Park Seung-won, Mayor of Gwangmyeong: "I will complete Gwangmyeong's future together with citizens"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Yu Je-sung] Mayor Park Seung-won of Gwangmyeong expressed his ambition to complete a capable Gwangmyeong by using the core values built together with citizens as momentum.

At a New Year press conference held in the City Hall conference room on the morning of the 12th, Mayor Park stated, "The current Gwangmyeong is not a city led by administration, but a city created by capable citizens who choose and participate on their own," and declared that "2026 will be a year that brings Gwangmyeong's core values—citizen sovereignty, lifelong learning, carbon neutrality, resource circulation, solidarity economy, garden city, and basic society—to completion together with capable citizens."

Mayor Park emphasized that the achievements of the past eight years were made possible because they were accomplished together with citizens.

The city pioneered the conversion of resident autonomous councils in all districts in 2020 and implemented district chief recruitment system in 2025, institutionalizing citizen participation systems. Through eight 500-person roundtable discussions and operation of approximately 160 citizen committees, the city has led substantial changes enabling citizens to exercise authority as true owners of the city.

Furthermore, the city enhanced citizen capabilities—including provision of lifelong learning support funds for citizens in their 50s, operation of an integrated online lifelong learning platform, and Gwangmyeong Civic University—elevating them as urban competitiveness.

The membership of "1.5℃ Climate Reserve," a citizen-participation-based carbon neutrality practice campaign in daily life, surpassed 17,000 as of January 2026, setting a new standard for citizen participation in the age of climate crisis. By introducing customized free collection systems by residential type for the first time nationwide, the city is leading the resource circulation economy.

Additionally, Mayor Park explained that the "solidarity economy" policy for all members of local communities and the "garden city" policy that adorns cities with nature everywhere are results reflecting citizens' values of cooperation over competition and coexistence over development.

Mayor Park emphasized that all these policies are functioning toward a single goal—"basic society," where everyone's basic needs are guaranteed "without discrimination and without being left behind."

Mayor Park stated, "Citizens have been at the center of all Gwangmyeong's policies, and citizens have been the source of resilience that lifts the city even in crises," adding, "The reason Gwangmyeong is evaluated as the city with the most resilience nationwide is thanks to all of you, our citizens."

He continued, "Using the power of these capable citizens as momentum, we will complete municipal administration in 2026," presenting three major tasks as key promotion directions: △completing sustainable city foundation △realizing basic society created together △achieving 'completion' beyond 'growth' in urban development.

■ Completing sustainable city foundation where people and nature, today's and tomorrow's citizens live together

Mayor Park revealed his vision of advancing Gwangmyeong "one step further as a carbon-neutral smart city by adding advanced technology in four fields—energy, transportation, and safety data—on the basis of carbon neutrality policies that Gwangmyeong has established."

The city was selected in the 2024 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport competition and is promoting the "compact smart city development project" with 16 billion won in business funds.

In January, the city opened "G-SMART HUB," a hub center to lead innovation toward a smart city, and plans to sequentially complete innovative smart projects by the end of this year, including △establishing renewable energy generation facilities △constructing an integrated monitoring system for flooding and floods based on spatial intelligent IoT (AIoT) △operating eco-friendly delivery services △establishing data stations and integrated platforms.

Additionally, Mayor Park revealed his vision of realizing a garden city by "creating a citizen garden belt connecting Dorak Mountain, Cloud Mountain, Gahak Mountain, and Seodok Mountain, designating Anyang Stream as a national garden, and creating waterfront spaces along Mokgam Stream, turning the entire city into a green living zone."

Starting with the Gahak Mountain Arboretum of approximately 32,820㎡ opening this year, followed by Soha Culture Park of approximately 82,889㎡ and Yeong Hwi Waterfront Park of approximately 121,080㎡, the city plans to make rest and leisure part of everyday life.

Mayor Park stated, "We will further strengthen the local circulation economy where citizens become economic actors and lead regional growth."

The city plans to introduce paper-type Gwangmyeong Love Currency and expand its usage venues to help alleyway economy circulation, and will use the Social Economy Innovation Center opening this year as a hub to materialize a local community asset model where regional wealth is reinvested within the region.

■ Realizing basic society where capable citizens can enjoy their inherent rights

Mayor Park stated, "Basic society is not one project but the foundation of all administration," expressing his determination to "approach and implement all policies from a basic society perspective so that citizens can enjoy their inherent rights."

Gwangmyeong City established the Basic Society Ordinance as the first local government nationwide in October last year, and launched the Basic Society Committee as the first local government nationwide on the 5th, solidifying the foundation for basic society policy implementation.

Mayor Park also announced, "Based on the Care Integrated Support Ordinance enacted for the first time nationwide, we will vigorously promote integrated care projects to protect citizens' dignified lives."

