2024-07-10 12:45:27
Kim Deok-hyeon, the mayor of Yeoncheon County, announced a vision for a 10 million local population era on the 2nd anniversary of the 8th local government election. On the 9th, Kim Deok-hyeon, the mayor of Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, said, “In order to achieve a 10 million local population by 2030, I will focus on building infrastructure, attracting cutting-edge industries, and revitalizing tourism with the spirit of shooting a tiger at a stone.”
At a press conference marking the second anniversary of the 8th elected term, held in the conference room on the 3rd floor of the county office building, Governor Kim Deok-hyeon said, “For the past two years, we have worked hard to improve the image of the region along with the establishment of a transportation network such as the opening of Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1,” and “In the second half of the 8th elected term, we will push forward major projects for the sustainable development of Yeoncheon at a rapid pace.” Governor Kim cited the opening of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 and National Route 3 alternative bypass, exceeding 2 million visitors, attracting the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire Academy Northern Campus, revitalizing regional festivals, and laying the foundation for designating an opportunity development special zone as achievements in the past two years of the 8th elected term. Governor Kim expressed his will to speed up major projects in the second half, and presented a plan to push forward the establishment of the National Cemetery, the creation of the Imjingang Companion Animal Theme Park and Memorial Hall, the creation of the Yeoncheon BIX Green Bio Cluster, and the early commencement of the Seoul-Yeoncheon Expressway.
Governor Kim Deok-hyeon emphasized, “In the latter half of the 8th local government term, there will be greater changes as we pursue various projects for the next 10 and 20 years for Yeoncheon-gun,” and “With the will of the people to move mountains, we will focus our administrative power on securing a future growth engine for Yeoncheon-gun and increasing the residential population and further, the settled population.”
If you were to list the major achievements of the 8th local government,
Major achievements over the past two years of the 8th elected government include the opening of the alternative bypass road for Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 and National Route 3, the establishment of the Gyeonggi Fire Academy Northern Campus, the establishment of a language training system for elementary, middle, and high schools, the establishment of a foundation for the designation of an opportunity development special zone, exceeding 2 million visitors to the region, the start of the development of the Yeoncheon BIX Green Bio Cluster, the reflection of the cost of preliminary surveys for the Seoul-Yeoncheon Expressway, and the development of the Imjin River Pet Theme Park. Yeoncheon-gun’s long-awaited Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 (extension from Dongducheon to Yeoncheon) opened in December of last year. With the opening of Line 1, the transportation network surrounding Yeoncheon-gun has been dramatically improved. Expectations for regional development are high as it is now possible to travel from Yeoncheon to Seoul by subway in one go. The regional economy is becoming more active as the synergy between the Sangpae-Cheongsan section of the alternative bypass road for National Route 3, which opened in May of last year, and Subway Line 1 are creating. The National Route 3 alternative bypass is a 36.7km long, north-south road that connects the Seoul border to Yeoncheon via Uijeongbu, Yangju, and Dongducheon. With the opening of the National Route 3 alternative bypass, the transportation network has improved, allowing a drive from Yeoncheon to the Seoul border in about 40 to 50 minutes. With improved transportation accessibility, the number of visitors to Yeoncheon last year exceeded 2 million. With the expansion of the transportation network, the number of visitors to the region is expected to increase each year.
The blueprint for achieving a population of 10 million
In order to achieve a population of 10 million by 2030, we will build infrastructure such as the creation of a national cemetery, construction of a comprehensive funeral facility, attraction of a national veterans welfare facility, creation of an edu healthcare town, and establishment of a new Eun-tong Station. In particular, as transportation accessibility has improved, we will focus on developing tourism infrastructure and content centered around the Imjin River area. In the latter half of the 8th local government, we plan to strategically develop unique tourism resources in the Imjin River area to enhance the image of the region. We plan to divide the region into three areas and develop them systematically. First, we will promote a plan to designate the Imjin River basin, which connects the Peace Wetland, Daepsari Garden, and Yeongang Forest, as a national garden by 2030. In addition, we plan to activate the Jungmyeon Typhoon Observatory as a DMZ security tourism base and develop Yeongang Forest (Greeting Man) as a viewing spot. We will actively promote the creation of the Imjin River pet theme park and memorial hall, and seek to be designated as a pet-friendly city by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In addition, we will build the Imjin River Columnar Joint Tourism Center, explore the tourist resources of Gorangpo Port, and revitalize the local economy by attracting private investment in golf courses and condominiums (accommodation facilities).
