'4th Meeting' Kim Dong-yeon, Oh Se-hoon, and Yoo Jeong-bok Agree on Metropolitan Area 'Joint Living Zone Cooperation'

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (center) is taking a commemorative photo holding hands with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (left) and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok after signing a business agreement for cooperation in the metropolitan area joint living zone at Dodamso in Suwon on the 11th.

Gyeonggi Province, Seoul City, and Incheon City have agreed to jointly address metropolitan area issues such as waste management and the establishment of a wide-area transportation network.

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, and Yoo Jeong-bok, Mayor of Incheon, met on the afternoon of the 11th at Dodamso in Suwon (the former governor's residence) to sign the "Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Metropolitan Area Living Zone."

This agreement was made on the premise that Gyeonggi Province, Seoul City, and Incheon City recognize themselves as one joint living zone and aim to work together based on mutual trust and cooperation to improve the quality of life for residents of the metropolitan area.

According to the agreement, the three jurisdictions will strive to resolve 10 joint metropolitan area issues.

The 10 joint tasks include ▲ stable and efficient disposal of metropolitan area waste ▲ resolving railway issues and promoting metropolitan arterial road network projects ▲ undergrounding of the Gyeongin and Gyeongbu Lines ▲ introduction of eco-friendly vehicles for metropolitan buses, expansion of metropolitan bus routes, and extension of late-night bus services ▲ improvement of unreasonable metropolitan area regulations ▲ mutual support for international sports and international organization events ▲ revitalization of ship operations on the Gyeongin Ara Waterway and expansion of infrastructure for restoring the West Sea shipping route ▲ enhancing tourism competitiveness through tourism content development ▲ strengthening cooperation for large-scale disaster preparedness ▲ and other cooperation areas and amendments to the agreement through mutual consultation.

The three jurisdictions will cooperate based on the four-party agreement on the metropolitan landfill policy as a fundamental principle to ensure stable and efficient waste disposal in the metropolitan area. They will also jointly cooperate to promptly complete the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX) and expand metropolitan railways, as well as promote the metropolitan arterial road network.

Additionally, they will mutually support international sports and international organization events held in the metropolitan area and collaborate on joint facility use and marketing. They will also work together to revitalize waterborne vessel operations between the Han River and the Gyeongin Ara Waterway and expand infrastructure for restoring the West Sea shipping route.

Previously, Governor Kim Dong-yeon, Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok held three meetings starting with their first meeting at Gimpo Marina Dock in July last year, followed by Incheon Wolmido in September of the same year, and Seoul Nodeul Island in February this year, agreeing to jointly resolve metropolitan area issues regardless of region or political affiliation.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon emphasized, "After three meetings, a tangible outcome in the form of a joint memorandum of understanding has been achieved," adding, "Going forward, the three jurisdictions must demonstrate practical momentum in resolving commuting inconveniences for 26 million metropolitan residents, improving unreasonable metropolitan area discriminatory regulations, and establishing mutual support cooperation systems in the event of large-scale disasters."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated, "Metropolitan-wide issues that cross administrative boundaries are difficult to solve if divided according to arbitrarily set boundaries when formulating policies. However, if the three jurisdictions continue discussions with the common goal of 'resolving inconveniences and enhancing happiness for metropolitan residents,' no matter how complex the issues are, they can be solved," promising, "We will do our best to create a metropolitan city where all metropolitan residents are happy and to lead a livable local era."

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok expressed, "The attention given to this meeting of the three metropolitan jurisdictions means there are many important issues to discuss and resolve," and added, "It is necessary to approach problems with the mindset of 'Only the people, only the country,' and with such an approach, good solutions and policies that satisfy residents of Incheon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi Province alike can be expected."

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