Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il Discusses Local Issues at Sanghyeon 1·2-dong Communication Meeting

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Choi Ki-ho] On the 5th afternoon, Yongin Special Mayor Lee Sang-il held separate communication meetings with residents at the Administrative Welfare Center in Sanghyeon 1·2-dong, Suji-gu, introducing the city's development and discussing local issues by district.

Residents of Sanghyeon 1-dong inquired about the process of establishing a semiconductor high school while requesting expanded operation of the Yongin city tour, support for Yongin's character 'Joa-Yong' when participating in events within Gyeonggi Province.

Lee Ho-il, vice president of the Saemaul Women's Association, said, "I heard that a semiconductor high school will be built in Yongin," adding, "It would be good if you inform us well about the promotion process so students can refer to it when choosing their career path."

Mayor Lee said, "Since taking office, I have actively promoted the establishment of a semiconductor high school for nurturing semiconductor talent, which is also my campaign pledge," and explained, "The plan to build a semiconductor high school with dormitories accommodating 384 students at the site of Namgok Branch School in Namsa-eup, Cheorin-gu passed the Ministry of Education's central investment review in April last month, so it is expected to open in March 2026."

Mayor Lee said, "The high school construction budget is 45.5 billion won, and if the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education designates it as a Meister High School, an additional 5 billion won in national funding will be provided," adding, "When a semiconductor high school is established in Yongin, it will be the first in Gyeonggi Province."

Park Shin-il, president of the senior citizens association, said, "I heard that the civil servants' union praised Mayor Lee Sang-il for doing a good job, and I believe that Mayor Lee's case, which has achieved many accomplishments for Yongin's development and gained the trust of citizens and public officials, should be spread throughout the nation," and requested, "One thing I would like to ask is to increase the number of times the Yongin city tour operates so that seniors can use it smoothly."

Mayor Lee said, "Among the total population of Yongin Special City, seniors aged 65 and older account for 15.7 percent," and explained, "Yongin Special City received age-friendly city certification from the World Health Organization (WHO), and we held a plaque unveiling ceremony at City Hall today, which resulted from recognition of projects promoting the health and welfare of seniors."

He continued, "We are trying to provide various programs including supporting senior activities through smart senior community centers pilot projects and supporting leisure activities for seniors through expanding park golf courses, and we will make efforts to provide seniors with more opportunities to use the city tour."

Resident Kim Hyun-ja said, "Many citizens like the city character Joa-Yong," and requested, "When representing the city at various events held within Gyeonggi Province, it would be good if you provide the Joa-Yong costume for rent to strengthen the city's image."

Jo Moon-hee, Director of Culture and Arts, said, "If you submit an event plan stating you will use the Joa-Yong costume and personnel deployment plans such as safety staff to the relevant department, the Public Relations Office, two weeks before the event, rental is possible."

In Sanghyeon 2-dong, residents proposed various opinions including prioritizing art truck support for dong events, supplementing slopes on the barefoot path in Sanghyeon Park, and repairing damaged pavement blocks.

Ju Young-sik, chairman of the Residents' Autonomous Committee, said, "Every October, Sanghyeon 2-dong holds the Sosil Peak Festival to create a venue for resident unity. This year, the process of receiving an art truck from the Yongin Cultural Foundation was not smooth, so we had to postpone the festival date by one day to barely secure the truck," and requested, "When 38 eup, myeon, and dong conduct various festivals, an art truck will be needed. I hope the city will improve such issues."

Mayor Lee said, "I have a memory of participating in the Sosil Peak Festival last year despite the rain and spending an enjoyable time," and added, "It seems that eup, myeon, and dong events concentrate in spring and autumn, making competition for using art trucks fierce. The city will find ways to understand demand in advance and make adjustments."

Resident Oh Jung-ja said, "Thank you to the city for excellently installing the barefoot path and foot-washing station in Sanghyeon Park," and requested, "It would be necessary to solidify the sloped sections around the barefoot path with sand, and if you install a shoe rack near the foot-washing station to prevent shoes from being scattered, that would be appreciated."

Mayor Lee said, "Citizens' response to the barefoot path has been positive, so the city plans to further expand it," and added, "We will address the mentioned slope repairs and shoe rack installation as quickly as possible."

Nam Yeon-suk, secretary of the Residents' Autonomous Committee, said, "Many sections of pavement blocks near the Sanghyeon 2-dong Administrative Welfare Center are damaged, causing many resident injuries," and requested, "Please improve the pavement blocks safely."

Mayor Lee said, "It has been five years since the relevant section underwent sidewalk improvement construction in 2019, and some sections are damaged, which seems to cause inconvenience to residents," and explained, "Considering that the inconvenience for wheelchair users and seniors would be greater than for the general public, I will prioritize sidewalk maintenance and allocate budgets for improvement."

Mayor Lee told the city officials present at the meeting, "When awarding construction projects, rather than simply delegating the work, carefully monitor the process to enhance the quality of completion of even small-scale projects," and continued, "Administration must be based on trust, so we should not give the impression of empty talk or appear to be merely going through the motions. Please handle what is possible quickly and thoroughly to resolve citizen inconvenience, and for problems that are difficult to address immediately, explain the circumstances well to gain citizens' understanding."

Mayor Lee has been conducting visits to all 38 eup, myeon, and dong in the region since May 1st to communicate closely with residents by district and listen to their inconveniences.

Prior to the meeting, Mayor Lee explained the city's major projects and key issues, including the fiscal budget size for this year, current status of public recruitment promotion, the formation of an L-shaped semiconductor belt including the Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex in Yongin's Idong and Namsa-eup, the promotion of extending the Gyeonggang Line (Gwangju Station, Gyeonggi~Namsa-eup, Yongin) and establishing the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway (Jamsil Sports Complex Station~Seoser~Seongnam~Suji, Yongin~Gwanggyo, Suwon~Bongdam, Hwaseong), exemption from preliminary feasibility review for the National Road 45 expansion project (from 4 lanes to 8 lanes), and other transportation network expansion policies.