Gyeonggi-do Firefighting Academy Northern Campus was established. Future plans are as follows:
The Gyeonggi Fire Academy Northern Campus will be built on a 212,541㎡ site in Tongguri, Baekhak-myeon with a total project cost of KRW 49.3 billion by 2029, consisting of four buildings: a living welfare center, a provincial safety camp, a northern specialized education and training center, and a basic education and training center. Each building will have student accommodations, a restaurant, and a lounge, as well as facilities such as an open safety education center, an outdoor specialized training center, accommodations and camping camps, a healing forest, a state-of-the-art integrated tactical training center, a rescue and emergency training center, a fire truck driving training center, a fire training tower, and a fire facility training center. It is expected to help revitalize the local economy, as it is expected to attract at least 50,000 visitors annually, including firefighters and related personnel, as well as create jobs in the region. With the establishment of the Gyeonggi Fire Academy Northern Campus, Yeoncheon-gun will establish itself as the center of fire training and education in northern Gyeonggi Province. In the future, it plans to revitalize the tourism industry by linking safety education programs with famous places in the region, such as Jain Falls and Paleolithic relics.
The city of Seoul is promoting the creation of a companion animal theme park and memorial hall.
In January of this year, we signed a ‘Business Agreement for the Establishment of a Pet Theme Park and Memorial Hall’ with Seoul City. We plan to establish the largest pet theme park in the metropolitan area in the Samgeori and Seongok-ri areas of Gunnam-myeon by 2027. The pet theme park will be approximately 120,000 m2 and will consist of various facilities where you can enjoy with your pets, such as caravans, glamping, auto camping sites, dog-friendly swimming pools, dog playgrounds and training centers, and animal grooming salons. The pet memorial hall will be approximately 40,000 m2 and will include a pet crematorium or drying area, a columbarium, etc. We will communicate closely with Seoul City for the success of the pet theme park and memorial hall construction project.
The National Cemetery will break ground in the second half of the year. Future plans
The Yeoncheon National Cemetery is a project to build a 50,000-capacity burial facility and auxiliary facilities on the Daegwang-ri site (939,200㎡). The Yeoncheon National Cemetery will include a burial hall, a memorial hall, and a plaza for the patriots. Once the Yeoncheon National Cemetery is built, it will be the third national cemetery in the country, following Seoul and Daejeon. Our military plans to build an open national cemetery that anyone can visit and use it as a place to foster the spirit of heroism and security education. While creating a memorial park representing the Republic of Korea, it plans to vitalize the local economy, including Sinsu-myeon, by linking security, culture, and tourism. Last year, through a working-level consultative meeting, we discussed the surrounding road maintenance plan, including the construction of a new access road, measures to relieve traffic congestion, and improvements to the environment around the cemetery. We will do our best to complete the detailed design in the second half of the year, start construction, and complete the cemetery.
How is the Yeoncheon BIX Green Bio Cluster promoted?
Last December, Gyeonggi Province, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Dongguk University, Hanmi Trading Co., Ltd., CTC Bio Co., Ltd., Woori Technology Co., Ltd., and T&L Co., Ltd. signed a ‘Gyeonggi Northern (Yeoncheon) Green Bio Cluster Creation Business Agreement’ with 10 organizations and companies. In the future, we plan to establish an industrialization support center and promote the cultivation of Yeoncheon’s specialty crops such as hemp (industrial hemp), ginseng, and yulmu. We also plan to foster green bio experts in cooperation with universities and promote laws and regulatory reforms necessary for industrial revitalization. Yeoncheon BIX is price competitive with a per-pyeong selling price of approximately KRW 830,000, which is only half that of other industrial complexes in the metropolitan area. We plan to actively attract excellent companies by emphasizing the improved accessibility to Seoul and Gyeonggi-do cities and counties with the opening of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 and National Road 3 alternative bypass.
How will the Ministry of Finance utilize its second home policy?
While steadily building infrastructure, we plan to actively utilize the second home policy announced by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. The second home special is a policy that recognizes a single-home owner as a “single-home owner” even if they acquire an additional home in Yeoncheon-gun. If a single-home owner in the metropolitan area purchases a home in Yeoncheon-gun, a second home special area, they will be recognized as a single-home owner and will be able to receive the same 80% transfer tax benefit when transferring their existing long-term home. Yeoncheon-gun is the best place for middle-aged and older people nearing retirement to realize their romantic dream of enjoying life in the countryside. One of its strengths is its excellent accessibility compared to other regions due to the construction of a transportation network, including the opening of Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1. In the future, we plan to focus on increasing the residential and living population by prioritizing the expansion of transportation infrastructure.
Lastly, a word to the people of Yeoncheon County
During the past two years of the 8th local government, I have worked hard to communicate on the ground and listen to the voices of Yeoncheon residents. Although there were difficult times, I tried not to lose my original intention of working for a better life for the residents. In the future, I will devote all my capabilities to eliminating inconveniences in the lives of the residents and making living in Yeoncheon a source of pride. I will unite the hearts of all 700 public officials, including myself, and move forward vigorously for the remaining two years.
Queen Choi Ha Na reporter photo Yeoncheon-gun
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2024-07-10 12:45:27