Mayor Lee Hyunjae: "Hanam's Transformation Is Thanks to Our Tireless Public Officials"

Hanam City Presents Vision for "Hanam as a Global Economic Hub City"

On February 4, Hanam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Hyunjae) held this year's first monthly meeting at the annex main auditorium, sharing key municipal achievements such as the full-fledged launch of the Camp Colbern development project and presenting its vision for "Hanam as a Global Economic Hub City."

Lee Hyunjae, mayor of Hanam City, is holding the year's first monthly meeting at the annex auditorium on the 4th. Photo provided by Hanam City.

This meeting was organized at the start of the new year as an opportunity for citizens and public officials to share the direction of municipal administration and to reaffirm Hanam City's future vision.

In his opening remarks, Hanam Mayor Lee Hyunjae praised the efforts of public officials who have taken the lead in resolving the city's long-standing and difficult issues, citing three specific examples.

First, he announced that the "Camp Colbern Corporate Attraction" project, which had repeatedly fallen through or failed for 20 years, has reached a turning point. Mayor Lee explained that, as a result of the fourth call for proposals for the Camp Colbern site, where development had not progressed for two decades, two consortia recently submitted bids, giving strong momentum to the promotion of the project.

He particularly gave high marks to the passion of the staff of the Future City Project Group and the Bureau of Economy and Culture, who worked tirelessly day and night during this process, noting that their efforts have created a new driving force for Hanam’s development.

He then cited as another major achievement the "Misa North Park–Han River Pedestrian Bridge" project, which had been delayed for nearly seven years but has finally borne fruit. With a total project cost of 13.3 billion won, this project had faced difficulties due to issues such as obstacles within the construction zone. However, as it was vigorously pursued as a key pledge of the 8th popularly elected municipal administration, construction will finally begin on the 11th. Mayor Lee expressed deep gratitude to the staff of the Bureau of Transportation and Construction, who were in charge of practical affairs, mentioning each of them by name and commending their unwavering dedication to securing citizens’ right to mobility and safety.

He also praised as a model case for municipal administration the expertise and perseverance of public officials at the Eco-Friendly Facility Office, who resolved a six-year conflict with LH over the cost of expanding wastewater treatment facilities and contributed to the city’s finances by recovering 23.5 billion won in settlement funds.

Mayor Lee emphasized that, for these municipal achievements to translate into better administrative services for citizens, it is essential to boost public officials’ morale and strengthen their professionalism.

To this end, Hanam City is further solidifying a "performance-based and fair compensation system." During the meeting, nine employees who had demonstrated tangible results through strict PT evaluations and other processes were recognized with special promotions or performance bonuses amounting to 200% of their base pay. This is intended not merely as an internal benefit, but as a way to establish a culture in which hardworking public officials receive fair treatment, thereby ultimately providing citizens with the highest level of administrative services.

In particular, the 4.5-day workweek system, which is being implemented for the first time among local governments in the Seoul metropolitan area, and various education support measures are being pursued based on the belief that the capabilities of public officials are directly linked to citizens’ happiness. The 4.5-day workweek applies to all public officials, but is being piloted and operated by department, with participation capped at 30% of staff in each unit. In particular, to prevent any gaps in essential administrative functions such as civil complaint services, the vacancy rate on the Fridays concerned is strictly managed to remain within 30%. Mayor Lee explained that the introduction of the 4.5-day system will improve work efficiency and serve as a driving force in maintaining Hanam’s reputation as the number one city in the nation for civil complaint administrative services.

He also made it clear that supporting public officials’ graduate studies, overseas benchmarking, and the "Lunch & Learn" program is a long-term investment aimed at enabling staff to gain broader perspectives and higher expertise so they can develop policies that citizens can tangibly feel.

In the special lecture that followed, Kim Jayoun, CEO of JY Branding Co., Ltd., presented a development roadmap for Hanam City under the theme of "Urban Rebranding Strategy for Hanam City." Kim stressed the need to establish a brand that will allow Hanam to fully maximize its geographical value and transform itself into a vibrant, self-sufficient city where companies and people gather, heightening the atmosphere at the venue.

Mayor Lee said, "Winning the Presidential Award for civil complaint administrative services for two consecutive years and ranking among the top cities in the Seoul metropolitan area in terms of quality of life are the results of public officials taking ownership and listening closely to citizens' voices," and added, "When public officials work with pride, citizens’ quality of life improves as well. I ask everyone to move forward as one so that Hanam City can grow into a global economic hub city that citizens are proud of."

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