Now Residents of 'Suwon,' No Longer 'Yongin'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young received a plaque of appreciation from Lee Sang-hee, head of the Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment residents' representative council, at the 'Suwon-Yongin boundary adjustment' resident harmony celebration held on the 9th in the garden at the back gate of Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon.

Mayor Yeom said, “I warmly welcome all of you who have become Suwon citizens along with the citizens of Suwon. It makes me truly happy to see the residents so pleased,” adding, “For the past seven years or so, we have worked to adjust the administrative boundary. I also thank Yongin Mayor Baek Gun-gi, who worked alongside us.”

The resident harmony celebration was attended by about 100 apartment residents, Representative Park Kwang-on (Suwon Jeong), and Gyeonggi Provincial Council Vice Chairwoman Ahn Hye-young, among others.

The Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment area had its administrative district adjusted from Yongin City to Suwon City when the 'Regulation on the Change of Jurisdiction Between Suwon City and Yongin City' took effect on the 13th of last month.

A 42,619.8㎡ semi-residential area around National Route 42 in Woncheon-dong, Suwon, was incorporated into Yongin City, while the 85,961㎡ Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment area in Yongin was incorporated into Suwon City. This is the first time in Korea that the administrative district of a city (市) area where residents live has been adjusted.

The living sphere of the Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment residents is Suwon, but the apartment was included in Yongin City in terms of administrative district during the development of the Yeongtong New Town. Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment ended up surrounded in a 'U' shape by Woncheon-dong and Yeongtong-dong, which are administrative districts of Suwon City.

In 2012, the boundary adjustment issue arose when residents of Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment demanded incorporation into Suwon City, citing issues such as the safety of their children's commute to school. Because of the unreasonable administrative boundary, elementary school students living in Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment had to walk more than 20 minutes to Yongin Heungdeok Elementary School, 1.19㎞ away, instead of Suwon Hwanggok Elementary School, a 4-minute walk (246m) away. There was also a significant safety issue as the route to school included a road with eight lanes in both directions.

Gyeonggi Province proposed a mediation plan in 2015, but Yongin City did not accept it. Several boundary adjustment plans were subsequently proposed, but an agreement was not easily reached. In June 2017, Suwon City proposed a policy on boundary adjustment to 'Gwanghwamun 1st Street' (a policy proposal platform). In November 2017, Mayor Yeom Tae-young also registered a petition titled 'Central Government, Please Actively Step Forward for the Adjustment of the Unreasonable Administrative Boundary' on the Cheong Wa Dae 'National Petition and Proposal' bulletin board.

When Mayor Yeom Tae-young and Yongin Mayor Baek Gun-gi were confirmed as the Suwon City and Yongin City mayoral candidates in last year's 7th nationwide simultaneous local elections, they promised, “If elected, let us surely adjust the administrative boundary for the residents.” After the launch of the 7th popularly elected government, Suwon City and Yongin City continued their boundary adjustment negotiations. Finally, in March, the Suwon City Council and the Yongin City Council expressed their approval of the boundary adjustment, and on April 4, the Gyeonggi Provincial Council held a plenary session and passed the 'Suwon-Yongin boundary adjustment' agenda item.

Through the 'Joint Agreement on Boundary Adjustment Between Suwon City and Yongin City' on April 18, Suwon City and Yongin City agreed to exchange the semi-residential area around National Route 42 in Woncheon-dong, Suwon, and the Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment area.

Owing to the administrative boundary adjustment, elementary school students living in the Cheongmyeong Centreville Apartment complex who have been attending Heungdeok Elementary School will be able to attend Hwanggok Elementary School, a 4-minute walk away, from next year.