Mayor Donggeun Kim: "We Will Lead Balanced Growth Across Uijeongbu Through Sports, Education, and Urban Innovation"

Uijeongbu Accelerates "Future City Uijeongbu" Vision
Sharing Policy Vision with Citizens Visiting Heungseon District... "Seed Planting Event" Held
Leaping Forward as Northern Gyeonggi's Leading Educational Hub... Science High School Admissions, Autonomous Public High School, and Specialized High School Initiatives
CRC Development and Uijeongbu Station Area Plans... The Two Pillars of Future Growth

Uijeongbu City in Gyeonggi Province, led by Mayor Donggeun Kim, is accelerating the realization of its vision for a "Future City Uijeongbu," which integrates community sports, education, and urban innovation. On the 8th, the city held a "Seed Planting Event" with citizens around the Nokyang-dong Sports Complex, sharing the major achievements and future directions of the Heungseon District on the third anniversary of the 8th popularly elected administration.

Mayor Donggeun Kim is visiting Heungseon District on the 8th, conducting a "Seed Planting Event" to share policy visions with citizens at the site of the "Citizen Leisure Sports Town Development Project." Provided by Uijeongbu City

◆ A Sports City in Daily Life... Creating a "Leisure Sports Town" with Citizens

The city is transforming the area around the Sports Complex into a "Citizen Leisure Sports Town," turning what was once a space focused on elite sports into a specialized area that all citizens can enjoy.

Last year, accessibility was improved by removing an 800-meter fence and creating new access roads and rest areas. This year, the city completed the "Nokyang Auxiliary Soccer Stadium," laying the groundwork for attracting sports clubs and hosting tournaments.

This facility, built to international standards, is expected to provide a comfortable environment for local soccer enthusiasts and serve as a foundation for attracting various competitions. Additionally, the city is continuing with phased projects such as improving walkways around the auxiliary stadium and designing repainting works for the main stadium.

At the site, a "Seed Planting Event" was also held to promote the soon-to-be-completed "Ecosystem Conservation Charge Refund Project," led by the Ministry of Environment. This project, part of the Citizen Leisure Sports Town initiative, is being implemented in conjunction with improvements to the sports complex site.

The city has created a flower garden, natural ecological wetland, and ecological education space to restore the damaged land as a relaxation area for citizens. Being selected for the refund project has also helped reduce some of the necessary budget, allowing the city to accelerate the development of the Citizen Leisure Sports Town.

Uijeongbu Sports Complex Athletic Track Nighttime Opening. Provided by Uijeongbu City

◆ The Leading Educational Hub of Northern Gyeonggi... A City of Learning Built by Local Talent and Citizens

Efforts to expand educational infrastructure are also notable. The establishment of a new local talent admissions track at Gyeonggi Northern Science High School and the selection of Uijeongbu High School and Uijeongbu Girls' High School for the "Autonomous Public High School 2.0" program have broadened opportunities for local students.

Uijeongbu Technical High School is being renamed "Korea Mobility High School," transforming into a hub for nurturing talent in advanced industries. The city is also working to establish a "Sports Business Specialized High School" in connection with the Nokyang-dong Sports Complex. In terms of lifelong learning, the "Uijeongbu Citizen University" is operating a citizen-led policy learning model, yielding tangible results.

In conjunction with the Nokyang-dong Sports Complex, the city aims to nurture talent in sports marketing and management, sports data analysis, and rehabilitation medicine-becoming the first in the country to focus on fostering professionals for the sports industry. This new education model, integrated with local sports infrastructure, is expected to become firmly established.

Significant changes are also taking place in the field of lifelong learning, most notably through the "Uijeongbu Citizen University," a learning space led by citizens themselves.

The Citizen University goes beyond simple lifelong education, operating as a policy-oriented learning model where citizens directly define local issues and propose solutions. Last year alone, it produced 11 policy proposals, some of which have been implemented, demonstrating how learning can drive urban change.

Especially since the launch of the Uijeongbu Urban Education Foundation this year, which oversees lifelong learning and youth education including the Citizen University, the vision of Uijeongbu as an education city has been further strengthened.

