Jeong Myeong-geun, Hwaseong Special City Mayor, Elected New Chair of Korea Special Cities Mayors Association

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] Jeong Myeong-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong Special City, was elected new chair of the Korea Special Cities Mayors Association on the 12th.

The Korea Special Cities Mayors Association held a '2025 H1 regular meeting' at the Marina Club House at Jungok Port in Hwaseong City on the day and made this decision. His term runs until June 30, 2026.

This election is interpreted as highly significant in that Hwaseong Special City, which officially launched as a special city in January this year, will take on a central role in leading the joint development of five special cities nationwide.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun stated, "Entrusting me with this significant role as Hwaseong Special City takes its first steps is an expectation that the five special cities will join forces to achieve greater advancement and a heavy responsibility," expressing his feelings.

He further emphasized, "The most urgent task at present is enacting the 'Special Cities Support Special Law,' through which we must secure substantial administrative and fiscal authority befitting special cities."

Additionally, he said, "I will devote all my passion and capabilities so that the five special cities of Hwaseong, Suwon, Goyang, Yongin, and Changwon can work together to create tangible changes that citizens can directly experience."

The Korea Special Cities Mayors Association is a consultative body established in April 2021 to strengthen cooperation and collaboration among special cities and to secure authority commensurate with special city status. Currently, five cities including Hwaseong Special City, Suwon Special City, Goyang Special City, Yongin Special City, and Changwon Special City are participating as members.

At the meeting held on the day, the key agendas discussed included △discussion of common issues such as enacting the 'Special Cities Support Special Law' △deliberation on the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget △review of partial amendments to operating regulations and rules.

Meanwhile, Hwaseong Special City, as the special city mayors association chair city, plans to devote all its administrative capacity to further strengthening cooperation among special cities, achieving substantive decentralization, and positioning itself as a representative special city of Korea.