To this end, starting in March this year, the city will fully operate "home healthcare centers" where doctors, nurses, and social workers form a team to directly visit homes of those with long-term care eligibility who need home medical care and provide medical services.

Furthermore, the city will assign dedicated care managers to each district to proactively discover and closely manage high-risk groups through an "obligatory visit system," while implementing a "gap care" project that broadly supports housekeeping, meals, home nursing care, and residential environment improvement to fill care gaps that occur after existing services end, establishing a close-knit and comprehensive welfare safety net with no blind spots.

Additionally, the city will promote lifelong learning and job creation for the elderly from a dignity perspective, and develop 152 units of youth-specialized public rental housing in the Gwangmyeong Soha district as a place to cultivate future dreams beyond mere housing, implementing policies that encompass the lives of all generations.

On top of this inclusive welfare, the city is elevating administrative standards by adding future technology.

Mayor Park vowed, "In line with Korea's trajectory as one of three AI powerhouses, we will establish an 'AI Gwangmyeong Promotion Plan' to achieve administrative innovation in stages over three years."

Moreover, to help citizens not lose the meaning of life in rapidly changing technological environments, the city will promote the "Gwangmyeong Life and Happiness School" centered on life and happiness throughout the lifecycle, combined with the lifelong learning system.

This is intended to ensure that human dignity as a basic foundation of life does not waver even in a technology-driven society, and the city will pursue administration that takes responsibility for citizens' lives and happiness until the end.

■ Realizing city vision through K-Arena and seven railway networks that will form the foundation for Gwangmyeong's 100-year future

Mayor Park stated that he will realize the long-held vision by making it a reality this year when large-scale urban development projects that will form the foundation of Gwangmyeong's future become tangible.

Mayor Park stated, "In this period when the city's skeleton is completed within the next five years, each decision we make creates Gwangmyeong's future for the next 100 years," emphasizing that "we will do our utmost so that urban development projects can achieve 'completion' beyond the city's 'growth.'"

In particular, Mayor Park expressed his determination to attract a 50,000-seat K-Arena within Gwangmyeong Siheung Third New Town to take responsibility for Gwangmyeong's 100-year future.

In line with the national agenda policy of "medium and large-scale multipurpose concert venue-type arena (K-Arena)," Gwangmyeong City has concentrated administrative resources since last year on attracting the K-Arena by forming a dedicated task force (TF) and establishing a basic attraction strategy.

Mayor Park stated, "We will open a new growth path for Gwangmyeong centered on culture and tourism industries beyond simply installing a performance venue."

He also said, "To ensure successful urban development, we will do our utmost to expand metropolitan transportation networks including seven railway lines, establishing the foundation for Gwangmyeong's leap as a transportation hub city in the southwestern Seoul metropolitan area."

In particular, for the swift promotion of the Sincheon-Haan-Shinrim Line that crosses Gwangmyeong from east to west, the city is expeditiously pursuing a two-track strategy: reflection in the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan and separate promotion as a private investment project.

The Weolgot-Pangyo Line and Shinan Line are currently under construction, and the Gwangmyeong-Sukseo High-Speed Railway will begin full-scale projects as soon as the basic plan is completed.

The Gwangmyeong-Siheung Line is included in the metropolitan transportation improvement measures, and follow-up procedures are being prepared.

In addition, the city is making all-out efforts to ensure that the GTX-D and GTX-G (Song-U-Pocheon Line) routes are reflected in national plans including the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan.

Additionally, to address increased traffic demand from redevelopment and reconstruction, the city is establishing new bus routes and expanding roads to increase accessibility with Seoul, and will begin operating autonomous shuttle buses in the second half of this year, realizing the goal of becoming an advanced mobility city.

The Gwangmyeong 3rd District Public Library and Youth Counseling and Welfare Center opening this year, as well as other living infrastructure (living SOC), will serve as major foundations for daily urban life where citizens stay, build relationships, and recover trust.

Major projects that will change the city's map are also proceeding without delay.

By the end of this year, the Gwangmyeong Siheung Techno Valley urban advanced industrial complex will complete construction and begin sales, and the national land in Haan-dong (former site of the Working Youth Welfare Center) will begin demolition in the first half of this year, marking the first step in creating a K-Innovation Town.

Additionally, sites for the Gwangmyeong Haan 2 public housing district and Cloud Mountain district urban development projects will be created, and a fair compensation process for Gwangmyeong Siheung Third New Town development will begin in earnest.

Finally, Mayor Park stated, "If these policies continue, Gwangmyeong in 2030 will become the standard of the most livable lifestyle city and economically self-sufficient city in the Seoul metropolitan area," emphasizing that "with the attitude of listening more carefully and asking more deeply, I will complete Gwangmyeong's future together with citizens until the end."