Dear citizens of Anyang whom I love and respect! And all public servants of Anyang City!
The new year of 2025, the Year of the Snake, has dawned.
Wishing you all happiness and good fortune in the new year!
As we welcome the Year of the Snake, I hope it becomes a year where we actively respond to changes with the wisdom and flexibility of a snake, and move forward toward a better future.
I hope that our citizens will create new challenges and opportunities based on wisdom and experience, and that you will have only prosperous and meaningful days ahead. This year too, all public servants of Anyang City and I will do our utmost to enhance the happiness of our citizens and pursue sustainable future growth for Anyang City.
Respected citizens!
The past year was truly eventful and turbulent.
Due to unstable international circumstances and the global impact of high interest rates and inflation, the citizens' economy continued to face difficulties, and I believe your anxiety has only grown due to recent national political turmoil.
Meanwhile, our city experienced significant damage from record-breaking heavy snowfall, the heaviest in 117 years.
In particular, part of the produce section at the Wholesale Agricultural and Fishery Market collapsed, but through emergency administrative measures prioritizing safety and swift response, we managed to overcome a crisis that could have resulted in a major disaster.
While citizens and merchants understandably have great concerns about this unexpected disaster, we will mobilize all available resources to provide active support for rapid recovery from the damage.
Despite these crises, our city created meaningful change by facing diverse challenges and opportunities together with our citizens, based on a firm vision.
FC Anyang, a civic club founded in 2013, was promoted to the top tier league for the first time in 11 years, bringing joy and hope to Anyang citizens and FC Anyang fans.
Furthermore, following our proactive declaration of a "smart city" vision in 2012, we have consistently built capabilities as a smart city. As a result, we are the only basic municipal government to obtain "Smart City International Standards Certification" from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN subsidiary organization.
Anyang City has established itself as a successful smart city model of digital innovation and cutting-edge technology, becoming a global standard.
Additionally, we supplied 105 units of youth rental housing in Dekhyeon District in Hogye-dong and 133 units in the area surrounding Bisan Elementary School, and opened the Integrated Cultural Center for the Disabled, Anyang Green Maru, Keun-saem Children's Library, and Baldal and Gwan-yang Youth Culture Centers. Through these and various other efforts for improving citizens' quality of life and regional development, we have created tangible changes citizens can experience.
Externally, we were the only basic municipal government to receive a Presidential Citation in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Local Government Innovation Evaluation, and were selected as the sole nationwide winner for three consecutive years in the Local Regulatory Innovation Excellence Competition and as an excellence agency for four consecutive years in the Proactive Administration Comprehensive Evaluation. This solidified our position as a city of innovation in both name and substance.
In addition, we were selected as an excellence agency by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission for six consecutive years, and by the Ministry of Environment for five consecutive years in evaluating the operation and management of general waterworks projects. Through 63 awards and 69 successful applications, we secured 4.1 billion won in financial incentives, raising Anyang City's status to new heights.
I believe this is the valuable fruit created through citizens' continued support and the passion of all public servants.
Respected citizens!
We find ourselves in political, economic, and social turmoil more than ever before. We are keenly reminded of how precious the peace of our everyday lives truly is.
What is needed in such times is precisely "the strength of many can move mountains." If we join together with our citizens as one in purpose and strength, we will be able to turn crises into opportunities and move toward a better tomorrow.
I and all public servants of Anyang City promise to concentrate all our capabilities and open a path of change and innovation together with our citizens with this resolve.
The ultimate goal of Anyang City governance is "citizen happiness." There are still many challenges that Anyang City must address to support our citizens' happy lives.
"Embracing citizen happiness, adding to Anyang's future!" This is the direction of city governance for this year. We will prioritize citizen happiness, economic recovery, and sustainable future growth of the city, and continue the core projects promoted since the seventh democratic election with visible results.
First, we will create Anyang as a city adding a new future.
The Indeokwon area urban development project, promoted since the seventh democratic election, is scheduled to complete all administrative procedures including compensation and implementation plan approval by the first half of this year and begin site development construction.
Leveraging the geographic advantages of Indeokwon Station, a transportation hub that will become a "four-fold transit-oriented development" with the existing subway line 4, GTX-C line, Wolpan Line, and Indong Line,
We will link this with the "Ten-Ten Compact City Anyang" strategy, where major transportation, administrative, and cultural facilities are accessible within 10 minutes on foot, by bike, or by personal mobility device (PM). Through this integrated mixed-use development combining residential, business, and work spaces, we will create attractive living centers, secure future growth engines, and strengthen urban competitiveness.
Through successful pilot operation of the autonomous bus "Juyaro" last year, we laid the foundation for future transportation systems. This year, we will commercialize autonomous public transportation services through domestic collaboration with the first time, and continue development as a smart transportation city.
We will revitalize the city by renovating aging urban areas.
We will smoothly promote renewal projects for three districts comprising 5,460 units selected as leading redevelopment districts for the Pyeongchon New City aging planned city.
Additionally, through the Anyang 3-dong Residential Regeneration Innovation District project, a national pilot project being pursued for the first time in the nation, and the Anyang 4-dong resident community facility and underground parking lot project, we will systematically improve the inner-city residential environment and achieve balanced regional development.
To create a happy sports city of Anyang, we will continuously develop sports infrastructure while communicating with citizens.
The promotion of FC Anyang, the citizen club founded in 2013, to the top tier is a valuable fruit and a starting point for new leaps. We will operate FC Anyang with greater substance to establish it as a 100-year club together with citizens.
