Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin Special City Officially Declares Launch of 'Ninth Popular Election Term Yongin Special City'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Choi Ki-ho] Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin Special City officially declared the launch of the 'Ninth Popular Election Term Yongin Special City' under the municipal administration slogan 'Future Yongin Renaissance Season 2 Completed Together with Citizens' on the 1st.

At the inauguration ceremony held at Yongin Poeun Art Hall on the day, the mayor announced plans to pursue 'municipal administration with citizens and municipal administration through bipartisan cooperation' to make Yongin a 'renaissance-style leading city' and to ensure the happiness of 1.11 million Yongin Special City residents.

He also emphasized that to maintain South Korea's semiconductor industry's 'ultra-gap advantage' and secure competitiveness, three semiconductor specialized complexes in Yongin, where the world's largest semiconductor ecosystem is being established, should be designated as the 'No. 1 semiconductor cluster' under the 'Semiconductor Act'.

As the first reelected mayor of Yongin Special City, Mayor Lee expressed respect for citizens' judgment and stated his commitment to enabling Yongin to take a path of continuous development by preserving administrative continuity.

The mayor said, "Starting today, I embark on a voyage to advance Yongin's great leap forward initiated in the eighth popular election term and to make citizens' lives more prosperous. During the new four-year term, I will do my best to ensure that mega-scale semiconductor projects already confirmed proceed as planned, and their outcomes are disseminated so economic vitality can be felt throughout the region."

Mayor Lee stated, "I believe the way to repay citizens who entrusted me with the mayor's responsibilities during the eighth popular election term of four years is to transform Yongin through work and results, and I worked diligently. For the next four years, with the same mindset and attitude, I will fulfill my responsibility and ethics as mayor through action, not words. The journey of 'Yongin Renaissance Season 2' to unfold over the next four years will not be smooth, and various obstacles may appear to impede progress, but I will work with the resolve to confidently push through them."

At the inauguration ceremony, Mayor Lee Sang-il presented blueprints for development in various sectors including the semiconductor industry, construction of the city's road and railway networks, and advancement in education, culture, arts, sports, welfare, environment, and agriculture on Yongin's path toward becoming a 1.5 million metropolitan area.

The mayor emphasized that the three semiconductor specialized complexes in Yongin should be designated as the 'No. 1 semiconductor cluster' under the 'Semiconductor Act', and that the government should actively push forward the 'Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster National Industrial Complex' and 'Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex' currently underway in Yongin.

Mayor Lee Sang-il said, "I will concentrate all capacity on making Yongin leap forward as a world-class semiconductor-centered city. The city will work to have the 'Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster National Industrial Complex' and 'Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex,' which were designated as nationally strategic advanced industrial complexes in July 2023, and the 'Samsung Electronics Giheung Campus Future Research Complex' designated as the 'No. 1 Semiconductor Cluster' under the 'Semiconductor Support Special Act' to enable national-level support."

The mayor said, "The first fab construction by SK Hynix is proceeding smoothly in the 'Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex,' but in the case of the 'Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster National Industrial Complex' being developed in Cheonan-gu's Idong and Namsa-eup, site development construction has been delayed from the original plan by approximately six months. The government and Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) must ensure that civil engineering construction for site development can commence promptly. The government should appoint an LH president expeditiously, and LH must hurry to announce the bid for the national industrial complex site development project," he pointed out.

He added, "The government must execute without interruption plans for electricity and water supply so that the government's emphasized 'ultra-gap strategy' can be realized at the site of Yongin's semiconductor clusters."

Mayor Lee also showed determination to expedite Yongin's grid-type road network and railway linkage construction plans being pursued from the 'eighth popular election term'.

Mayor Lee Sang-il said, "I will expeditiously promote the construction of the 'Gyeongbu Underground Expressway' that passed preliminary feasibility study in 2024, and the 'Semiconductor Expressway,' 'Yongin-Seongnam Expressway,' 'Yongin-Chungju Expressway,' and 'Second Yeongdong Connection Expressway' that passed private investment feasibility studies, and will work to ensure that national highway and provincial road projects such as 'National Highway 45 Jeongdong-Jangji Section Expansion' and 'Daechon-Yangji Section New Construction' proceed expeditiously. I will do my best to ensure that projects including the new Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway, Gyeonggang Line extension, and Semiconductor Line are reflected in the government's 'Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan.'"

