Special Feature Uijeongbu City Lays Foundation for '100 Years of Growth Momentum'
Mayor Ahn Byung-yong of Uijeongbu City announced on the 29th the key achievements of the 6th popularly-elected administration's three-year term, citing the Uijeongbu Complex Cultural Convergence District Development Project, the Jikdong and Chudong Neighborhood Parks Development Project, and the preliminary feasibility study approval for the Line 7 Subway Extension Project, while detailing major business progress by sector.
Uijeongbu City is accelerating the Uijeongbu Complex Cultural Convergence District Development Project to break away from its image as a military city and leap toward becoming a central hub for culture, tourism, and shopping, while laying the groundwork for growth momentum for the next 100 years to create jobs and provide a groundbreaking opportunity for regional economic revitalization.
The city plans to complete the development project by December 2019 with a total investment of 382.4 billion won on an area of 621,774 square meters in the Sangok-dong district (address: 396 Sangok-dong, Uijeongbu).
The city established a public-private joint venture business agreement and corporation on May 30, and announced plans for business implementation approval notice in October, commencement of land compensation in July 2018, and completion in December 2019 after pursuing expropriation and adjudication.
Additionally, Uijeongbu City is pioneering the nation's first approach to urban park development using private sector funding, registering the park land with hundreds of billions of won in cash value as city assets, thereby enhancing Uijeongbu City's brand value and stature while presenting a new administrative role model for the Republic of Korea.
Jikdong Park is planned with an investment of 116.367 billion won in private capital from September 2014 through December 2018 to develop park and non-park facilities on an area of 427,617 square meters.
Chudong Park is planned with an investment of 132 billion won in private capital from October 2014 through December 2020 to develop park and non-park facilities on an area of 867,804 square meters," the city said.
Additionally, Uijeongbu City is making every effort to ensure the preliminary feasibility study passes for the Line 7 Subway Extension Project, a long-cherished aspiration of residents in Northern Gyeonggi Province, as the first step in promoting regional balanced development through the establishment of improved transportation infrastructure," the mayor stated.
The Line 7 Extension Project is an undertaking running from 2013 through 2023 involving an investment of 633.7 billion won on a 14.99-kilometer section from Dobongsan Station to Jangam Station to Tapseok Station to Yangju Okjeong District.
Uijeongbu City is making every effort to reignite the declining local economy and create stable, secure jobs so that youth and job seekers struggling with employment difficulties can have smiles on their faces," the city stated, adding that through the Uijeongbu Commercial District Revitalization Foundation, it is providing joint marketing support and management assistance to strengthen the competitiveness of traditional market storefronts and other alley commercial districts. The city has also conducted contract negotiations and open bidding for storefronts in the Uijeongbu Underground Shopping Arcade for activation purposes, and is enabling vacant storefronts to be leased to multicultural families, youth startups, ventures, and social enterprises while promoting facility improvement projects for the underground shopping arcade.
Additionally, to create quality jobs with guaranteed employment, the city is activating demand-tailored job training programs and job center operations. The job centers operate through 17 locations including City Hall, Uijeongbu Station, Hoeryong Station, and neighborhood community centers, offering job placement and referral services for both job seekers and employers as well as customized programs to improve employment rates.
After being designated as an innovative education district, Uijeongbu City has achieved remarkable results through differentiated innovative education district projects, including improvements in students' academic achievement and increased college enrollment rates for four-year universities, and continues to invest in future values to foster creative talent.
To develop Uijeongbu City into an education-centered city, the city is actively promoting projects including the establishment of the Eulji University Uijeongbu Campus and affiliated hospital, activation of the Lifelong Education Vision Center, Season II of the Innovative Education District Project, and operation of various programs for youth.
The Eulji University Uijeongbu Campus and affiliated hospital are being constructed on the Camp Essayonk site in Geum-o-dong, Uijeongbu, with scheduled completion by October 2020. The university will have a capacity of 702 students, and the hospital will have approximately 1,234 beds.
The Lifelong Education Vision Center operates strategic lifelong education planning, enhanced management systems, society-participation and life-cycle-tailored customized programs, and village-level and community lifelong education programs.
The Innovative Education District Project Season II targets 4 public standalone kindergartens, 68 elementary, middle, and high schools, and 9 projects through 2020, working to improve Uijeongbu academic performance, innovate school culture, develop youth future competencies, build educational infrastructure, and establish community education networks.
Through the establishment and operation of the Youth Development Foundation, the city is promoting various programs for youth, implementing enjoyable and vibrant youth cultural events, and making every effort to create safe living environments for young people," it stated.
Additionally, Uijeongbu City is improving traffic flow and expanding transportation infrastructure throughout the city through the opening of north-south roads connecting Seoul, road expansion in front of the Island Castle in Jangam-dong, and early construction commencement of the Line 7 Subway Extension Project.
Through the National Road 39 expansion project, the city is widening roads in the section from Yangju City boundary to the entrance of Uijeongbu Ganeung Water Purification Plant, expanding roads in front of Island Castle in Jangam-dong, opening roads between Sangdo Bridge and Hojang Bridge, and developing urban planning roads including 3 major roads, 10 secondary roads, and 5 minor roads throughout the city.
