Mayor Shin Dong-hwa of Guri City Reviews Eight Key Projects at Major Issues Report Conference

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] From the 13th to the 14th, Guri City held its first 'Major Issues Project Status Report Conference' since Mayor Shin Dong-hwa took office, held over two days in the city hall situation room, to discuss the status of eight key projects.

Mayor Shin focused on examining how each project would actually benefit citizens and instructed the responsible departments to specifically review ways for citizens to feel the changes.

■ Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH) Relocation - Top Priority Pledge, "Even a temporary office soon"

The relocation of Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH) is Mayor Shin's top priority pledge. This project, which had been delayed due to administrative procedure suspension by Gyeonggi Province, gained momentum again as the city sends an official document to the province this week stating it will "no longer pursue Seoul annexation." Mayor Shin instructed that temporary office occupancy be promoted promptly even before the new building is constructed.

■ Inchang Stream Ecological Restoration - From Children's Safety to Fish

In the Inchang Stream restoration project, which involves 47.5 billion won in total project costs, the lower section has a crosswalk but no sidewalk, which raised concerns about school buses dropping off children on the roadside.

Mayor Shin instructed installation of a sidewalk and a wooden deck.

He also requested a plan to increase street parking space by moving the upper railing 50 centimeters inward while keeping the stream width unchanged, and to arrange pools and shallow rapids so fish can survive even in winter. He further stressed that restoration should go beyond the basic project to establish it as a signature landmark for Guri and to coordinate with local merchant associations to vitalize the commercial district.

■ Topyeong 2 District Wide-Area Traffic Improvement Plan - "Don't just list options; start with priorities"

Mayor Shin pointed out that multiple route options should not be merely listed, but rather the city should prioritize desired route options before entering negotiations. Rather than fixating solely on the economically unfavorable Line 6 extension plan, he instructed departments to review realistic alternatives such as new Line 8 stations or circular surface trams within the Topyeong 2 District.

However, for routes passing through Seoul city sections, he emphasized that without Seoul's consent, it "cannot be considered a Guri city proposal," and insisted that three-dimensional interchanges at the chronically congested Topyeong intersection and the Guri-Amsa Bridge expansion must be included.

■ GTX-B Galmae Station Stop - "We pay construction costs even though Galmae Station doesn't stop?"

With Galmae Station stop not yet confirmed, the city is being requested to share approximately 4 billion won in construction costs. Mayor Shin instructed legal consultation regarding the possibility of a constitutional petition, arguing it is unfair for the city to bear construction costs when Guri citizens would only endure dust and noise without the GTX-B stopping at Galmae Station.

He also instructed departments to find cases where other new towns received recognition as stop stations at similar planning stages and use them as negotiation leverage, and to promptly establish a "Galmae Transportation Task Force (TF)."

■ Galmae-dong Complex Community Center - "Flexible and creative spatial restructuring"

Regarding the Guri Cultural Center scheduled to move into the complex community center, complaints were raised that there is actually no cultural space for youth to use in Galmae-dong. Mayor Shin instructed departments to develop creative measures to provide youth-exclusive space without returning already-received national funds.

He also suggested changing direction for the understaffed municipal childcare center to become a specialized childcare facility for children with special needs.

■ Social Economy, RAS Pilot City, and Mangwoo Circular Road Also Addressed

Mayor Shin also proposed creating a "Guri-style model" for the Social Economy Support Center that could serve as a reference for other local governments. He instructed advance preparation for the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's Reading, Arts, and Sports (RAS) education pilot city project, which guides children through books and exercise rather than smartphones.

Regarding the safe pedestrian pathway project on Mangwoo Circular Road, he urged efforts to secure external funding by referencing cases from Seoul's Jungnang-gu.

Mayor Shin stated, "All matters discussed today are directly related to the lives of our Guri citizens," and added, "Rather than being satisfied with having completed administrative procedures, I prepared this report conference with the intention of reflecting the mindset that citizens are the owners and pondering what methods would actually help them."

Meanwhile, the city plans to carefully manage the instructions given at this report conference by department and continuously monitor their implementation.