[Full Text] New Year's Address by Oh Byeong-kwon, Acting Governor of Gyeonggi-do

Oh Byeong-kwon, Acting Governor of Gyeonggi Province

Dear 13.9 million residents of Gyeonggi-do,

The new year of 2022, the Year of the Black Tiger, has dawned. I hope your daily lives become even more prosperous.

Now, the 7th term of the Gyeonggi-do provincial government is approaching its final stage. Changes that protect the lives of residents have taken root everywhere. Along with the conclusion of the 7th term, efforts to continue working together with the residents will persist.

Looking back, there were many difficulties. Especially, many endured a tough year through the long tunnel of COVID-19. I sincerely thank all residents who endured inconveniences in livelihood and daily life for the safety of the community and walked this unfamiliar path together. Thanks to the solidarity and cooperation shown at countless critical moments, we have been able to keep the flame of hope alive.

In the new year of 2022, we must move forward toward a new daily life again. We will focus on protecting the health and lives of residents through thorough quarantine measures and completing livelihood tasks in various sectors. We will also diligently prepare the foundation to turn the crisis of great transformation into an opportunity while steadily advancing the projects underway.

□ We will concentrate financial resources on restoring the livelihood economy.

COVID-19 has deepened the wrinkles of the common people’s economy. Empty streets and closed shops clearly show the current difficulties and future challenges.

Recent various indicators show signs of economic recovery. However, the warmth from economic recovery has not yet spread throughout the entire livelihood economy.

We must continue changes that can be felt by the common people struggling with immediate financial hardship, small business owners and self-employed people facing another difficult time due to renewed gathering bans and social distancing. For this, an active role of finances is crucial.

First, we will do our best to revitalize the depressed neighborhood commercial districts and traditional markets. We will greatly increase support to help those on the brink of closure to recover and to help the expanded non-face-to-face consumption culture after COVID-19 permeate every corner of neighborhood commercial districts.

Job stability is the core of livelihood and the starting point of economic recovery. We will continue to vigorously support innovative industries to create good jobs.

□ The journey to create a fair society is a path we must continue to walk.

The residents’ desire for fairness is intense. Fairness has become a key issue of the times. So far, Gyeonggi-do has strived to create a society where everyone enjoys equal opportunities and receives a fair share according to their contribution.

We will continue to boldly improve various evils remaining in society and focus on producing tangible results. We will mobilize all available means to eradicate all acts that hinder fair competition, such as real estate speculation, illegal private financing, and subcontracting irregularities in the construction sector.

Furthermore, we will devote ourselves even more to completing a ‘society where labor is respected.’

Workers in industries such as cleaning, security, and delivery have experienced income reductions and worsening labor conditions, including unfair labor practices and job insecurity during the COVID-19 situation. We will compensate for the employment instability of vulnerable workers and continue to strive to guarantee workers’ basic rights and create a safe working environment.

□ We will further solidify welfare policies of ‘care’ and ‘inclusion.’

Welfare is not charity but a right. Everyone who is a resident should be able to realize happiness within the warmth of ‘inclusion.’ Gyeonggi-do will carefully ensure that those in difficulty are not left in blind spots.

Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the number of families facing crises due to reduced income and care gaps is increasing. Support is needed as a stepping stone for the recovery of these families in crisis. We will continue to support victims of illegal private financing and young people in credit crises who find it difficult to get loans from formal financial institutions such as banks.

We will also strengthen customized welfare services across the entire life cycle, including children and adolescents, middle-aged, and elderly. Public childcare, public healthcare, support for eco-friendly school meals, and elementary school dental care projects will continue without interruption. We will solidify welfare services so that all residents can be guaranteed basic living conditions such as housing and culture.

□ We will proactively prepare for a great transition to a future-oriented industrial structure.

The 4th Industrial Revolution is accelerating, bringing the future closer faster. If change is inevitable, we must prepare ahead. The new future to come will be an opportunity for those who prepare.

Semiconductors are the cutting-edge future food source leading the 4th Industrial Revolution. Gyeonggi-do is preparing to leap forward as the ‘world’s largest semiconductor industry hub.’ We will spare no support for semiconductor and materials, parts, and equipment (SoBuJang) industry clustering, differentiated smart industrial complex operation, and joint development between large and small-medium enterprises. Through this, we will realize the dream of semiconductor technology independence and open opportunities for regional economic revitalization and job creation.

We will also expand investment in future new industry companies such as game and e-sports, virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR), and metaverse industries to firmly establish the foundation of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Gyeonggi-do will take the lead in responding to the climate crisis threatening human survival. First, to effectively implement the ‘2050 Carbon Neutral Scenario’ and the ‘2030 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Roadmap,’ we will establish a close cooperative system with the central government.

We will expand efforts such as the ‘Pyeongtaek Port Carbon Neutral Hydrogen Complex Zone’ and the ‘Hydrogen Convergence Theme City,’ the first in Korea involving 14 public institutions and private companies.

We will also work to support companies in eco-friendly and low-carbon related fields through the establishment of a carbon-neutral fund and to create institutional foundations. Together with residents, we will move toward a sustainable carbon-neutral society for future generations.

□ The establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula and balanced development of eastern and northern Gyeonggi open new opportunities.

For residents of border areas living with the division wall, peace is a matter of survival and an indispensable value for prosperity. Gyeonggi-do will do its best to create clues to untangle the tangled inter-Korean relations and pave the path of peace.

Starting with feasible and sustainable matters including quarantine, economic sectors, and disaster response, we will continue to strive to revitalize inter-Korean exchanges through various attempts. We will not stop efforts to transform the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a space of peace and ecology.

Balanced development of the northern and eastern Gyeonggi regions, which have endured long-term sacrifices due to unavoidable regulations for national security and environmental protection, must continue. We will steadily promote the relocation of public institutions promised to residents and continue consideration in various sectors including infrastructure construction. Furthermore, we will consistently work to rationalize unreasonable regulations that hinder regional development and reduce residents’ inconveniences.

Dear residents of Gyeonggi-do,

The COVID-19 crisis continues. The journey to restore daily life will be arduous. However, I believe in the resilience of our residents and the capabilities of public officials. I sincerely thank the 13.9 million residents who have placed trust and support in the provincial government.

As the 7th term of the provincial government comes to a close, I recall the duties of public officials including myself. With the presidential and local elections coming one after another, adherence to political neutrality and strict public service discipline have become even more important. Based on this, we will fulfill our responsibilities and roles to improve the quality of life for residents until the very end this year.

I envision a Gyeonggi-do that will leap forward once again together with its residents.

Happy New Year. I wish you a healthy and happy year. Thank you.

On the morning of the Year of the Black Tiger (Im In Nyeon)

Acting Governor of Gyeonggi-do Oh Byung-kwon

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.