Mayor Yeom Tae-young of Suwon Marks First Anniversary of Seventh Elected Term... "Moving Forward Vigorously Toward Completion of Greater Suwon"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kang Han-seo] On July 1st, marking the first anniversary of his inauguration in the seventh elected term, Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young expressed his commitment, saying "I will move forward vigorously with citizens toward the completion of 'people-centered, greater Suwon'," adding that "Greater Suwon is a city where citizens are the masters and possess status and dignity comparable to world-renowned cities."

How much has "Greater Suwon" been completed over the past year? On the occasion of the first anniversary of the seventh elected term, Suwon City reviewed its achievements chronologically over the past year.

In July 2018, Suwon City's Labor-Management-Government Council determined the 2019 "living wage" for Suwon at 10,000 won per hour. This was one step ahead of President Moon Jae-in's "2020 minimum wage of 10,000 won pledge."

The "living wage" goes one step beyond the minimum wage to ensure people can maintain "a dignified life." Living wage recipients include irregular contract workers employed by Suwon City, Suwon City-funded organizations, and commissioned agencies.

In October of last year, the city produced the first domestically replicated copies of one colored version of the Korean-language "Jeongli Uigwe" (Protocols for Burial Rites) held by the French National Library and 12 copies held by the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations Library.

The Korean-language "Jeongli Uigwe" is a comprehensive Korean compilation of protocols including the "Hyungnyungwon Uigwe," "Wonhaengeul-myo Jeongli Uigwe," and "Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe"—a rare edition not found in Korea. The replicas will be used as research materials for the restoration of Hwaseong Fortress.

In November, the city began the "Suwon Human Housing" project, which provides free housing support to multi-child families and other vulnerable groups facing housing difficulties. Suwon Human Housing is a rental housing program supporting housing-vulnerable populations as part of housing welfare policy.

A family with six children moved in first on November 26th, and a family with eight children moved in second on December 2nd. To date, 10 families with five or more children and no homes have moved into Suwon Human Housing.

In December, the "Suwon City Hall Women's Ice Hockey Team" held its founding ceremony and took its first steps. Suwon City had announced the establishment of a women's ice hockey team in January 2018, ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening. The pledge was realized in just 11 months.

In his founding address, Mayor Yeom Tae-young stated, "We have established this professional team to inherit and develop the peace legacy of the inter-Korean women's ice hockey unified team, which was the first step in the Korean Peninsula peace process."

In March this year, Suwon High Court and the Suwon Prosecutors' Office, the nation's sixth high court, opened their doors. The "Suwon High Court era" dawned 12 years after the high court establishment bill was first introduced to the National Assembly in July 2007.

Suwon became the sixth city in Korea to have a high court and prosecutors' office, following Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, Daegu, and Gwangju, and the only basic local government to have such institutions. With the establishment of Suwon High Court and Prosecutors' Office, Suwon City gained the status of a metropolitan city.

On March 29th, the Suwon Convention Center, which will serve as the center of the MICE industry in southern Gyeonggi Province, opened its doors. With a total floor area of 97,602 square meters and consisting of two basement and five above-ground floors, the center features convention halls, exhibition halls, event halls, meeting rooms (28 rooms), and a cloud garden (rooftop).

The city plans to develop a MICE complex centered on the Suwon Convention Center. Supporting facilities including hotels, department stores, and aquariums are scheduled to open around the convention center next year. In May, the "2019 Korea Youth Expo" was held at the Suwon Convention Center, attracting a record-breaking 170,000 participants.

The long-standing task of "unreasonable administrative boundary adjustment" between Suwon and Yongin bore fruit in April. Suwon City and Yongin City signed a "Joint Agreement for Boundary Adjustment" and pledged to cooperate to ensure smooth boundary adjustment.

Due to unreasonable administrative boundaries, elementary students from the Yongin Cheongmyeong Centrevillea apartment complex, who currently attend Heungdeok Elementary School, a 20-minute walk away, will be able to attend Suwon Hwanggok Elementary School, only a 4-minute walk, starting as early as next year.

On May 28th, the "Suwon-Hwaseong-Osan Mutual Cooperation Council" held its launching ceremony. On May 28th last year, ahead of the nationwide local elections, Mayor Yeom Tae-young, Hwaseong Mayor Seo Chul-mo, and Osan Mayor Kwak Sang-wook declared "mutually beneficial development among Suwon, Hwaseong, and Osan" and promised to "establish a cooperation framework for mutual development among the three cities after the launch of the seventh elected term," which was realized exactly one year later.