Capture Voters 'Softly'

Distinctive and unique pledges from preliminary candidates for Suwon mayor in the June 2 local elections are drawing attention. Han Nara Party preliminary candidate Shin Hyun-tae pledged to host a nationwide amateur baseball tournament by utilizing Suwon Sports Complex's baseball stadium and others, and to lower garbage bag prices by attracting public service advertisements or citizen information advertisements to garbage bags. The pledge was made considering the growing interest in baseball and the resulting increase in baseball enthusiasts, as well as the burden rising prices place on ordinary household budgets.

Han Nara Party preliminary candidate Lee Yoon-hee promised to establish a 'Suwon Dormitory' for university students commuting to universities in the region and to create a 'Zero City Administrative Complaints Dedicated Department' to address civil complaints more actively. She also pledged to develop the area inside Suwon Hwaseong Fortress walls into a cultural district comparable to Seoul's Insa-dong and to attract internet portal company headquarters to Suwon. The plan involves providing certain incentives to companies such as Nate, Yahoo Korea, and Google Korea, which have headquarters in Seoul, to induce them to relocate their headquarters and create high-level job opportunities.

Han Nara Party preliminary candidate Lee Jung-hwa announced plans to propose a site to KOTRA, which is currently searching for a location in the Seoul metropolitan area to build a comprehensive convention center, as a starting point for western Suwon development. The construction of a large-scale convention center is expected to foster development in economic and cultural sectors while providing new job opportunities for local residents.

Han Nara Party preliminary candidate Kim Jong-hae pledged to establish new art and physical education culture schools as part of after-school programs, while Han Nara Party preliminary candidate Yu Gwang-jae said he would develop a 'Taxi Suwon City Tour Program' similar to Seoul's sightseeing city bus operations to diversify tourism products. Han Nara Party preliminary candidate Shim Jae-in expressed his intention to establish a 'Family and Women Department' to oversee aging society issues, women's social advancement, and childcare problems.

Han Nara Party preliminary candidate Kim Hyun-tak put forward as his representative pledges the attraction of cultural content-related companies in video, mobile, games, and characters, as well as support for one-person creative enterprises in publishing and comics. Han Nara Party preliminary candidate Shim Jae-in announced the 'Suwon Design Project,' which centers on creating a Suwon-style IT and BT advanced industrial belt utilizing land vacated by relocated government agencies in the western Suwon area.

Democratic Party preliminary candidate Yeom Tae-young announced an 'Asbestos Zero Initiative' to free people from fears of asbestos, the 'silent killer,' which became an issue during the demolition process of the KCC Suwon plant. He also emphasized the introduction of a 'car-sharing system' where individuals do not own cars but share ownership and use them as needed, thereby establishing an eco-friendly automobile culture.

Democratic Party preliminary candidate Shin Jang-yong presented the 'Well Revival Project' and a plan to open 'Suwon Studies' as a required liberal arts course. While establishing preservation measures for wells and reservoirs in preparation for water shortages to make Suwon a water-abundant city, he also unveiled plans to teach Suwon studies covering Suwon's identity and history to elementary, middle, and high school students as well as university students to foster civic pride.