Hwaseong Special City Born on January 1, 2025...Fifth in the Nation

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] On January 1, 2025, as the new year of the Year of the Snake dawned, 'Hwaseong Special City' was born.

Hwaseong Special City held a quiet and solemn launch ceremony, considering the atmosphere of mourning for victims and bereaved families of the Jeju Air aircraft accident, holding a commemorative plaque unveiling and memorial tree planting.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun, Hwaseong Special City Council Chairman Bae Jeong-soo, National Assembly members Kwon Chil-seung and Song Ok-joo, city and provincial council members, civic representatives, business leaders, and government officials.

The event was held to commemorate Hwaseong City's launch as a special city and to reaffirm new aspirations for development. At the plaque unveiling ceremony held in the central lobby of City Hall, attendees unveiled the commemorative plaque symbolizing the special city launch and the Hwaseong Special City Charter, wishing for future prosperity.

The slogan 'Special Citizens, Shining City, Hwaseong Special City' carries the determination to present a new model of local government as a metropolitan area of 1.04 million people and to provide better administrative services to citizens, going beyond a simple name change.

At the subsequent memorial tree planting, a golden pine tree was planted to wish for Hwaseong Special City's endless development and prosperity. The pine tree symbolizes Hwaseong Special City and particularly signifies longevity and prosperity, carrying hopes for a bright future for the special city.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun paid tribute at the memorial tower on the morning of the special city launch, honoring the spirit of fallen patriots and national heroes, and praying for renewed determination in city administration and the well-being of citizens.

Approximately 100 people, including city council members, national assembly members, party chiefs and regional committee chairpersons by party, and veterans' organization leaders, participated in the memorial tower tribute. Led by Mayor Jeong, participants made floral offerings and burned incense, followed by New Year greetings.

Setting Sail Toward 'Special Citizens, Shining City' With the Aspirations of 1.04 Million Citizens

Hwaseong Special City, officially launched as a special city today, has grown from a small city of 210,000 people at the time of city status designation in 2001 to a metropolitan area of over one million in 23 years, establishing a new milestone in South Korea's local government history.

As the fifth special city in the nation, Hwaseong Special City represents the result of demonstrating Hwaseong's strength through continuous development and innovation beyond simple population growth.

A special city is a new local government system model that maintains the status of a basic local government while being granted administrative and financial authority equivalent to metropolitan cities. For cities with over one million residents, the need to respond to metropolitan administrative demands and efficiently promote regional development has grown, but many have faced difficulties due to their legal status as basic local governments. The special city system was introduced to address these problems and expand autonomy for large cities.

Hwaseong Special City now secures 17 administrative and financial authorities, enabling faster and more efficient administrative services. For buildings of 50 stories or fewer and less than 200,000 square meters, Hwaseong City will now handle permits directly. Previously, provincial governor approval was required for buildings 21 stories or above, but with the special city launch, permit processing time has been shortened and buildings befitting Hwaseong Special City are expected.

Citizens will also enjoy expanded welfare benefits. With the expansion of welfare service beneficiaries, more residents will receive benefits. The income recognition standard for social welfare benefits has increased by 50 million won from the small and medium city level (85 million won) to the metropolitan city level (135 million won), enabling more citizens to receive basic pensions, disability pensions, emergency support, and other welfare benefits.

Additionally, customized regional development strategies are now possible. △Designation coordination for advanced technology startup districts △Designation, rescission, development, and operation of logistics complexes △Tourist special district designation evaluation and other development strategies tailored to regional characteristics are expected to have positive impacts on local economic revitalization and job creation.

Moving Forward as 'Korea's Representative City' Through Citizen-Centered Administration

The true meaning of a special city goes beyond mere transfer of authority. With the special city launch as an opportunity, Hwaseong City plans to focus more on improving citizens' quality of life and strengthening urban competitiveness. In particular, it will prioritize creating tangible changes citizens can feel, including improving welfare and cultural life, establishing a sound economic cycle, and expanding well-connected transportation networks.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun plans to implement citizen-centered administration using the special city status as a springboard and accelerate city development. Starting in 2025, the inaugural year of special city status, his vision is to create a city built together with citizens and a city that carefully attends to residents' lives.

The core strategy is divided into four main areas. First, it will focus on economic recovery for people's livelihoods. It plans to focus on realizing a basic society by addressing △basic income △housing △childcare △education △transportation and other priorities to improve citizens' quality of life. In particular, it will issue local currency at a nationwide high level of 509 billion won and expand support for small merchants to revitalize local economies.

Second, it will accelerate advanced industry development. The goal is to intensively foster future core industries including △semiconductors △mobility △biotech and establish Asia's largest advanced industry cluster to secure global competitiveness. Additionally, it plans to introduce AI-based administrative services and operate educational programs to strengthen citizens' AI utilization capabilities, aiming to emerge as an AI innovation-centered city.

Third, efforts will be made to expand cultural and leisure infrastructure. Various public facilities including △Seohae Maru Youth Hostel △Dongtan Central Library △Byeongjeom Multi-Purpose Sports Complex will be expanded to increase opportunities for citizens to enjoy culture and leisure. Starting next year, the Hwaseong Arts Center will also operate in full scale to provide citizens with high-quality cultural and artistic experiences.

Finally, balanced urban development will be promoted. Customized development strategies will be established highlighting the characteristics of each region △Dongtan area △Eastern area △Western area △Central area, with administrative services tailored to regional characteristics.

Through these core strategies, Hwaseong Special City is expected to develop into a citizen-centered self-sufficient city and a sustainable future city.

The launch of Hwaseong Special City does not simply mean the city has grown in size. Based on the autonomy and responsibility gained through special city designation, Hwaseong City will implement citizen-centered administration and strengthen urban competitiveness to move toward a greater future.

In particular, as the first special city to achieve the designation through natural population increase following the introduction of the special city system, it is expected to present a new model for South Korea's local government.

However, there is not only rosy outlook. There are concerns that special city designation could deepen regional imbalances. Additionally, even with special city status, cooperation from the central government is essential to secure actual administrative and financial authority.

Hwaseong Special City plans to work closely with citizens, experts, and the Special Cities Mayors' Council to address these challenges and open new possibilities for the special city.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun stated, "The special city launch is an important moment in writing a new history for Hwaseong Special City," and pledged, "I will make Hwaseong Special City a shining city embodying the aspirations of each and every citizen."

He continued, "With citizens who have brought Hwaseong's remarkable development so far, I have no doubt about the re-leap of Hwaseong Special City," and asked, "I ask for your deep interest and support."

Meanwhile, the 'Hwaseong Special City Launch Ceremony' originally scheduled for January 3 has been tentatively postponed. The city plans to hold the launch ceremony at a later date and intends to create an opportunity to share the special city's future vision with citizens and celebrate the new leap forward together.