12 Years Including Minseon 5~7 Terms and Over 40 Years of Public Service, Farewell Ceremony on the 28th
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] Mayor Kwon Young-se, who led Andong City from the 5th to the 7th local government terms, will conclude his 12-year journey of Andong city administration with a farewell ceremony on the 28th. The ceremony will be held at the Yeongnam Hall in the city hall.
Mayor Kwon, a native of Gilan-myeon, Andong City, graduated from Gyeongbuk High School and Yeungnam University, and passed the 21st Administrative Examination in 1977. He has served in the Ministry of the Interior, as Governor of Yeongyang County, in the Presidential Secretariat, as Vice Mayor of Andong, at the National Fire Agency, and as Vice Mayor of Daegu City. He was elected as mayor of Andong in the 5th local government term in 2010 and led the city administration for 12 years until the 7th term.
The farewell ceremony will be held modestly with about 400 attendees including fellow public officials, family members, and citizens. At 8:30 a.m. on the day, he will pay respects at the Chung Hon Tower, sign the Andong city administration handover document, and then hold the farewell ceremony at 10:30 a.m.
Congratulatory messages from Governor Lee Cheol-woo and National Assembly member Kim Hyung-dong will be delivered, and a video featuring employees and family members expressing gratitude and love will be screened.
After Mayor Kwon Young-se’s farewell speech, employee farewell remarks, and a commemorative photo in front of the entrance, he will leave through the main gate while receiving a send-off from the staff.
Mayor Kwon reflected, “It is said that even the landscape changes in ten years,” and added, “Over 12 years, we have achieved many changes and developments together with the citizens.”
He noted that with the provincial office relocation in 2016, Andong rose as a central city of Gyeongbuk, establishing milestones for the revival of the old downtown through active urban regeneration projects, water circulation leading city initiatives, restoration of Imcheonggak, and utilization projects of the Andong station site.
Starting with attracting SK Chemicals in 2010, the city has established itself as a hub for bio and vaccine industries, and with the designation of the hemp regulatory free zone in 2020, it has built new growth engines through the nation’s first medical hemp industrialization. The Andong-type job creation project aimed at generating quality jobs is also expected to drive the future Andong economy.
Major achievements also include selection for large-scale public contest projects such as the tourism hub city development project, preliminary cultural city project, and commercial district renaissance.
The doubled budget size, zero debt, and a 100 billion KRW financial stabilization fund for stable fiscal management have eased the burden on the 8th local government term.
In his farewell speech, Mayor Kwon said, “I am very proud and honored to have decorated a page of Andong’s history together with the citizens,” and added, “Leaving behind the past 12 years of tirelessly prioritizing citizens’ happiness, I will return as one of the Andong people and neighbors to support Andong’s future.”
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