Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin Holds Resident Dialogue Session on Second Anniversary of Taking Office

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Choi Ki-ho] On July 1st, Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin Special City held separate community dialogue sessions with residents in Jukjeon 3-dong and Dongcheon-dong in Suji-gu, presenting the city's development accomplishments and discussing local issues.

The mayor said, "Today marks my second year as mayor of Yongin City," and added, "Over the past two years, I have achieved considerable results through major projects and solving various difficult issues to advance the city. I worked with a determination to repay the citizens who elected me as mayor through my work and accomplishments, and I will continue to work without losing sight of my original commitment."

The mayor cited resolving the expansion of Gogi Bridge and improving surrounding traffic problems through an agreement with Seongnam City as the first issue he addressed, meeting with Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin the day after taking office. He announced plans to complete the Gogi Bridge road expansion and reconstruction project by the end of 2026.

The mayor stated, "Dongcheon-dong is a place that holds special meaning to me personally. Only one month after taking office in August 2022, a heavy downpour caused flood damage, and I visited the site four times to clean up sediment accumulated in homes and businesses. Last year, I visited Gogi Bridge and surrounding areas four times to prepare for heavy rain, implementing dredging and waterproof wall installation. This year, I invested 500 million won to upgrade the safety rating of Gogi Bridge from D-grade to A-grade to prepare for heavy rain and completed pedestrian sidewalk construction by May for pedestrian safety."

The mayor explained, "Although we will reconstruct Gogi Bridge as a four-lane bridge by the end of 2026, we must continue using the existing bridge until then. I chose to undertake these reinforcement measures despite incurring 500 million won in sunk costs because citizen safety is my priority."

The mayor stated, "The Gogi Bridge issue, which the 7th civil administration could not resolve, is a matter I agreed to solve with Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin the day after my inauguration on July 2, 2022. I am deeply committed to this project, and my resolve to proceed according to plan is firm. When the preliminary administrative procedures for Dongmak Stream river basic plan revision were delayed, I met with Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon in April to expedite and ensure the revision. I will do my utmost to complete the project by the end of 2026."

Following Gyeonggi Province's decision notice on the Dongmak Stream river basic plan revision on April 22, the city completed supplementary design for Gogi Bridge reconstruction and coordinated with Seongnam City to finalize facility designation and authorization procedures. The city plans to begin compensation and construction next year and complete reconstruction of Gogi Bridge and expansion of surrounding roads by the end of 2026.

Resident Hong Jeong-eun, a parent at Gogi Elementary School, said, "Regarding construction of an elderly welfare housing complex in the Gogi-dong area, the city has notified the operator of traffic congestion and pedestrian safety measures related to construction vehicle operations, but concerns among parents remain significant. I hope the city will continue paying attention to ensure construction vehicles do not pass through the rear gate of Gogi Elementary School."

The mayor said, "One of my priorities since taking office is ensuring student commute safety, and I have continuously implemented measures tailored to each school's characteristics. My position is firm that construction vehicle traffic that may threaten student safety around Gogi Elementary School should not occur without parental and school consent."

Resident Jeon Chul-jae requested acceleration of small road construction in Gogi-dong village lanes.

Jang Seong-moon, chief of the Suji-gu Construction and Roads Division, said, "Two of six roads in Gogi-dong, roads So1-67 and So1-68, were scheduled for completion this August, but due to numerous communication poles and electric poles requiring relocation, construction completion has been delayed to June next year. Out of the 179 billion won budgeted for road construction in Suji-gu, 150 billion won—84 percent of the total—is being invested in Dongcheon-dong and Gogi-dong as the city is making its utmost efforts to improve road conditions in these areas."

The mayor instructed city officials present at the session: "Citizens trust and wait for what the mayor and public officials say. When the mayor or city officials commit to completing certain tasks by specific dates, it is important to keep those promises unless there are extraordinary circumstances. Failure to do so breeds distrust in city administration, making it more difficult to govern. Let us all make efforts to keep our promises."

Residents of Jukjeon 3-dong urged swift promotion of the administrative welfare center construction project and requested expansion of public transportation and repaving of deteriorated village roads.

Oh Kil-soo, chairman of the Jukjeon 3-dong office promotion council, said, "Those visiting the administrative welfare center face significant inconvenience due to cramped facilities and poor parking. I hope the office construction project will be promoted promptly."

The mayor stated, "I am well aware that Jukjeon 3-dong, which was separated from Jukjeon 1-dong in 2021, operates from a leased office and lacks cultural and sports facilities, causing considerable inconvenience to residents. The Jukjeon 3-dong administrative welfare center construction project passed Gyeonggi Province's local finance investment review in June, so only administrative procedures remain. I will ensure that the planned groundbreaking in the second half of 2026 proceeds without delay."

Athletic Association Chairman Lee Jeong-yeol said, "Although Bundang Seoul National University Hospital is geographically close, accessing it from Jukjeon 3-dong for medical treatment requires considerable time due to limited public transportation. I hope the village bus frequency can be increased."

The mayor responded, "The issue of village bus frequency ultimately stems from transportation companies' operational difficulties and driver shortages. Rather than attributing it solely to company issues, I believe it is difficult to alleviate citizen inconvenience without taking action. I will work to improve driver treatment and other measures to reduce bus intervals."

Han Ui-dong, chairman of the community social security council, said, "The village road in Section 1 of Jukjeon 3-dong is deteriorated with peeling pavement, making it difficult to traverse. I request complete repaving."

The mayor said, "One thing I emphasize to public officials is to repair damaged roads as quickly as possible," and told newly appointed Suji-gu Chief Lee Young-min, "Please secure budget from the second supplementary budget in September to allow repairs to proceed."

On this day, the mayor spent approximately four hours meeting with approximately 40 residents from two districts. Since May 1st, the mayor has been systematically visiting all 38 eup, myeon, and dong in the city, conducting community dialogue sessions with city officials to listen to citizens' opinions and questions and provide answers to inquiries.