He also announced urban spatial structure reorganization, new city construction to improve citizens' quality of life, and urban development policy directions to prevent haphazard development in Cheonan-gu.

Mayor Lee Sang-il said, "I will expeditiously confirm the '2040 Yongin Urban Basic Plan' to expand urban development areas, and smoothly promote projects such as Platform City, Eonnam Public Support Private Rental Housing Complex, and Idong Public Housing Complex so that housing can be supplied in a timely manner. I will preemptively pursue urban development policies that maximize the potential of Cheonan-gu, where the population is expected to increase by approximately 500,000 due to the lifting of the Songtan Water Source Protection Area designation."

The mayor said, "I will establish urban development policies and management strategies for Cheonan-gu to prevent haphazard development and induce planned development so that public contributions from business operators such as roads are properly realized for citizens. I will ensure that urban environments and transportation and educational infrastructure comparable to new cities in other local governments are constructed."

He also presented ways to provide high-quality educational services and implement education with expanded diversity.

Mayor Lee Sang-il said, "The Yongin Semiconductor High School promised during the 'eighth popular election term' will open in spring next year and will be converted to a Meister High School in 2028. Given the high interest in this school, I will make good preparations to ensure seamless opening. I will also make good progress on establishing the 'AI Art Convergence High School' put forward as an election pledge, and will actively pursue matters such as consulting with Gyeonggi Province Office of Education to establish new schools so students can receive education in a better environment."

He also announced plans to invest in infrastructure to create 'a healthier Yongin for citizens' and expand recreational sports facilities, and will establish a medical and long-term care integrated care system in line with integrated care implementation and devise policies to reduce long-term care burdens.

Furthermore, aligned with the establishment of the world's largest semiconductor cluster, the city will reorganize its industrial structure around artificial intelligence, robots, and bio-healthcare, and systematically support youth startups such as AI startups to make Yongin 'a city where young people nurture and realize their dreams'.

Mayor Lee Sang-il said, "The city will provide shared offices for youth startups using available space it possesses, and will review ways to secure additional space if necessary. I will make it a city where talented young people gather and enhance the city's value."

Furthermore, to create 'a healthier Yongin for citizens,' he presented △expanded infrastructure investment for citizens' health promotion △free flu vaccination for all citizens △additional public swimming pools △Yongin Bandabi Sports Center construction △expansion of park golf courses and gateball courts for seniors △expansion of sports facilities including tennis courts, badminton courts, and futsal courts △construction of a human resource development system for medical and long-term care integrated care personnel △reduction of long-term care burdens.

Finally, Mayor Lee Sang-il announced his commitment to pursuing 'municipal administration with citizens and municipal administration through bipartisan cooperation'.

The mayor said, "Facing an era of great transformation, the environment in which we live has changed greatly from before, and accelerating low birth rates, aging population, price instability, and polarization are placing new burdens on administration. I will work to overcome such problems well and make Yongin a 'renaissance-style leading city.'"

Mayor Lee stated, "I believe we must pool our strength and wisdom for citizens and Yongin's development and work more fiercely. I will communicate more actively with respected citizens and actively cooperate with members of the National Assembly, Gyeonggi Province Assembly, and Yongin City Council. Please provide much good guidance."

Mayor Lee Sang-il, who emphasized the importance of the semiconductor industry for gauging Yongin's future and communication with citizens, began his first steps in the 'ninth popular election term' with field visits.

Early in the morning at 5:30 a.m., he collected household waste with environmental management staff in Dongbaek-dong, Giheung-gu, listening to their difficulties.

He then visited the 'Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex' under development in Wonsam-myeon, Cheonan-gu, and the 'Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster National Industrial Complex' in Idong and Namsa-eup. At the site, the mayor stated that the designation of the 'semiconductor cluster' as provided for in the 'Special Act on Strengthening Semiconductor Industry Competitiveness and Support' should be expeditiously implemented.

As the first approval document of the 'ninth popular election term,' the mayor signed the 'Comprehensive Plan for Semiconductor Industry Promotion and Cluster Development' that includes content on timely operation of semiconductor clusters, advancement of industrial ecosystem, and talent development.