Jeong Myeong-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong, "We will leap forward as a 1.5 million metropolitan city with a complete form of Work, Residence, and Leisure"

Special City Launch Press Conference
"Investment Attraction Target Raised to 25 Trillion Won"
"Actively Attracting Leading Companies to Create Good Jobs"

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province, which was promoted to a special city this year, has presented a vision as a "complete city of Work (職), Residence (住), and Enjoyment (樂)." The goal is to leap into a metropolitan city with a population of 1.5 million based on good jobs, stable living conditions, and diverse cultural infrastructure.

Jung Myung-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong City, is explaining the city's vision at the special city launch press conference on the 20th. Photo by Hwaseong City

On the 20th, Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun of Hwaseong revealed this plan at a press conference held in the city hall's main conference room to mark the launch of the special city. Mayor Jeong said, "The most important factor for urban growth is good jobs," adding, "To achieve this, a virtuous cycle structure where good companies come must be established."

He stated, "Hwaseong will not remain a special city with a population of 1 million but will grow into a city with a regional gross domestic product (GRDP) of 120 trillion won, a budget of 5.6 trillion won, a population of 1.5 million, and a total fertility rate of 1.5 within 10 years," adding, "We will continue moving forward without stopping to fully complete the lives of citizens and become the hope of South Korea."

"Investment Attraction Target Raised to 25 Trillion Won... Attracting High-Tech Companies"

Mayor Jeong specifically announced that the investment attraction target for Hwaseong City in the 8th local government term, initially set at 20 trillion won, will be increased to 25 trillion won. He said, "We have already achieved 16.8 trillion won in investment attraction so far," and added, "We will lead corporate investment centered on advanced future industries such as semiconductors, bio, and mobility."

Mayor Jeong also presented a blueprint for major economic and industrial projects to achieve this. The plan includes attracting the Korea Advanced Semiconductor Technology Center (ASTC), an integrated research center for the four major science and technology institutes, Hwaseong Convention Center, and establishing an economic free zone.

He emphasized his determination to focus on attracting advanced companies to expand the industrial base, which has been shrinking due to the recent economic downturn, and to create future growth engines for the city. He said, "Due to the economic downturn, Hwaseong City is also experiencing a decrease in the number of companies, mainly those with fewer than five employees," adding, "To sustain growth, we will continuously create a business-friendly environment."

"Major Railways to Open Within 5 Years, Connecting Seoul and Other Areas Within One Hour"

He also announced plans to build a railway network connecting major metropolitan areas in the Seoul metropolitan area within a "one-hour living zone." This includes the 'Dongtan Tram' connecting key areas of Dongtan New Town, as well as ▲ GTX-A connection to Samsung Station ▲ GTX-C extension to Byeongjeom ▲ Shinansan Line extension to Hyangnam ▲ KTX from Incheon ▲ Line 1 extension to Dongtan ▲ Dongtan-Indeokwon Line, with all major railway projects planned to open within five years.

Mayor Jeong also plans to establish a leading advanced transportation system through the country's largest autonomous driving living lab, which began construction at the end of last year. Starting next year, the autonomous driving living lab will showcase various public sector autonomous driving services such as mobility support for transportation-vulnerable groups and demand-responsive mini-shuttles in Namyang-eup, Saesol-dong, and Mado Industrial Complex.

Regarding the road network, the plan is to complete an internal circulation road network connecting major living areas such as Namyang, Dongtan, and Hyangnam to usher in a "30-minute travel era."

Driving Urban Growth Through Expansion of Education, Culture, and Welfare Infrastructure

Hwaseong will actively expand urban infrastructure befitting a special city with a population of 1.05 million. This is based on the judgment that securing stable living conditions is urgent for sustainable urban growth.

First, the city will re-pursue the attraction of a university hospital in Dongtan, which was previously canceled. To resolve overcrowded class issues due to continuous population inflow, new elementary, middle, and high schools will be established, and specialized high schools and autonomous public high schools will also be attracted.

Cultural and artistic facilities such as the 'Hwaseong Arts Center,' 'Municipal Art Museum,' and 'History Museum' will be significantly expanded. Mayor Jeong said, "Currently, Hwaseong does not have a performance facility that can accommodate more than 600 people," adding, "We will steadily build the Hwaseong Arts Center with 1,500 seats to provide citizens with a higher level of cultural content."

The city will also provide various leisure and recreation services through the creation of the 680,000-pyeong-scale 'Hwaseong Botanic Garden,' Hwaseong International Theme Park, and activation of the West Coast marine tourism belt, connecting major areas of Hwaseong.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jeong reaffirmed his commitment to realizing the 'Hwaseong-type Basic Society' concept recently announced. He said, "The Hwaseong-type Basic Society goes beyond selective welfare to implement universal welfare," adding, "To this end, we will invest 322 billion won this year to carry out 37 projects."

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