Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun Completes 'Suwon Future Blueprint' Drawn from Roundtable with Citizens

Suwon Special City held its ninth-term citizen roundtable discussion and selected priority projects through citizen voting.

The 'Drawing Suwon's Tomorrow Together, Citizen Roundtable Discussion' held on the 10th at the Suwon Arboretum Visitor Center was attended by approximately 150 citizens selected through public recruitment and recommendations. They discussed 'the future vision of Suwon envisioned by citizens and living policies' and voted to select the priority order of 30 major projects for the ninth term.

In the priority voting, 'Establishing Global Festival Foundation Based on King Jeongjo's Royal Procession K-Culture Road' and 'Enterprise-linked internships and job opportunities for youth' tied for first place, while 'Citizen Health Doctor Initiative' and 'Pursuing Suwon Economic Free Zone Designation' tied for third place.

The citizen roundtable discussion, which began with remarks from Suwon Special City Mayor Lee Jae-jun, proceeded with citizen roundtable discussions, priority voting on 30 major projects, and results announcements. Kim Sung-jin, president of the Suwon City Research Institute and co-chair of the Suwon Great Transformation Promotion Group, Hong Eun-hwa, standing co-representative of the Suwon Civil Society Organization Council, and members of the promotion group also participated in the discussion.

The citizen roundtable discussion was conducted in three stages: common topic discussion, field-specific topic discussion, and presentation of discussion content. Participants first discussed 'What kind of city do I want Suwon to be?' and then divided into the 'People's Livelihood Innovation Group,' 'Culture and Tourism Group,' and 'Advanced Science Group' for field-specific topic discussions by group.

The discussion topics were 'What policies would reduce our family's monthly living expenses?' (People's Livelihood Innovation Group), 'What would I like to enjoy with a friend visiting Suwon?' (Culture and Tourism Group), and 'What is the image of an advanced science research city as felt by citizens?' (Advanced Science Group).

Participants in the People's Livelihood Innovation Group expressed the need for △support for underserved public transportation areas, △support for single-person households, and △expansion of public care services. Participants in the Culture and Tourism Group proposed △creating a long-stay tourism city, △building distinctive characteristics in each neighborhood to attract tourists, and △creating a city combining professional sports with tourism as ways to revitalize tourism.

Participants in the Advanced Science City Group proposed △a future city leading in artificial intelligence education and research, △a city connected by smart transportation, and △a city fostering advanced industries and creating jobs for youth as the direction for Suwon to move forward.

The youth group stated, "We must create a Suwon where tourists want to return," and expressed the opinion, "Let's introduce a 'tourist cashback' to encourage repeat visits."

Mayor Lee Jae-jun said, "People's livelihood begins with listening to citizens' voices," and added, "Citizens' opinions will serve as a guide for the direction Suwon should move forward." He continued, "We will make efforts to connect citizens' voices into policies."