Mayor Kim Kyungil: "Building Paju as a City of Opportunity Where Basic Rights Are Guaranteed"

Policy Direction for 2026 Presented at Paju City Council Regular Session
2026 Budget Set at KRW 2.3599 Trillion, Up KRW 207.2 Billion from Previous Year

Kim Kyungil, Mayor of Paju City, presented the direction for next year's city administration through the 2026 city administration speech at the 2nd regular meeting of the 260th Paju City Council on the 20th.

Kim Kyungil, Mayor of Paju City, is presenting the direction of city administration for the next year through the 2026 city administration speech at the 2nd regular meeting of the 260th Paju City Council on the 20th. Provided by Paju City

At the beginning of his speech, Mayor Kim officially apologized to citizens for the large-scale regional water supply outage that occurred on November 14, and promised to establish thorough measures to prevent a recurrence. He then outlined the major achievements of 2025, presented the three main city administration goals for the second half of the 8th popularly elected term, and explained the policy directions for each sector.

Mayor Kim stated, "In 2025, we focused on 'all-in for citizens' livelihoods,' advancing toward a solid foundational society, securing future growth engines for a self-sufficient city of one million residents, and implementing various policies for 'Paju, a city of peace.'" He cited the following as major achievements: the provision of living stability support funds for citizens' livelihood recovery, the groundbreaking of the Paju Medical Cluster, selection as a candidate site for the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone, support for overseas market development through business expos, expansion of the student-only circular school bus 'Paprika,' successful hosting of the Gyeonggi-do Comprehensive Sports Games over two years, opening of the Unjeong Danurim Welfare Center for the elderly and disabled, announcement of the city hall expansion plan, and the 179th session of the mobile mayor's office held after three years.

He also stated, "The wind of peace, which began with President Lee Jaemyung's visit to Tongilchon and the dismantling of loudspeakers toward North Korea, led to an agreement by the 'Families of Abductees Association' to halt the distribution of leaflets to North Korea. Taking advantage of this change, we also received approval for the notification of contact with North Korean residents to hold the 'Paju-Kaesong DMZ International Peace Marathon.'

Mayor Kim declared, "In 2026, we will focus all administrative capabilities on building Paju as a leading city of foundational society, making a rapid entry into a self-sufficient city of one million residents, and developing Paju as the cultural and ecological tourism hub of the metropolitan area, so that citizens can truly experience the city's progress. We will also pursue proactive fiscal policies to restore livelihoods and revitalize the local economy."

The direction for Paju City's administration in 2026 is centered on the following three main goals.

First, to build 'Paju, a leading city of foundational society' where all citizens are happy, the city will implement the following: provision of the 'Basic Living Stability Support Fund' as the start of practical basic income, expansion of local currency usage and incentives, establishment of the 'Paju Mutual Growth Economic Platform,' promotion of a regional public bank and public renewable energy, expansion of youth transportation subsidies, development of Paju-style public housing, and expansion of Paju-style care support.

Second, to lay a solid foundation for becoming a self-sufficient city of one million residents, the city will pursue the following: designation of a free economic zone and a peace economy special zone, successful advancement of the Paju Medical Cluster and attraction of a general hospital, full efforts to attract companies, swift completion of the full relocation of the Gyeonggi-do Economic Science Promotion Agency to Paju, establishment of a future railway network (including Subway Line 3, Tongil-ro Line, GTX-H Line, and the extension of KTX to Paju), restructuring of citizen-centered spaces after the closure of the prostitution zone, and a major transition to artificial intelligence (AI) in Paju.

Third, the city plans to utilize Paju's assets, including its diverse cultural and historical heritage, natural scenery, and the DMZ, to develop Paju as the cultural and ecological tourism hub of the metropolitan area. To this end, the city will promote the establishment of the Yulgok Cultural Promotion Institute and the 'Yulgok Cultural Belt,' growth as a sports-centered city through a domed stadium and entry into K League 2, global advancement of DMZ peace tourism, completion of a stay-type peace tourism city, and creation of the Imjingang National Garden.

Mayor Kim stated, "I will continue to look only to our citizens, ensuring that no Paju citizen is left behind, and make Paju a 'city of opportunity.' By uniting the strength of our citizens, we will move toward a 'greater Paju centered on citizens.'"

Meanwhile, the city submitted a 2026 budget proposal of 2.3599 trillion won to the city council, an increase of 207.2 billion won compared to this year, stating, "Through proactive fiscal policy, we will protect citizens' lives, support livelihoods and the local economy, and prepare for the future."

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