Mayor Choi Won-yong of Pyeongtaek: "Pyeongtaek Where Citizens Thrive Through Shared Growth"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Kap-dong] Mayor Choi Won-yong of Pyeongtaek held his inauguration ceremony on July 1st, marking the official start of the 9th popularly-elected Pyeongtaek city administration.

Prior to the inauguration ceremony, Mayor Choi's first official schedule was to visit environmental sanitation workers and hold a forum. During the forum, Mayor Choi met with sanitation workers who dedicate themselves to Pyeongtaek behind the scenes, listened to their grievances, and encouraged them for their hard work.

This first action symbolically reflects the core philosophy of the 9th administration: "citizen-centered administration." Indeed, Mayor Choi has consistently emphasized before taking office that administrative answers must be found at the places closest to citizens' daily lives.

Following the forum, Mayor Choi visited the Monument to the War Dead to honor the noble spirit of those who sacrificed their lives for the nation and pledged to conduct responsible city administration for the development of Pyeongtaek and the well-being of its citizens.

At the inauguration ceremony that followed, Mayor Choi outlined the direction of city administration based on the 9th administration's slogan: "Pyeongtaek Where Citizens Thrive Through Shared Growth."

In his inaugural address, Mayor Choi stated, "Pyeongtaek has already walked the path of great growth," and emphasized, "Now, the city must become one where the results of growth return to citizens' lives, not just a city that boasts the speed of growth."

He continued, "A city's growth becomes more solid when it is shared with citizens, and it becomes truly meaningful when it leads to citizens' happiness. I will carefully address issues directly connected to citizens' lives such as transportation, housing, education, welfare, environment, and employment, and will pursue administration that finds answers in the field."

Through his first approval document, Mayor Choi demonstrated strong commitment to citizen-centered administration. The first document approved by Mayor Choi today was "Organization and operation plan for the Pyeongtaek 30-minute living zone task force," which involves establishing a dedicated team with participation from relevant departments to address structural challenges such as urban divisions by region and long-distance commutes.

The dedicated task force plans to densely connect advanced industrial complexes with residential, cultural, and medical infrastructure centered on the Godeok-Jije axis, and will work to concretize a plan for establishing a smart transportation network that connects all of Pyeongtaek within a 30-minute living zone.