Pohang Mayor Lee Gang-deok's City Administration Speech ... Focus on Building a 'Sustainable East Sea Hub City'

Pohang City Council 311th Regular Session, 2024 City Administration Direction Speech

Accelerating Future Preparation with Future Value Expansion, Livelihood Vitality Enhancement, and Urban Dignity Improvement

Realizing Battery, Bio, and Digi

Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang City announced the direction of city administration for the coming year through the 311th regular session policy speech at the Pohang City Council on the 30th, outlining the future of Pohang in three major areas: ‘expanding future value, enhancing public livelihood vitality, and improving urban dignity.’

Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang City revealing the direction of city administration for the next year through the 311th regular session policy speech of the Pohang City Council on the 30th.

Mayor Lee first evaluated this year as a turning point in fostering new industries that will lead Pohang’s future, citing the designation of the secondary battery specialized complex and the preliminary feasibility study approval for the hydrogen fuel cell cluster. He emphasized that next year, Pohang will continue to expand new growth industries such as secondary batteries, hydrogen, and bio, which the city has been focusing on, to become a balanced development hub city on the East Coast with sustainable growth.

With the goal of realizing ‘a sustainable East Sea-centered Pohang through creativity, convergence, and innovation,’ the mayor announced a budget of 2.64 trillion won for next year and presented specific administrative directions in the three major areas of ‘expanding future value, enhancing public livelihood vitality, and improving urban dignity.’

First, the city will further advance new growth industries to enhance the city’s sustainable competitiveness and expand future value.

Building on the designation of the secondary battery specialized complex, Pohang plans to complete South Korea’s largest mass production system for secondary batteries, equipped with production, technology, and talent, and develop it into a ‘secondary battery mega cluster.’ The hydrogen industry will also be concentrated around the fuel cell cluster, with plans to rapidly complete the city’s hydrogen city profile through the expansion of various hydrogen infrastructures such as hydrogen vehicles and charging stations, along with the designation of a specialized complex.

The mayor particularly emphasized that the establishment of the POSTECH research-oriented medical school is the city’s top priority project to strengthen national bioindustry competitiveness and drastically improve the regional medical system. He pledged to unite citizens’ efforts to ensure its establishment and to create a bio cluster centered on the Pohang Convergence Technology Industrial Complex to strengthen bio sovereignty and citizens’ health rights.

Additionally, based on the 1.5 trillion won global data center agreement signed this year, the city plans to attract numerous big data-based IT companies and focus on nurturing digital industries favored by young people through the creation of a Gyeongbuk-type digital innovation hub. Furthermore, to actively support the commercialization of advanced technologies by young talents, a ‘Global Industry-Academia Cooperation Center’ will be established to continuously expand the venture startup ecosystem.

Next, the city will actively work to enhance public livelihood vitality for the citizens’ prosperous lives.

To facilitate smooth corporate attraction and create quality jobs, the industrial complexes under construction will be completed promptly according to corporate demand, and new industrial complexes for attracting advanced new industries will be steadily developed based on the ongoing ‘New Industry Development Strategy Master Plan.’

Moreover, the city plans to actively foster the MICE industry, which creates many jobs and high added value, centered on the International Exhibition and Convention Center scheduled to begin construction next year. The Homigot Peninsula National Marine Garden will also pass the preliminary feasibility study to be developed into the best marine leisure space on the East Coast.

Support for small and medium-sized enterprises, small business owners, and farmers and fishermen will be strengthened. Customized support such as sales receivables insurance for SMEs and employment insurance for small business owners will be expanded, and rural spatial maintenance and the introduction of future-oriented agriculture and fisheries based on advanced technology will continue.

In response to demographic changes such as ultra-low birth rates and an ultra-aged society, the criteria for multiple children will be relaxed to two children to broaden benefits, and the opening of comprehensive social welfare centers will be expanded to minimize welfare blind spots. Welfare needs for vulnerable groups, including multicultural families and reclusive youth, will be carefully addressed through surveys and preventive education.

Alongside this, public healthcare will be enhanced by providing high-quality medical services to residents in remote villages through digital remote health management and smart healthcare. The stable operation of the 24-hour pediatric emergency medical center and the establishment of a hyperbaric oxygen therapy center will further strengthen essential and emergency medical safety nets.

Finally, to make Pohang a dignified city where everyone wants to live, related infrastructure will continue to be expanded.

The greenway green network will be steadily expanded, and green resting spaces will be continuously created and provided to citizens through the sequential restoration of the four major urban streams, connection of forest trails interrupted in the city, and private park development projects.

Following the opening of the Suseo-bound SRT this year, which secured many citizens’ transportation options, the number of operations will be increased for more convenient use. In particular, in line with the opening of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport, preparations will be made for high-speed rail and road networks connecting Pohang, and the Yeongilman Bridge, with a government budget of 135 billion won reflected next year, and the currently under-construction Dongbin Bridge will be completed as planned to quickly complete the economic transportation network.

Regarding the construction of a safe city, next year the ‘Urban Safety Diagnosis and Disaster Prevention Comprehensive Plan’ will be finalized, and safety infrastructure such as the construction of the Hangsa Dam, installation of floodwalls, and river improvement and restoration will be thoroughly reinforced to respond intensively to various disasters.

Efforts will be made to further enhance the dignity of education and culture through the designation of an education development special zone to secure local educational autonomy, and the construction of a municipal museum, a second art museum, and a national science museum. To promote everyday sports activities enjoyed by all generations, the city will protect citizens’ health rights through the construction of a national sports center and continuous expansion of gateball and park golf courses.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “With a sense of mission to create a better future, we will focus more on becoming a balanced development hub city on the East Coast.” He emphasized, “We will build a sustainable East Sea-centered city, Pohang, that satisfies citizens in all areas including balanced development, education, healthcare, and culture, so that citizens can have happiness and pride in their lives in Pohang.”

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