[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Wangsuk Neulbit City, Onsaemil New Town, Daejang Flow City, Yeon
The final results of the '3rd New Town Naming Contest,' jointly conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) along with a total of 14 organizations, have been announced. The winning names will be diversely utilized under the leadership of the respective local governments once the characteristics of each city become more concrete as the projects progress.
According to LH on the 1st, this contest targeted a total of eight sites, including five new town-level sites such as Namyangju Wangsuk and Goyang Changneung, and two sites in Gwacheon and Seoul (Seoul Medical Center and Sadang Station Complex Transfer Center). During the 26-day contest period, about 500,000 people accessed the contest website, submitting a total of 78,496 name entries.
An LH official emphasized, "Public interest was intense, with nearly 80,000 submissions," and added, "We did our best to select the winners fairly and appropriately."
First, the grand prize for Namyangju Wangsuk was awarded to 'Wangsuk Neulbit City.' Since Namyangju is closely related to the 500-year Joseon Dynasty, the Korean word 'Neulbit City,' meaning 'always shining,' received high marks. The encouragement prize went to 'Bitsol New Town,' a pure Korean word meaning 'bright as light and green as forest,' expressing a wish for the new town's prosperity.
The grand prize for Goyang Changneung was awarded to 'Onsaemil New Town.' It slightly modified the pure Korean word 'Onsaemiro,' meaning 'as natural as it is,' to represent the nature-friendly image of the Goyang new town. The excellence award 'Saedam' combines 'sae' (new) and the Chinese character 'dam' (word), expressing hope that a beautiful and happy new story will begin in Gwacheon.
For Bucheon Daejang, 'Daejang Flow City' was selected as the grand prize winner. The 'F' in Flow City stands for Future city, 'L' for Link (transport connection city), 'O' for Open city, and 'W' for Water city. The excellence award went to 'Dabit,' meaning multiple colors.
The grand prize for Seoul Sadang Station Complex Transfer Center was 'Yeon,' meaning warmth remains, expressing a wish that many people passing through the transfer center feel warmth. The excellence award 'Sadang Station Flat Bay' signifies the fusion of the transportation platform function and the bay function where various industries and people flow in and out.
Hanam Gyosan's excellence award went to 'Gyosan Dain City,' meaning a city where various industries coexist, representing advanced industries such as bio-health and smart mobility, along with living history and culture.
For Gwacheon Gwacheon, 'Onon,' named after Ononsa where the king rested, meaning comfort, and for the Seoul Medical Center parking lot site, 'Narachan,' a pure Korean word meaning a person full of true heart, were selected as excellence awards respectively.
In Incheon Gyeyang, where neither grand prize nor excellence awards were selected, 'Noeul New Town' and 'Singyeongin Smart Valley' received encouragement awards. Singyeongin Smart Valley expresses hopes to grow as a leading complex driving the future 4th industrial revolution.
An expert involved in the judging explained, "Overall, most names were in Korean, and many excellent works reflected regional characteristics and history or expressed hopes for the future."
Participants selected for the grand prize will receive a prize of 5 million KRW and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award. Excellence award winners will receive 2 million KRW and the president's award from LH Corporation or SH Corporation, and encouragement award winners will receive 500,000 KRW and the president's awards from LH Corporation, SH Corporation, Incheon Urban Corporation, or Gyeonggi Urban Corporation.
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