Gapyeong County Announces Top 10 News for 2025…'Border Area Designation' Ranks First

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] Gapyeong County announced on the 29th its 'Top 10 News of Gapyeong County for 2025,' selecting 10 major issues that had the greatest impact on county administration and the local community throughout the year.

The selection process involved reviewing 30 candidate news stories in the first round and compiling recommendations from reporters based in Gapyeong and internal evaluations within the county to make the final selection.

The top story is 'Confirmation of Gapyeong County's Border Area Designation.' The government officially designated Gapyeong County as a border area during the State Council meeting in March.

As a result, the county established an institutional framework to receive various national support including tax benefits for second homes and development support projects for border areas and special situation zones. Through the border area designation, the county promoted population inflow, improved settlement conditions, and expanded tourism and living infrastructure, marking a turning point in its mid-to-long-term growth strategy.

Second place goes to 'Successful Hosting of the 71st Gyeonggi Province Sports Festival and 15th Gyeonggi Province Disabled Sports Festival.'

The county hosted back-to-back large-scale provincial sports events in April and May at Jara Island, welcoming athlete delegations and spectators from 31 cities and counties across Gyeonggi Province. The successful hosting of the Gyeonggi Province Sports Festival and Disabled Sports Festival, the first in approximately 70 years for the county, received praise for enhancing the competitiveness of its city brand.

Third place is 'Disaster Response to Record-Breaking Heavy Rains in July.'

On July 20, the county experienced record-breaking concentrated rainfall that caused major damage including loss of life, landslides, and road collapse. Despite the disaster situation, the county prioritized on-site response and coordination with relevant agencies to minimize damage expansion and systematically advance recovery efforts.

Fourth place is 'Complete Replacement of Gapyeong County's Representative Symbol (CI).'

The county completely replaced its symbolic CI after 24 years and officially announced a new city image. The new CI embodies 'change and leap forward' as its core values and was immediately applied to the county flag and official documents. Through this, the county reestablished its administrative brand and worked to improve its external image.

Fifth place is 'Additional Designation of Peace Economy Special Zone.'

With amendments to related legislation establishing an institutional framework for the county to be additionally designated as a Peace Economy Special Zone, the county launched the development of a basic plan. The county is envisioning a Gapyeong-style Peace Economy Special Zone model combining tourism, forestry, and water resources with regional characteristics, and is preparing a new growth axis linked with border area strategies.

Additionally, the following stories made the top 10: △Jara Island in Gapyeong Completes Registration as Gyeonggi Province 'Local Garden' (6th place) △Gapyeong County Secures 'First Fruits' of Border Area Designation…Securing 20.3 Billion Won in National Funds (7th place) △Gapyeong County One Month After Flooding…Deep Wounds but Rapid Recovery Underway (8th place) △Gapyeong 'Jara Island Flower Festa'…Surpassing 100,000 Visitors in 16 Days (9th place) △Gapyeong County Requests Special Disaster Area Status…Swift National Treasury Support Urgent (10th place).

County Chief Seo Tae-won stated, "The Top 10 News of 2025 selected this time is a record that confirmed the possibilities for regional development through crisis response capabilities via disaster overcome and securing future growth engines," and added, "Building on this year's achievements and experiences overcoming hardships, in 2026, we will further enhance the quality of life for our citizens."