Changwon Mayor Heo Seong-mu, "I Will Make Changwon Special City the Dawn of a Great Transformation"

Changwon Mayor Heo Seong-mu is announcing future policies at the New Year's press conference on the 6th. / Photo by Lee Sang-hyun lsh2055@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] “We will fully open the curtain of a great transformation!”

Four ‘Special Cities’ will be established in Korea on the 13th, one week from now. They are three cities in Gyeonggi Province?Goyang, Suwon, and Yongin?and Changwon City in Gyeongnam Province.

Heo Seong-mu, mayor of Changwon, who will lead the inaugural Changwon Special City, expressed his determination at a New Year press briefing on the 6th. Mayor Heo said, “We will make the Changwon Special City the beginning of a great transformation that satisfies all citizens and makes it a city where anyone wants to live.”

He stated that they will go beyond the current limited ‘special privileges’ recognized under special authority, such as the application of metropolitan standards for social welfare benefits, development and operation rights of port facilities, and increased fire safety grants. He announced goals to amend the Local Autonomy Act, promote the third Local Government Transfer Act, and enact the Special Act on Support for Special Cities.

Currently, Changwon City has a population of about 1.03 million, slightly exceeding the 1 million population requirement for special city status. When asked about the possibility of losing special authority due to population decline, he said, “Even if the current trend continues, it would take about 16 years,” adding, “The recent decline has weakened, and we expect a rebound through successful corporate investment attraction.”

He also revealed that a Population and Youth Affairs Office directly under the mayor has been newly established to implement policies addressing population and youth issues simultaneously.

The city plans to convert the ‘Marriage Dream Loan,’ which was scheduled to be introduced last year with conditions such as low-interest loans based on the number of births and full principal repayment, into the ‘Changwon Dream Loan,’ which supports funds for housing purchase, and will announce it in the second half of the year.

They will also promote ‘life cycle tailored policies’ for youth. The ‘Changwon Youth Ten-Year Plan (十年之計) Project’ will take responsibility for the 10 years of youth covering university admission, studies, employment, and marriage, dividing the decade into four cycles and preparing a total of 40 support measures.

Regarding urban development, he said, “We will proactively establish district unit plans to improve the residential environment of detached housing areas that are 40 to 45 years old, laying the foundation for the redevelopment of downtown Changwon, which has been suppressed until now.”

He added, “Changwon is the only city with a population over 1 million outside the metropolitan area without a medical school,” and said, “We will continue to promote the attraction of a medical school to Changwon and ensure it is included in the pledges of presidential candidates in this election.”

Regarding recent public opinion on relocating the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office for regional balanced development, he dismissed it as “absurd.” He criticized, “We should prepare ways to bring public institutions and companies that have become overly concentrated in the metropolitan area to the regions, rather than dividing resources within our own region.”

On the Bieumsan Tunnel project with Gimhae City, he responded, “It is ultimately necessary for smooth transportation in all directions. Although the project was delayed due to concerns about the loss of Changwon’s competitiveness when a new road between Changwon and Gimhae is created, I think we now need to enhance Changwon’s competitiveness to solve such issues.”

Mayor Heo said, “Starting with the successful launch of the Special City, we will devote our administrative capabilities to becoming the world’s number one city beyond Korea.”

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