Baik Kyung-hyun, Guri Mayor: "We Will Promote Projects with Public Interest as Top Priority"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Um In-yong] Guri Mayor Baik Kyung-hyun held a press conference on municipal affairs on the 24th at the situation room on the 3rd floor of City Hall, conveyed Chuseok greetings to citizens, introduced the city's 40th anniversary Citizen's Day event and the Guri Cosmos Festival, and presented the city's official position regarding recent media coverage.

At the beginning of the conference, Mayor Baik expressed wishes that every household of citizens experiences warm affection and abundant harvest during Chuseok, and stated his commitment to doing his utmost in welfare, safety, and livelihood support so that the holiday becomes a time when everyone smiles together without any marginalized neighbors.

He then expressed his determination to leap forward as a sustainable and future-oriented city for the next 100 years on the occasion of the city's 40th anniversary since its establishment, and called for greater attention to the Citizen's Day event to be held on the 25th.

He also mentioned the Guri Cosmos Festival to be held from the 26th to the 28th, and conveyed information on family-oriented experiential content, performances, and food, while noting that the city is thoroughly preparing traffic, safety, and environmental management.

Mayor Baik then expressed regret that some recent media coverage on major municipal issues including the iTower and Landmark projects and the Inchang-dong Complex Community Center has reported without confirming facts, causing public misunderstanding and affecting trust in municipal administration. He in particular expressed dismay at distorted reporting suggesting that the current administration is intentionally delaying projects promoted by the previous mayor.

Regarding the Landmark project, Mayor Baik explained that as specified in the court's dismissal decision in April regarding the preliminary injunction filed by the private contractor, the essence of the problem lies in the previous administration's attempt at a bargain sale despite the Ministry of Interior and Safety's investment review conditions, and that there is no illegality in Guri City Corporation's recalculation of the sale price reflecting actual market value.

He also pointed out the iTowr project was promoted without Ministry of Interior and Safety investment review and that profits were concentrated on a specific private contractor through bargain sale pricing, and stated that the city will resolve related issues going forward and relaunch the project in a transparent and fair manner.

While doing so, he made clear that both the Landmark and iTowr projects will be promoted with priority given to the interests of Guri citizens and the public.

Meanwhile, Mayor Baik also addressed the Inchang-dong Complex Community Center construction project, for which related budget was cut during the third supplementary budget deliberation.

This project, being pursued through a public property consignment development method, is at a stage where only land compensation, design, and construction remain. The city attempted to proceed with compensation and design in parallel considering efficiency and urgency; however, the budget cut for design fees during the supplementary budget deliberation has made schedule delays, construction cost increases, and inconvenience to residents inevitable.

Regarding the city council's point that direct execution of design costs contradicts the purpose of public property consignment development, Mayor Baik made clear that direct city design is possible prior to plan approval, and that the Women's Happiness Center and Galmaae-dong Complex Community Center have already successfully proceeded through the same method.

Regarding assertions that the city violated related procedures by not submitting amendments to the public property management plan to the city council, Mayor Baik firmly stated that since the current individual official land price of the project site has risen less than 30% compared to when the 2023 public property management plan was approved, it does not meet the requirements for management plan changes under relevant law.

Additionally, Mayor Baik also clarified his response to the disaster situation related to his schedule for an out-of-town event in July.

After a flood alert was issued in the early morning of July 20th, the city switched to emergency duty mode and approximately 70 staff members from relevant departments immediately responded to the disaster. Mayor Baik received phone reports on initial response measures, and at 11 a.m. received a briefing on damage status and action plans and presided over a recovery measures meeting, after which he proceeded with scheduled external engagements.

Mayor Baik conveyed that the schedule was carried out after disaster response measures were completed and recovery work was underway, and stated that going forward, through swift and systematic response when disasters occur, he will prioritize citizens' safety.

Mayor Baik concluded by pledging to strengthen communication with the media and enhance transparency and fairness in municipal administration, while adding that without wavering to any political issues, he will move forward sincerely for the happiness of citizens.