Guri City to Continue Promoting GH (Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation) Relocation Without Interruption

[Suwon Ilbo=Eom In-yong] Guri City announced on the 18th that the relocation of the Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH) to Guri City is proceeding normally in accordance with the content of the 'Business Cooperative Agreement for Promoting GH Relocation.'

The city stated that regarding the Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH) northern relocation proposal adopted by the Namyangju City Council on the 10th, which called for a review of the relocation site citing Guri City's pursuit of Seoul annexation, Guri City finds it very regrettable as it belittles Gyeonggi Province and Guri City while disrespecting Guri citizens.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon announced during a press conference on 'Northern Gyeonggi Redevelopment Project' on September 11 of last year: "The relocation of public institutions, which is a promise to northern residents, will proceed with momentum as planned," and added "the relocation of public institutions will proceed as promised."

Furthermore, in a press release distributed on January 5, Gyeonggi Province stated: "The relocation of public institutions will proceed as scheduled, beginning with Gyeonggi Research Institute (Uijeongbu), Gyeonggi Province Economic Science and Technology Promotion Agency (Paju), and Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation (Namyangju) in 2025, and Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (Guri) in 2026," expressing strong resolve.

Accordingly, the city has concluded a cooperative agreement among Gyeonggi Province, Guri City, and GH Corporation for promoting the GH relocation, established a practical deliberation committee, and held nine meetings. The city has also promoted urban management plan changes including zoning changes related to GH relocation, passed conditional review by Gyeonggi Province Urban Planning Committee, and has been carrying out related administrative procedures without interruption.

However, in recent media reports, Namyangju City Council and others have expressed concerns that GH Corporation's business stability could be threatened due to Guri City's pursuit of Seoul annexation, and opinions have continued that GH Corporation's relocation to Guri City should be reconsidered.

In response, the city is conducting analysis studies on the effects of Seoul annexation considering that some citizens desire Seoul annexation, but stated that this merely involves collecting and preparing relevant basic data and no decision has been made yet.

Mayor Baek Gyeong-hyun said: "Our city has been preparing and promoting the relocation of Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH) to Guri City without interruption," and added "The proposals raised by some sectors of Namyangju City, including the Namyangju City Council proposal, will distance the cooperative relationship with Guri City that has existed so far and fail to respect plans based on existing agreements being promoted for Gyeonggi Province's balanced development."