To improve customized traffic systems that are safe and comfortable, the city is constructing bus arrival information systems, installing unmanned enforcement cameras, maintaining the regional transportation information system, operating traffic information centers, installing traffic signal facilities, repainting lane markings throughout the city, and replacing aging traffic facilities," the city stated. It is also promoting public transportation usage by improving transportation company management to continuously operate remote bus routes and is adjusting and providing financial support for village bus routes.
The city is also developing parking lots in general residential areas, including the Uiseo Park Underground Parking Lot, smart parking lots, parking facilities utilizing the underpass of the external line, and parking lots utilizing returned loaned land.
In particular, the city stated it is conducting ongoing inspections and maintenance on 17,851 road lighting locations to ensure pedestrian safety.
Additionally, Uijeongbu City stated that it is making every effort to ensure that those facing difficulties in daily life are guaranteed a minimum foundation for living, and that neglected and lonely neighbors receive consistent care and consideration.
To promote a culture of sharing through public-private cooperation, the city is implementing service linkages with individuals, institutions, and organizations in the community, sharing kimchi-making happiness multiplication projects, special condolence visits to low-income vulnerable groups, and 100-day love relay baton-passing campaigns. To strengthen self-reliance support for income levels, the city is expanding city gas supply to vulnerable areas, discovering and supporting people in welfare blind spots, establishing public-private cooperation welfare safety nets, providing improved quality-of-life allowances for low-income groups, and operating visiting welfare counseling centers," it stated.
For vibrant aging and an inclusive society without discrimination, the city is promoting projects including the establishment of an integrated veterans welfare center to improve welfare for veterans' families, design services for the construction of Nokyang Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, establishment and operation of a support center for families with disabilities, expansion construction of the Disabled Person's Comprehensive Welfare Center, remodeling of Heungseong Elderly Welfare Center, and enhancement of mobility convenience for transportation-disadvantaged people using private taxis.
To create an environment where children and women are happy, the city is operating women's restart centers and women worker welfare centers, preventing violence against women and supporting victims, creating stable living environments for vulnerable children, fostering family-friendly social atmosphere, providing customized childcare services for families in crisis, creating comfortable childcare environments and supporting home-based childcare, and providing demand-oriented customized childcare services.
Uijeongbu City stated that although various advanced facilities make life convenient, the risks and occurrence of safety accidents are increasing, and therefore, the city is thoroughly preparing for safety management in the event of potential emergencies rather than dismissing them.
The city is constructing a CCTV integrated control center and promoting local and small stream improvement projects including post-monitoring service for Baekseok Stream, Buyong Stream maintenance service, Jangam Stream small stream improvement, Angol Stream small stream improvement, Bundoo Stream culvert construction, and Ssangam Stream repair and reinforcement projects. The city is also promoting performance evaluation and seismic reinforcement of public facilities and has established a disaster management comprehensive system to conduct comprehensive safety inspections of multi-use facilities," it stated.
Additionally, through the beautiful urban environment creation project, the city is promoting the Jikdong and Chudong Neighborhood Parks Development Project, crime prevention environmental design (CPTED) creation project, infinite imagination citizen gardens through community cooperation, creating comfortable and beautiful park environments, Chudong Wellbeing Park creation project, beautiful flower path creation, and region-customized park remodeling projects.
Uijeongbu City stated that the city, which has served its role in national security through the stationing of U.S. military forces for over 60 years, is making every effort to become a thriving city where culture, art, and tourism are harmonized, and to contribute to the Republic of Korea through the economy. To realize Uijeongbu as a city of hope, the city is promoting Korean-Chinese commemoration project activation, U.S. 2nd Infantry Division 100th anniversary commemoration project, construction of symbolic structures promoting Korea-U.S. friendship, and the CRC security-themed tourism complex development project," it stated.
Additionally, Uijeongbu City is opening and operating the Uijeongbu Video Media Center to provide opportunities for cultural and artistic appreciation, fostering community cultural arts tailored to citizens' interests, and supporting local festivals suited to regional characteristics. To promote a social atmosphere full of health, the city is promoting projects including Sureaksan Doule-gil creation, activation support for community and elite sports, elite sports development support, construction of the Art Specialized Library, Balgok Library, and Gaejaul Library, activation of small libraries in shared housing complexes, construction of the Uijeongbu Curling Facility, and Camp La Guardia Sports Park creation project," it stated.
Uijeongbu City stated that courteous administrative service provision and integrity cannot be overemphasized, and that the city is leading strategic development of city administration through discovery of creative ideas and policies while creating new paradigms in administration. To provide customer-centered administrative services, the city is implementing the opening of Heungseong-dong Administrative Welfare Center, activation of the Administrative Innovation Committee, provision of customized civil service tailored to citizens' needs, and one-stop services for family relationship registration by life cycle.
The city is also achieving integrity-first city status by inducing citizen participation in audits, establishing fair audit systems, conducting contract reviews and routine audits, cultivating integrity advocates, and operating integrity academies.