Guri City "Hard to Accept Gyeonggi-do GH Relocation Suspension Announcement" Backlash

"According to the 'Business Agreement for Promoting GH Relocation',
the relocation of Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation is proceeding as planned
GH relocation must proceed without any disruption as scheduled"

The city of Guri, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun) expressed difficulty in accepting the sudden announcement made by Gyeonggi Province on the 21st to halt the relocation process of the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH).

Guri City Hall view. Provided by Guri City

On the 21st, at a press conference held by Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs Ko Young-in of Gyeonggi Province, it was stated that ▲if Guri City insists on incorporation into Seoul, the relocation of GH to Guri City will be stopped, and ▲the mayor of Guri City is claiming to pursue both the GH relocation and incorporation into Seoul simultaneously. This is contradictory, and if Guri City is incorporated into Seoul, there is no reason for GH, a public institution of Gyeonggi Province, to move to Guri City. ▲Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun of Guri City was urged to stop deceiving Guri citizens and inciting conflicts among them for personal political gain.

In response, Guri City expressed strong regret.

First, Guri City successfully united its citizens to attract the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH), and according to the contents of the 'Memorandum of Understanding for the Promotion of GH Relocation' signed on June 29, 2021, the relocation of GH is being carried out normally.

Additionally, while Gyeonggi Province was promoting the establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province, in a press conference for the ‘Gyeonggi Northern Great Reform Project’ held last September for the benefit of northern residents, which included plans for a public medical center, a pet theme park, relocation of public institutions, and expansion of transportation infrastructure, Governor Kim Dong-yeon announced that the relocation of public institutions to the northern region, including GH, would proceed as promised.

Moreover, on November 22, 2023, regarding the establishment of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province, when Guri City inquired whether the GH relocation would continue despite administrative district changes, Gyeonggi Province replied that ‘the plan to relocate GH to Guri City will proceed as planned according to the agreement.’

Bird's-eye view of GH. Provided by Guri City

Guri City has signed agreements among Gyeonggi Province, Guri City, and GH Corporation to promote the relocation of the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation and has been doing its best to ensure the relocation proceeds without issues. A working-level consultative body was formed to prepare alternatives for potential problems during the GH relocation process, and nine meetings were held to resolve issues. Changes to urban management plans, including zoning changes related to the GH relocation, were also pursued, and related administrative procedures have been progressing smoothly, such as conditional approval by the Gyeonggi Province Urban Planning (Subcommittee) Committee.

As such, Guri City has been actively promoting the GH relocation, including conducting related research projects, so the sudden decision to completely halt the relocation process on the grounds that Guri City is advocating for incorporation into Seoul is incomprehensible and bewildering. In particular, the discussion about ‘Guri City’s incorporation into Seoul,’ which Gyeonggi Province is raising as an issue, has been ongoing since before September 2024, when Gyeonggi Province announced it would relocate public institutions including GH to Guri City as promised. In fact, a civic group advocating for Guri City to join Seoul was already active in February 2024.

The push for Guri City’s incorporation into Seoul is not a matter pursued for personal political gain but is naturally progressing according to the wishes of the majority of Guri citizens. This is evidenced by the voluntary formation of the ‘Pan-Citizen Promotion Committee for Guri Becoming Part of Seoul’ by Guri citizens in February 2024 to raise their voices.

Currently, what Guri City is conducting at the municipal level is only a research project to collect and prepare basic data on the effects of incorporation into Seoul according to citizens’ wishes. Guri City stated that it finds it difficult to understand the press conference in which Gyeonggi Province announced the suspension of administrative procedures related to the promotion of the GH relocation and emphasized that the GH relocation should proceed as scheduled without any disruption.

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