Shin Gye-yong, Mayor of Gwacheon, Presents Vision of 'Gwacheon as a Growing Self-Sufficient City'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Yu Je-seong] Mayor Shin Gye-yong of Gwacheon held a New Year press briefing at City Hall on the 26th, directly explaining major projects and Gwacheon's future vision while outlining the city administration's future direction as Gwacheon marks its 40th anniversary of city status.

At the briefing, Mayor Shin stated, "Gwacheon must now take a step forward from being a pleasant city to becoming a self-sufficient city with balanced healthcare, jobs, transportation, and living infrastructure," and emphasized, "We will create a transition period preparing not just for the next 40 years but also for 100 years based on 40 years of achievements."

The Mayor first directly explained the progress in recruiting comprehensive medical facilities, a long-standing wish of citizens.

The city plans to attract comprehensive medical facilities to the Makgye-dong Special Planning Zone and develop it as a future-oriented complex self-sufficient complex linking healthcare and high-tech industries with residential areas and green spaces. To this end, after designating the Ajou University Hospital consortium as the preferred negotiation partner last year, the city continues discussions and plans to nurture it as a core foundation for enhancing the city's future competitiveness.

The Mayor also presented the direction of large-scale development projects for completing a self-sufficient city. Centered on the Gwacheon Knowledge Information Town, the city will create conditions for stable settlement of companies and jobs, and will gradually complete self-sufficient living areas where residential, educational, transportation, and living infrastructure are harmonized through development of Gwacheon, Juam, and Galhyeon districts.

In particular, centered on the Designated Target Enterprises Consultative Meeting, the city will strengthen communication with approximately 120 large and mid-sized companies located in Gwacheon Knowledge Information Town, successfully establish a foodtech cluster, and actively support approximately 60 startup companies to grow into a corporate city with global competitiveness.

Infrastructure innovation to improve the urban environment and quality of life was also mentioned as a key task. Through underground placement of wastewater treatment facilities and conversion of the upper area to a park, modernization of the resource purification center, facilities that have been perceived as undesirable will be transformed into citizen-friendly spaces, and through the underground placement of transmission towers on Cheonggyesan, the city plans to create a clean and safe urban environment. Mayor Shin said, "Whenever there were conflicts, we listened sufficiently to citizen opinions and made forward-looking choices."

Regarding expansion of metropolitan transportation networks, the Mayor explained the promotion of new stations at Juam Station and Gwacheon Daero Station on the Wirye-Gwacheon Line, review of the Shin-rim Line extension to Gwacheon, promotion of GTX-C dedicated section commencement, and status of the new Gwacheon Knowledge Information Town Station, stating, "The transportation expansion of Gwacheon is an issue that must be resolved to complete the self-sufficient city, so we will prepare carefully and step by step."

Alongside this, the Mayor presented policy directions across education, welfare, and culture that allow all generations to grow together. The city will continue to promote educational structure improvement and opening of a standalone middle school at Gwacheon Knowledge Information Town, expand care infrastructure for the elderly and disabled, activate youth policies, and implement policies for creating a child-friendly city. To mark the city's 40th anniversary, the city plans to enhance urban identity and civic pride through cultural arts festivals and commemorative exhibitions.

Mayor Shin Gye-yong stated, "Gwacheon will become a future self-sufficient city capable of growing through innovation and change," and added, "I will prepare for the next 40 years of Gwacheon step by step together with citizens."