Osan City Holds 36th Osan Citizens' Day Commemoration Ceremony

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Lee Su-won] Osan City held the '36th Osan Citizens' Day Commemoration Ceremony' at the City Hall Conference Room on the 24th.

The ceremony was attended by approximately 500 people, including Mayor Lee Kwon-jae, Osan City Council Speaker Lee Sang-bok, provincial and city council members, officials from related organizations, and citizens.

In attendance were former National Assemblyman Kim Hak-yong, who became an Honorary Citizen for contributions to Osan's development; Kaneshige Masayuki, COO of Idemitsu Advanced Materials Korea, Korea's first independent R&D; corporation; Chungcheongbuk-do Governor Jeong Young-chul of Yeongdong County, a sister and friendly city; and key officials from Suncheon City, Andong City, Namwon City, Namhae County, and Jangsu County, who graced the event.

In particular, Hidaka Mayor Agasaki Teruo and City Council Speaker Suzuki Takeo of Hidaka, Japan, an international exchange city that had been unable to visit Osan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Deputy Director of the People's Government Office of Hezhou, China, Ren Qiting, also visited Osan directly to celebrate Citizens' Day.

At the ceremony, four recipients received the Osan Citizens Award, Osan's highest honor: Lee Gae-wang (for contributions to community development), Jo Jeom-yong (economic security sector), Lee Jeong-hyo (social welfare sector), and Jo Chang-bok (culture and sports sector).

In his commemorative address, Mayor Lee presented a concrete blueprint for moving toward a self-sufficient city of 500,000 and an era of one trillion won in city budget.

Mayor Lee called for all public officials and citizens to join hands to successfully conclude major projects being pursued by the 8th civilian-elected city administration, including △successful settlement of Osan Urban Development Corporation established for autonomous urban development △construction of an all-connected transportation network through improvements to rail transport such as GTX and KTX as well as expressways and general roads △leap to a semiconductor small-to-medium parts and materials specialized city through promotion of 30 pyeong techno valley development △building SOC for citizens' welfare represented by education and culture.

Mayor Lee stated, "Without forgetting the original commitment I made when first taking office as the 8th civilian-elected mayor with the slogan 'Renew Osan, Empower Citizens,' I am working with citizens to realize our dreams," and added, "Let all 240,000 citizens support each other and put our heads together to create the foundation for Osan's prosperity for the next hundred years."

Meanwhile, the ceremony featured congratulatory performances including a collaborative performance by soprano Kim Young-eun, Osan City's ambassador; drummer Rino, selected as one of the world's top 50 artists and the first Asian to receive the honor; and the Raon Jenna choir, composed mainly of multicultural children, followed by various programs including a future vision sharing performance for hundred years together with citizens.