New Year's Message Mayor Kim Sung-je of Uiwang City

Dear citizens of Uiwang! And to approximately 600 civil servants!

A hopeful future city, vibrant and green Uiwang welcomes the new year of Eulmi (乙未年).

Hope allows us to see the invisible, to feel the intangible, and to achieve the impossible, it is said.

On the first day of the new year, I pray that the flame of hope spreads throughout your homes, filling them with blessings and happiness.

Last year marked the beginning of the sixth term of elected officials, building upon the accomplishments of the fifth term, which laid the foundation for a premium creative city.

Despite numerous domestic and international challenges, our city resolved major pending projects one by one and established the groundwork for a new leap forward. It was a precious year.

The Baekun Knowledge and Culture Valley, Jangan District urban development project, and Uiwang Advanced Industrial Complex development—long-cherished projects of citizens—have completed all complex and difficult administrative procedures and are now on the verge of breaking ground.

Induk Won IT Valley, the largest advanced knowledge industry center in our city, was completed in November of last year. Already, over 300 companies have moved in, and the startup support center has opened, attracting promising startup companies to our city.

Following the designation of the nation's only railway special zone in September 2013, the Wangsong Lake rail bike project successfully attracted private investment last year.

In April, we completed Ecological Wetland No. 1, featuring a promenade and ponds at the inflow point of Wangsong Lake, which has improved water quality and is now used as an ecological learning facility.

The Sandel Path, a 6-kilometer promenade and bicycle path connecting Wangsong Lake and Baekun Lake, is establishing itself as a space for green leisure activities.

Against a backdrop of beautiful natural environment, Bara Mountain Natural Recreation Forest, which opened in July of last year, has received praise from many visitors as a representative recreation facility in the Seoul metropolitan area.

In Cheonggyedong, we opened the Cheonggyea Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, fulfilling diverse welfare needs of the Cheonggyea area through health clinics, day care facilities for the disabled, and multicultural family support centers. The toy rental shop that opened on the fourth floor has been well-loved by our children.

Since November, we have boldly converted the resident centers in six districts into customized welfare centers to provide citizen-centered welfare services.

In late last year, we secured an additional 7 billion won for the basic planning project of the Induk Won–Naeson·Ojeon·Gocheon-dong–Seodongtan double-track railway line. We once again thank the national representatives and citizens of this region who have worked together to secure funding for the double-track railway project.

As such, last year was a year in which long-unresolved major projects began to be resolved, earning the evaluation from citizens that Uiwang has "advanced development by 10 years."

Furthermore, despite Uiwang's poor financial situation—the lowest in Gyeonggi Province—our city has secured the highest level of educational competitiveness in the province and solidified its status as one of the nation's highest-level welfare cities.

Dear citizens!

In 2015, Year of the Sheep, we will vigorously promote new policies of the sixth term of elected officials to establish Uiwang City as a premium creative city.

First, we will create many quality jobs and breathe vitality into the local economy.

We will complete recruitment of promising companies to Induk Won IT Valley within Poil Intelligent Town, and systematically promote the Agricultural Cooperative Integrated IT Data Center, Lotte Complex Shopping Town in Baekun Valley, and Uiwang Advanced Industrial Complex development projects without interruption to lay the groundwork for job creation.

On the relocated site of the Rural Community and Fisheries Corporation, we will develop Cheonggyea Intelligent Town, steadily executing our goal of creating 20,000 jobs to revitalize the local economy.

The Bugok Railway Special Zone, with over 100 years of railway history and culture, will develop a special zone development master plan with field experts and gradually realize the vision of the railway special zone.

We will complete the Wangsong Lake rail bike project by October, making it a new growth engine for the local economy, attracting over 300,000 users annually.

We will also make every effort to bring the National Railway Museum construction project—promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport—to our city, as Gyeonggi Province has selected us as the representative candidate.

Coordinating with the KTX Suwon Station stop plan, we are cooperating with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gyeonggi Province to enable KTX boarding at Uiwang Station. The Natural Learning Park expansion project will break ground in March and be completed in phases. We plan to complete the detailed design of the road connecting Deokryeong Avenue to the Natural Learning Park to improve transportation accessibility to the railway special zone.

Bugok Dokkaebi Market, recently designated as a traditional market, is being promoted to revitalize the Bugok commercial area through facility improvement projects. Selected for a nationally-funded project, the Railway Theme Street will be developed as a specialized street by June for presentation to citizens.

We will develop the Wangsong Lake area—harmonized with the Natural Learning Park, Bird Ecology Science Museum, Railway Museum, and ecological trails—into a premier eco-tourism complex of the Seoul metropolitan area and make it serve as an economic hub for the region.

Second, this year we will ensure results from urban development projects pursued thus far.

Our city possesses excellent environmental resources and greater development potential than any other city in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Despite ups and downs due to real estate market slumps, both Baekun Knowledge and Culture Valley and Jangan District will break ground in the first half of the year and be developed as representative landmarks of our city, harmonizing residential and cultural and commercial facilities.

The Gocheon City Center development project is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding Happy Housing recruitment and public housing district designation. The Omaegi District will be developed sequentially with a target groundbreaking in 2018.

We will proactively support our city's 14 redevelopment and reconstruction projects by devising measures to enhance project feasibility and promote normal progress. Neighborhoods released from redevelopment zones will have their residential environments improved through warm community making and urban design projects.

The road opening project from National Route 1 to the Gunpo City boundary will open in March. Morak Road, the bypass of National Route 1 where traffic congestion is anticipated, will be expanded in phases to improve transportation.

Third, we will create a pleasant urban environment and enhance citizens' quality of life.

