation. To secure continuity in policy implementation such as Pyeongtaek's preparation for future megacities and establishment of long-term development plans, I will activate the Future Innovation Research Group and policy advisor system to contribute to city administration development.

Additionally, in the COVID-19 era, I will accelerate active administration and administrative innovation further to promote them so citizens can feel the effects. Going forward, I will operate the organization flexibly in response to future megacity administrative changes, and will actively examine plans to transfer areas that can be handled by the private sector, thereby reorganizing into an efficient organization.

Esteemed citizens! And public officials!

The seven major policy initiatives I have outlined so far are critical tasks that must be pursued for Pyeongtaek's future. Although a major obstacle called "COVID-19" stands in our path forward, based on transparent and fair administration, I will not give up no matter what difficulties arise for citizens' happy lives.

Like the wisdom of "牛步萬里" (ubo manri)—"traveling ten thousand miles with an ox's pace"—I will open the future of a new Pyeongtaek with unwavering passion and determination.

Beloved citizens! Public officials! The new year will bring us many new challenges. However, if we face them together with you, we will surely be able to overcome and resolve them. A city where everyone prospers together! I urge your active participation and encouragement for Pyeongtaek's "leap into a future economic megacity."

I wish you a happy new year in the Year of the Ox and hope that health and happiness always accompany your families. Thank you.

On the morning of the new year 2021

Pyeongtaek Mayor Jung Jang-seon