Welcome to the name change of Uijeongbu Technical High School to Korea Mobility High School. Provided by Uijeongbu City

◆ Walkable Streets, Healing Spaces, Childcare... Expanding Livable Infrastructure

The Heungseon District is becoming a more convenient and pleasant city through urban infrastructure innovation directly linked to residents' daily lives.

First, the "Ganeung-dong C.STREET Walkable Street Project" incorporates the values of "Culture, Connection, and Communication," transforming a 540-meter stretch from Uijeongbu Girls' Middle School to Ganeung Station into a safe and vibrant pedestrian corridor.

This project not only ensures a safe route to school for students but also enhances pedestrian connectivity around Ganeung Station and revitalizes the old city center through urban regeneration.

Last year, the city created a multi-purpose cultural space under the overpass at Ganeung Station by utilizing idle land, providing a venue for interaction across generations. This year, the city is replacing the opaque soundproof walls in front of Uijeongbu Girls' Middle and High Schools with transparent ones and improving the walking environment in the alleys around Ganeung Station, further enhancing the area's image.

Going beyond simple road maintenance, this is a flagship urban design project that is changing both the image and living environment of the area, and it is now nearing completion.

To enhance the balance of living infrastructure across districts, the city has also created a barefoot loess path in the Heungseon District this year.

The 160-meter section near Camp Red Cloud (CRC, Ganeung-dong 311-76), completed in May, has become a healing space where residents can walk barefoot to restore their health and enjoy relaxation.

In July, a 40-meter loess path was also created inside Dongsim Children's Park (Ganeung-dong 635), transforming it into a resident-friendly healing space connected to nearby facilities such as the children's playground and the senior citizens' center.

The "Integrated Childcare Center," which opened in May, is a multi-purpose care platform created by remodeling the former Uijeongbu 1-dong Community Center building. The first floor houses the state-of-the-art indoor playground "Mom Comfortable Playground," installed with support from Lotte Group, while the second floor features the "Together Care Center No. 11," an after-school care classroom for elementary students.

CRC 2nd Anniversary Event. Provided by Uijeongbu City

◆ CRC and Uijeongbu Station Area... The Two Pillars of Heungseon District's Future

The most symbolic space in Heungseon District is undoubtedly "Camp Red Cloud (CRC, 836,000 square meters)." This site, which stood at the forefront of national security for 70 years, has retained its original form even after its return, giving it unique historical value.

The city is redefining CRC not merely as a former U.S. military base, but as a landmark that connects Uijeongbu's past and future.

The first step was the opening of the "CRC Transit Road" in 2023. With the opening of this road, which cuts through land closed for 70 years, travel time was reduced by 63%. Used by an average of 10,000 vehicles per day, this road is regarded as a symbolic example of returning closed land to the citizens.

This transformation led to the site's selection as a candidate for the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone in April this year. A free economic zone is a business-friendly special district that offers tax reductions, streamlined administrative procedures, and incentives for foreign investment, free from various regulations.

CRC is ideally located for attracting high-tech companies, and the city plans to develop it as a global business hub where design, media content, and AI industries converge, making it a future growth engine for Uijeongbu.

Additionally, the "Uijeongbu Station Area Development" is being promoted as a core project to reposition not only Heungseon District but all of Uijeongbu, and even northern Gyeonggi, as a central hub.

With the opening of the GTX-C line, the city aims to realize its potential as a transportation and economic hub, and through the compact city concept, to further enhance Uijeongbu's urban competitiveness. The GTX-C line will enable access to Gangnam in just over 21 minutes, and the city plans to transform the area into a compact city where transportation, culture, and business are concentrated, going beyond mere transportation convenience.

This development strategy, with CRC and the Uijeongbu Station area as its two pillars, is expected to serve as a key driver in elevating Heungseon District into a self-sufficient and innovative center of the future city.

Mayor Donggeun Kim stated, "Heungseon District is a stage for future competitiveness, where community sports, education, and urban innovation come together. Through the expansion of sports and education infrastructure, as well as future strategies such as CRC and station area development, we will ensure balanced growth throughout Uijeongbu."