At Baekun Lake, we will install wooden deck promenades, sports parks, waterfront stages, and musical fountains. Wangsong Lake will be developed as an ecological park featuring bicycle paths, promenades, artificial wetlands, and lotus flower zones, building the brand of an eco-relaxation city in the Seoul metropolitan area.

We will continue managing six premium hiking trails, the Sandel Path, and streams as citizen promenades, resting places, and eco-experience spaces. We will gradually create a 20.6-kilometer circuit around Morak Mountain so citizens can easily enjoy nature in the city. Cheonggyea Stream will be completed by June this year as a friendly water space maintaining natural ecological functions.

We will create Clear Forest Park around Bara Mountain Natural Recreation Forest, which opened in July, and expand green spaces where nature breathes—such as four-season flowering street trees—to realize a sustainable green city.

To create a clean and refined city, we will improve beautiful signage streets and support exterior painting of residential complexes over 10 years old to improve streetscape environments.

We will also move away from design focused on existing facilities and employ designs that maximize the use of nature.

We will activate warm community making projects to form local communities. We plan to establish a "Community Making Support Center" for systematic project implementation, including training community leaders and building resident participation and educational programs, to create neighborhoods led by residents.

Additionally, to create a safe city for citizens, we will install CCTV for crime prevention and replace street and security lights. We will improve environments in crime-vulnerable areas to develop safe neighborhoods.

Fourth, through communication with citizens, we will implement policy tasks together.

We will promote diverse citizen participation projects including participatory budgeting, major policy citizen evaluation committees, and premium high school development councils.

We will activate visiting mayor's offices, mobile district chief offices, SNS supporter operations, and citizen communication sectors further to conduct transparent and effective premium administration centered on citizens and trusted by them.

We will deepen the ONE-STOP on-site service resolving approximately 6,000 complaints annually and enhance complaint processing for "Mayor, Please See This," which shows satisfaction exceeding 90%. We will actively seek out citizen inconveniences and make bold improvements.

Like our integrity slogan of "Practicing integrity, brightening green Uiwang," we will create a transparent public service environment through disclosure of departmental operational expenses.

The Gocheon-dong Resident Center construction project will be completed by March 2016 to provide high-quality administrative services.

Through public-private cooperation, we will establish an integrated safety management network. We will conduct safety inspections of dangerous facilities and operate disaster preparedness drills realistically to enhance citizens' crisis management response capabilities.

Fifth, we will further solidify our brand value as an education-leading city.

Our city's educational environment, which has secured the highest competitiveness in Gyeonggi Province, has become the object of surrounding envy and established itself as a premium education city to which top-tier students from nearby cities are drawn.

This year, we will designate it as the inaugural year for elevating educational standards to the next level and promote various education support projects.

To this end, we will prepare Uiwang's medium- and long-term education development plan to solidify our city's unique educational vision and operate a citizen council consisting of parents, teachers, and experts for premium high school development.

We will diversify specialized programs including gifted programs, after-school arts and physical education programs, and club activities.

The Global Talent Center, opening in March, will nurture excellent talents and serve as a center for expanding educational welfare for low-income families and lifelong education for citizens.

Securing funds for dormitory construction at Morak High School—uniquely without dormitories in our city—will improve the educational environment. We will also support the establishment of a special school for children with disabilities.

We will establish a scholarship fund of 5 billion won by 2018 to provide a solid foundation for nurturing excellent talents. School educational expense subsidies will be evaluated for effectiveness last year to be allocated to the most efficient educational projects.

We will establish a children's meal support center to ensure nutrition safety for infants and young children. We will expand eco-friendly food material supply through the Anyang·Gunpo·Uiwang joint meal support center to establish safe and healthy school meals.

In March, we will open a Lifelong Learning Center to activate customized lifelong learning specialized projects and create a lifelong learning city where all citizens are happy.

Sixth, we will create "Better Welfare, Better Uiwang!"

We will multifunctionalize regional welfare institutions and establish a mutual care system to activate welfare communities where neighbors live together in happiness.

Each district's resident center will significantly expand welfare functions to establish a community-based welfare system.

We will expand nighttime childcare facilities for double-income families and open Wanggok Municipal Daycare Center in April.

We will raise childcare standards through daycare facility improvements, enhanced teacher treatment, free stroller inspection and disinfection services, and expanded toy libraries to create a city where raising children is easy.

We will also establish a "Women's Health Center" on the third floor of the health center to support systematic women's health management.

To enhance citizen health and welfare, we will break ground on the Bugok Sports Center in March. For the Cheonggyea Multi-Purpose Gymnasium, designed underground, we will complete administrative procedures by next year to enable aboveground construction and pursue the project in phases.

The Baekun Lake waterfront stage will be promoted as a priority project together with the Baekun Lake sports park development project once the Baekun Knowledge and Culture Valley urban development project breaks ground.

The Culture and Arts Center construction project will be promoted after designating the Gocheon City Center happy housing project area, devising efficient implementation measures.

We will activate cultural and arts performances and small libraries in daily life so citizens can leisurely enjoy knowledge, information, and culture.

Dear citizens!

This year will be more than any other year filled with hope and vitality for our Uiwang City.

Projects pursued with all our efforts will bear fruit one by one. We ask for your continued support and encouragement so our city can stand tall as a central city of the Seoul metropolitan area in the future.

Together with approximately 600 civil servants, I will do my best to make Uiwang City a place where all citizens are happy.

I hope this year will be filled with love and peace in your homes.

Citizens! Wishing you a happy new year.

Mayor of Uiwang City, Kim Sung-je