Lee Jangwoo's 'Daejeon-Style Cheonggyecheon' vs. Heo Taejung's 'Three Major Youth Policies' Face Off

Lee: "No Integration of Daejeon and Chungnam under a Democratic Party Government"
Heo: "Fostering Daejeon as a Central Talent Development Anchor City in AI and More"

Lee Jangwoo, the People Power Party candidate for Daejeon Mayor (Photo by Mo Seokbong)

Lee Jangwoo, the People Power Party candidate for mayor of Daejeon, and Heo Taejung, the Democratic Party candidate for mayor of Daejeon, both unveiled their livelihood policy pledges on May 6, officially launching their competition to win over public sentiment through policy proposals.

Candidate Lee proposed converting the Hasang Road, which stretches from Cheondong in Dong-gu to Dunsandong in Seo-gu, into an underground tunnel (subaqueous tunnel) exclusively for passenger vehicles and transforming the surface into a waterfront park for citizens.

Currently, the Daedeokcheon riverbed is used as Hasang Road, significantly limiting its function as an ecological and waterfront-friendly space.

In particular, there have been ongoing issues such as frequent flooding during heavy rainfall, deteriorating residential environments in the old city center, delays in redevelopment and reconstruction, and the impairment of river functions.

Given that up to 73,000 vehicles use this route daily, there is a need for a multidimensional transformation of the traffic system, rather than a simple expansion.

This project will construct a four-lane, bidirectional tunnel with a design speed of 70 km/h over a total distance of 6.42 kilometers from Cheondong in Dong-gu to Dunsandong in Seo-gu. The total project cost is estimated at approximately 670 billion won. The plan is to prioritize implementation as a private investment project (for 30 to 50 years), after which a public finance project will be considered.

The core of this pledge is the concept of "Roads go underground, Nature returns to the citizens."

The plan is to completely move Hasang Road underground and convert the surface into an ecological and waterfront park, thereby creating a "Daejeon-style Cheonggyecheon."

This is expected to result in several benefits, including strengthening urban competitiveness by separating above-ground and underground spaces, expanding waterfront areas and park infrastructure, maximizing traffic efficiency, forming an economic belt connecting the old and new city centers, and increasing property values due to the creation of premium waterfront residential environments.

Candidate Lee emphasized, "Daedeokcheon is no longer a road. We will restore Daedeokcheon as a premium waterfront park, simultaneously enhancing citizens' quality of life and the city's asset value."

He added, "This pledge is not simply a road project, but an 'Urban Grand Transformation Project' that will innovate transportation, environment, and the economy all at once. We will create Korea's leading waterfront city model by connecting the old and new city centers around Daedeokcheon."

Lee also stated, "Because the Democratic Party government lacks basic philosophies such as local autonomy, there is a significant risk of unfortunate events occurring in the future. Therefore, I am firmly opposed to any integration between Daejeon and Chungnam."

Heo Taejung, Democratic Party Candidate for Mayor of Daejeon (Photo by Mok Seokbong)

Candidate Heo Taejung also announced three major youth policy pledges under the core keywords 'Job, Housing, Leisure,' promising to make Daejeon a special city for young people.

On this day, Heo presented three actionable pledges centered on: ▲youth education and job creation, ▲the supply of 5,000 youth housing units, and ▲the provision of youth cultural vouchers.

These pledges are not simply incentives to prevent young people from leaving Daejeon, but aim to build a foundation that allows the younger generation to naturally settle in Daejeon by creating an environment where they can stay.

Heo outlined a vision to make Daejeon a "central talent development anchor city" in the central region based on AI, bio, content, defense, energy, and manufacturing (ABCDEF).

The core of this vision is to provide all local youth with the employment information they need and to improve university department systems to meet the needs of businesses, thereby building a support system to help local youth find jobs at Daejeon's companies.

To achieve this, Heo announced plans to provide integrated information on local companies, jobs, and youth support policies through collaboration between Daejeon City, local universities, the chamber of commerce, and research institutes in Daedeok Innopolis. He also pledged to establish a youth job integration platform so that young people in Daejeon can find employment at local companies.

Heo also plans to create a youth technology startup fund that connects the research capabilities of universities and 27 government-funded research institutes to entrepreneurship, targeting the creation and nurturing of 1,000 youth venture companies, ranging from startup funding and mentoring to deep tech entrepreneurship.

Heo pledged to supply 5,000 youth housing units to reduce the housing cost burden for young people.

He emphasized the importance of residential conditions for youth housing, explaining that units would be supplied in easily accessible locations with well-developed transportation and living infrastructure, such as areas near subway stations and urban convergence districts.

Regarding the supply method, he outlined three approaches: ▲expanding the Daejeon Urban Corporation’s multi-unit housing project initiated during the 7th popularly elected administration, ▲collaboration with LH (Korea Land & Housing Corporation), and ▲applying the public-supported private youth rental model.

Additionally, Heo promised to provide cultural vouchers for the future generation to all teenagers and young adults aged 14 to 23 residing in Daejeon.

He plans to create a youth culture-dedicated wallet within the Ontong Daejeon 2.0 app, allowing users to spend vouchers on performances, exhibitions, movies, books, and experiences. The plan is to prioritize collaboration with local small business owners who have preserved Daejeon's local culture, such as independent bookstores, workshops, and small theaters, thereby channeling youth cultural spending into revitalizing the local economy.

Heo stated, "A city that young people leave has no future. We must create a structure that completely transforms young people's lives, not just provide simple support. Heo Taejung's vision for a special city for youth is not merely a support policy, but a promise to build a life structure in which young people can learn, work, live, and enjoy themselves in Daejeon."

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