Additionally, we will link and jointly develop the Comprehensive Sports Complex and Bisan Sports Park to establish specific commercialization plans aimed at building public complex sports facilities including an FC-exclusive stadium.
We will also work closely with relevant ministries to ensure smooth promotion of key projects that will drive our city's growth, including attracting new growth industries utilizing city hall site space, relocation of Anyang Correctional Institution and modernization of legal facilities, and development of Baldal Smart City, thereby achieving tangible results that citizens can feel.
Second, we will create Anyang as a city adding more urban roads.
In Anyang City, where available land is nonexistent, "underground conversion and integrated development of the Gyeongbu Railway Line" is an important task that must be pursued.
The special law for "underground conversion of the Gyeongbu Railway Line," first proposed by Anyang City in 2010, was enacted last year. We are concentrating all administrative efforts to ensure the Anyang section of the Gyeongbu Line is reflected in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's pilot project.
We plan to convert approximately 7.5 kilometers from Suksoo Station to Myeonghak Station underground, resolving noise problems and integrating fragmented urban space. Through the surface space secured by underground conversion, we will increase the green space ratio in the city by allocating it to residential facilities, commercial facilities, and green spaces, thereby improving citizens' quality of life and creating a more pleasant and environmentally friendly urban environment.
Additionally, along with extensions of the Wirye-Gwacheon Line and Seoul Western Line to the Anyang area, we will promote additional stops of express trains at Wolkok-Pangyogu Line Anyang Station, which can be connected with the Gyeongbu Line, thereby expanding new railway routes and greatly increasing transportation convenience for citizens.
The Shinan Line, GTX-C Line, Wolkok-Pangyogu Line, and Indeokwon-Dongtan Line, currently being smoothly promoted, are scheduled for completion by 2028. Through these projects, we will expand the city's transportation network and lead sustainable urban development.
Third, we will create Anyang as a city adding dreams and opportunities.
We will strengthen the self-reliance foundation of small business owners, the backbone of the common people's economy.
For small business owners facing management difficulties, we will provide special guarantee support and interest gap compensation, and enhance the competitiveness of alley commerce through business improvement and customized support for traditional markets, creating a virtuous cycle structure in the local economy.
Additionally, through special guarantee support and growth financing for small and medium enterprises, close support for new industry regulatory challenge businesses, and operation of a digital content business growth support center, we will achieve management stability and create an environment conducive to business.
Job creation is an essential task for economic stability.
Together with employment support programs tailored to different demographic groups—youth, people of new middle age, and low-income populations—we will hold generation-specific job fairs to actively support citizens in finding better employment opportunities.
We will support youth's dreams and opportunities.
To address the housing problem, which youth cite as their biggest concern, we are promoting the supply of 3,180 units of youth housing through 2033. Following the supply of 262 units through last year, we will supply an additional 171 units this year including the area surrounding Hogye Hot Spring, and continue to support youth lease and deposit loan interest and moving expenses.
Additionally, we will operate youth empowerment programs including youth startups and economic education, and support youth basic income and language and qualification exam application fees and course fees, helping youth achieve stable self-reliance.
In the first half of this year, we will open the youth space "Anyang Youth 1st Street" to actively support activation of youth culture and community in diverse sectors.
Fourth, we will create Anyang as a city adding citizen happiness.
The more difficult economic circumstances become, the more urgent comprehensive welfare for vulnerable populations and social minorities becomes.
As single-person households increase and the population rapidly ages, care becomes a social issue. Through the "Care for All project," which allows any citizen in need of care, regardless of income and age, to apply for services, we will address care gaps.
Additionally, we will expand "New Start" support funds, congratulations and encouragement money for those exiting welfare assistance, which we pioneered nationwide last year, to more firmly support the self-reliance of those exiting welfare.
We will protect citizens' health and safety with cutting-edge smart technology.
Using AI and IoT technology, we will provide smart health management services to seniors, and through continued support for smart safety terminals for the elderly and use of a customized platform for dementia patients, we will operate customized rescue and emergency services.
We will also pursue substantial educational welfare for youth who will lead the future and create a carbon-neutral, environmentally friendly city.
We will newly provide entrance congratulations money to elementary school first-grade students to alleviate parents' educational expenses, and universally support female adolescent sanitary products to support healthy youth development.
We will establish a carbon neutrality and green growth master plan for 2050 and promote effective policies for greenhouse gas reduction and climate crisis response. Through renewable energy convergence support projects, we will reduce carbon emissions, and through electric and hydrogen vehicle supply projects, we will reduce air pollutants to create a carbon-neutral, environmentally friendly city.
Respected citizens!
And beloved public servants!
Although the new year has dawned, I believe you must have more concerns than ever due to difficult economic circumstances and the unstable environment surrounding us.
As the head of city administration, I too am constantly pondering the recovery of people's livelihoods and the enhancement of citizen happiness and Anyang City's sustainable future development, and I carry the heavy responsibility that comes with it.
However, I believe in the power of unity and solidarity. If we join together with our citizens as one in purpose and strength, we will be able to turn crises into opportunities and create a better future.
I and all public servants of Anyang City will do our utmost, working with our citizens based on cooperation and wisdom, so that everyone can live a happy and hopeful life throughout this year.
I hope that all the wishes you have for the new year will be fulfilled, and I sincerely pray for your health and happiness.
Thank you.
Loading comments…