Suwon City's Mangpo-dong and Hwaseong City's Banjeong-dong Administrative Boundary Adjustment Passes Cabinet Meeting
[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] An 'irrational administrative boundary adjustment' between Suwon City's Mangpo-dong area and Hwaseong City's Banjeong-dong area will be realized.
The 'Regulation on Changes in the Jurisdiction of Suwon City and Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province' submitted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety was approved at the Cabinet Meeting on the 16th. The boundary adjustment ordinance is scheduled to be promulgated on June 23rd and implemented on July 23rd. Once the boundary adjustment ordinance takes effect, the administrative boundary adjustment will be completed.
Suwon City and Hwaseong City plan to exchange equal areas (198,825㎡) between Suwon's Mangpo-dong area and Hwaseong City's Banjeong-dong area.
The area where the administrative boundary adjustment will take place has a deformed boundary. Part of Hwaseong City's Banjeong-dong is deeply embedded into Sindongjiggu in an 'n' shape, surrounded on three sides by Suwon City.
Had the administrative boundary not been adjusted, residents in apartments in Banjeong-dong would have to use a Hwaseong City resident center 3 kilometers away instead of the nearby Suwon City resident center, and students would have to attend schools far away rather than schools within the complex.
Discussions on administrative boundary adjustment between Suwon and Hwaseong began when Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recommended that 'a comprehensive development plan including Hwaseong City administrative area be established' when approving the '2030 Suwon City Master Plan' in 2014.
Suwon City actively engaged in discussions on administrative boundary adjustment with 'resident convenience' as the top priority, but the two local governments had different views and reached an agreement only with difficulty.
In June 2017, Suwon City submitted a policy proposal regarding boundary adjustment to 'Gwanghwamun 1-ga' (policy proposal platform), and Mayor Yeom Tae-young registered a petition on the Blue House's 'National Petition and Proposal' bulletin board in November of the same year, appealing that "the government should actively mediate so that boundary adjustment can be made prioritizing residents' opinions."
In his petition, Mayor Yeom stated, "When apartment complexes are built, residents belonging to Hwaseong City's Banjeong-dong will have to use a Hwaseong City resident center 3 kilometers away despite having a nearby Suwon City resident center," and expressed regret, saying "students will also have to attend schools several kilometers away in Hwaseong City despite schools within the site."
In November 2018, Suwon, Hwaseong, and Osan cities concluded the 'Sansuwhwa Mutual Prosperity Agreement,' promising to 'establish a cooperative system,' and serious discussions on administrative boundary adjustment began. When Suwon City presented positive opinions on four cooperative projects demanded by the Hwaseong City Council, a green light was given for the boundary adjustment.
The Suwon City Council unanimously passed the 'Suwon-Hwaseong Boundary Adjustment Opinion Inquiry' at a plenary session held on June 25th last year, and the Hwaseong City Council passed the 'Hwaseong City Banjeong-dong and Suwon City Youngtong-gu Administrative Division Change Opinion Inquiry' with support on October 28th of the same year.
As both city councils passed the boundary adjustment opinion inquiry, the administrative boundary adjustment between the two cities gained momentum. It was an achievement after 5 years of boundary adjustment discussions. On December 20th, the Gyeonggi Province Council passed the opinion inquiry regarding boundary adjustment between Suwon's Mangpo-dong and Hwaseong's Banjeong-dong.
On December 23rd last year, Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, and Hwaseong City concluded a 'Joint Agreement for Adjusting Irrational Administrative Boundary between Suwon City and Hwaseong City,' agreeing to cooperate to minimize residents' inconvenience during the administrative boundary adjustment process.
Gyeonggi Province recommended the boundary adjustment plan to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on January 2nd this year, and the ministry submitted it to the Cabinet Meeting after legislative notice.
Suwon City succeeded in irrational administrative boundary adjustment with Uiwang City in 2013 and with Yongin City in 2019. In particular, the administrative boundary adjustment with Yongin City was an achievement accomplished after 7 years.
The administrative boundary adjustment between Suwon and Yongin was realized when the 'Regulation on Changes in the Jurisdiction of Suwon City and Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province' took effect on September 13th last year.
42,619.8㎡ of semi-residential area around National Route 42 in Suwon's Woncheon-dong was incorporated into Yongin City, and 85,961㎡ of Yongin's Cheongmyeong Centrevill Apartment area was incorporated into Suwon City. This was the first case in Korea where the administrative area of a city area where residents live was adjusted.
The administrative boundary adjustment between Suwon and Hwaseong is the second case where the administrative area of a city area where residents live was adjusted.
An official at Suwon City stated, "Over the past six-plus years of efforts with Hwaseong City for administrative boundary adjustment, we were able to reconfirm the fact that 'administration must prioritize resident convenience,'" and added, "We appreciate all those who made efforts together for the boundary adjustment."