Pyeongtek City Holds Non-Face-to-Face Press Conference on Third Anniversary of Civilian Government Term

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Pyeongtek City held a press conference with journalists on the 8th at the City Hall Comprehensive Situation Room on the occasion of the third anniversary of the civilian government term.

The conference was attended by Mayor Jung Jang-seon, Vice Mayor Ye Chang-seop, and minimal senior officials from various departments and offices, and was conducted in a non-face-to-face manner to prevent COVID-19 infection.

Mayor Jung Jang-seon said, "I am grateful to all citizens who have supported the city to secure the fundamentals of urban growth and achieve continuous expansion," and added, "I will continue to do my best to create an advanced future city of Pyeongtek centered on people."

Mayor Jung first cited the "Special Act Regarding Support for Pyeongtek City, etc. Due to the Relocation of U.S. Military Bases," which he proposed as a member of the National Assembly in 2004, as a turning point in Pyeongtek's development. He explained, "Through this, with 18 trillion 979.6 billion won in support for regional development projects, I felt proud that it became an opportunity to lay the foundation for Pyeongtek's development, including ▲securing industrial complexes (4.3 million pyeong for Samsung, LG, etc.) ▲Goduk International New City ▲Brain City ▲Pyeongtek Lake Crossway (International Bridge) ▲SRT ▲industrial railway (Pyeongtek Port~Pyeongtek Station), etc."

The following is an explanation of the achievements and implementation directions by sector that the city announced at today's conference.

The city has created a model city for quarantine by establishing Korea's quarantine standards with Pyeongtek-style COVID-19 quarantine measures during the disaster recovery process. The city was the first in the nation to enforce administrative orders requiring testing for foreign dormitory residents and daily wage workers, provide free testing for overseas arrivals, and made all-out efforts to protect citizens through special transport of Pyeongtek residents entering from abroad to their homes.

Additionally, the city formed a working group with the U.S. military and established a mutual cooperation system to prevent community transmission from confirmed cases among U.S. Forces Korea, responding swiftly. With these achievements, the city won the grand prize in the "Corona Crisis Management Global Contest."

The city plans to embark on "Creating 1 Million Pyeongtek" through regional specialization strategy for balanced regional development.

▲Declaration of the western region New Frontier including comprehensive development of Pyeongtek Port ▲establishment of an automobile cluster ▲development of Pyeongtek Lake tourism zone, ▲laying the foundation for the northern region's leap including Goduk International New City ▲Brain City (university hospital, KAIST attraction), and ▲pursuing balanced development strategy between the original downtown and new downtown in the southern area including 11 urban regeneration projects ▲Pyeongtek Station surroundings development, etc.

The city will lead the upgrading of Pyeongtek's industrial structure by creating a semiconductor specialty city. As Samsung's semiconductor factory expands, the city will actively expand infrastructure such as electricity, gas, and water, and create advanced complex industrial complexes for semiconductor materials, components, and equipment. With the confirmation of attracting the KAIST-Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Joint Research Center, the city will take the lead in K-semiconductor development by consolidating semiconductor capabilities through specialized talent cultivation, education, research, and consulting.

Additionally, the city will foster future industries such as the hydrogen economy, automobile-related industries, and smart agriculture. In the environmental sector, which continues to show steady results, the city plans to accelerate efforts to improve quality of life through fine dust reduction and creation of a clean water circulation city.

Pyeongtek's role as Korea's transportation hub will be strengthened. The city will have new railway infrastructure with the connection of the Seohae Line and Gyeongbu High-Speed Line (Anjung-Seoul 30 minutes) and the Pyeongtek~Buebal Line (Pyeongtek-Gangneung 80 minutes). The city also plans to continue building safe and convenient transportation infrastructure through promoting GTX-C line extension, revamping bus routes, and examining trams at key locations.

In the education sector, the city will comprehensively plan and implement attracting international schools, building new libraries, improving regional educational disparities, and promoting the establishment of lifelong learning centers. The city will also strengthen the welfare foundation by building a tight social safety net through customized pinpoint support. Furthermore, the city plans to create a warm city where people want to live by discovering tourism infrastructure and cultural content that embody Pyeongtek's charm and value.