Hong Taeyong, Gimhae Mayoral Candidate, Vows to Create a Safe, Convenient, and Livable Gimhae

Announcement of Seven Major Pledges on Transportation, Urban Development, and Housing

Hong Taeyong, the preliminary candidate for mayor of Gimhae, Gyeongnam from the People Power Party, has announced seven major pledges related to transportation, urban development, and housing.

On April 29, at a press conference held at the Gimhae City Hall press center, Hong stated, "I promise a comprehensive plan for the great transformation of Gimhae, connecting safe and convenient transportation, seamless urban services, a livable environment, and the creation of a future-oriented artificial intelligence (AI) city."

He continued, "After leaving Gimhae City Hall, where I devoted four years of hard work, I was able to look at Gimhae from the citizens' perspective and closer to their daily lives for about 20 days. There are still challenges for Gimhae to overcome, such as inconveniences during morning commutes, concerns of parents raising children, long travel times to access administrative services, and the desire for change in aging downtown areas and residential neighborhoods."

He emphasized, "A city does not improve just with words. Transportation must be convenient, administration must be accessible, the residential environment must be improved, and culture and leisure must become part of everyday life."

He then presented the following seven pledges: ▲Creation of Gaya Central Park ▲Development of Gimhae AI Innovation City ▲Overhaul of public transportation ▲Expansion of child protection zones, or 'Chick Zones,' around daycare centers ▲Upgrading Jangyu Branch Office and Jinyeong-eup Administrative Welfare Center ▲Expansion of regional integrated cultural centers ▲Pilot projects for the renovation of aging planned urban districts.

Hong Taeyong, the preliminary candidate for mayor of Gimhae, Gyeongnam from the People Power Party, is announcing his policy pledges. [Photo by Hong Taeyong's campaign office]

First, Hong pledged, "I will connect the resources of Gimhae's original downtown—including Yeonji Park, Haebancheon, the National Gimhae Museum, and the megalithic tombs in Gusan-dong—into a single network to create an urban healing corridor filled with walkable green spaces, water features, and vibrant history and culture. By revitalizing downtown tourism and commercial districts and creating Gaya Central Park, where Gaya history meets everyday life, I will make it a symbolic landmark of Gimhae."

He added, "We will pursue this with a roadmap that extends beyond a local garden to a national garden and ultimately to a UNESCO World Garden."

He continued, "Through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Urban Convergence Special Zone project, we will establish an innovation hub centered around Jangyu Station, bringing together industries such as AI, smart manufacturing, logistics tech, and mobility. By creating a city where young people want to stay—where workplaces, residences, and culture are seamlessly integrated—we will transform Gimhae into a future-oriented innovation city that will attract nationwide attention."

He also promised, "We will strengthen the internal connections of the Jangyu and Jinyeong living areas with demand-responsive transportation (DRT) services, and make regional commuting to areas such as Changwon faster and more convenient with bus rapid transit (BRT) routes. Transportation-oriented development around Gimhae Station, Jangyu Station, and Buryam Station will drive both transportation and urban growth together."

Additionally, the 'Chick Zone' child protection areas around daycare centers, which were implemented for the first time in the country during the 8th popularly elected administration, will be expanded to 10 pilot locations within the first 100 days of the 9th administration.

He also revealed plans to upgrade the Jangyu Branch Office to Jangyu Government Office, and the Jinyeong-eup Administrative Welfare Center to Jinyeong Branch Office.

The integrated cultural centers for different regions will be expanded step by step: Station-U for youth, Station-G for young adults, and Station-L for women.

In the old planned urban districts of Jangyu, Naeoe, and Bukbu-dong, improvements will be made not only to housing, but also to transportation, parking, parks, pedestrian walkways, and commercial districts.

Hong stated, "I promise not to stop but to complete the transformation that began in Gimhae during the 8th popularly elected administration. The seeds sown together with the citizens during the 8th term will bear fruit in the 9th term."

He added, "Together with the citizens of Gimhae, I, Hong Taeyong, will create a city where children are safer, commuting is more convenient, administration is more accessible, the residential environment is improved, and a future-oriented AI city that attracts young people and future industries."

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