Gwangju Mayor Transition Committee Concludes 30 Days of Official Activities

‘Gwangju, a City of Opportunities Where Tomorrow Shines’ 5 Major Administrative Goals and 135 Promises Selected

Position Announced on 5+1 Pending Issues Including Jisan IC Exit Opening

Mayor Kang Ki-jung: “Will Rapidly Lead Gwangju’s Develop

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The New Gwangju Era Preparation Committee (the 8th Gwangju Metropolitan City Mayor Transition Committee) concluded its 30-day official activities on the 7th by submitting the final activity report to Mayor Kang Gijeong.

On the same day, the transition committee held its final activity report meeting in the city hall's medium conference room, attended by about 80 people including Mayor Kang Gijeong, transition committee members, advisory committee members, and heads of Gwangju city departments and bureaus.

This transition committee, the first with legal authority following the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act, was launched on June 7 and operated six subcommittees and two task forces (national budget response and current issue countermeasures), working tirelessly for new changes in Gwangju.

The members said, "Although the period was short, we focused on discovering campaign promises, accurately diagnosing problems related to local issues, and preparing measures to alleviate citizens' inconveniences."

They also revealed that they carried out broad activities such as bipartisan budget policy meetings with local lawmakers, a Balanced Development 3.0 meeting inviting former balanced development committee chairs, Gwangju-Jeonnam win-win meetings, a meeting with the presidential office's senior political secretary, and MBC 100-Minute Debate with Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo, preparing a solid foundation for a greater Gwangju with initiatives like 'regional balanced development and Gwangju-Jeonnam win-win cooperation' and 'Young-Honam super-regional cooperation projects.'

The report meeting was held to conclude the transition committee's activities and to present the first report to citizens. After announcing various policy proposals and positions on five plus one pending issues, the 'No. 1 Gwangju Strategic Report' was handed over to the mayor.

Under the city administration slogan "Gwangju, a city where tomorrow shines," the transition committee proposed to Gwangju city five major administrative goals: ▲ New economic city leading tomorrow ▲ Fun city where imagination becomes reality ▲ Warm and meticulous care city ▲ Safe city anytime, anywhere ▲ Educational city where everyone grows, along with 135 administrative pledges.

They emphasized that these were compressed from an initial 331 pledges to a final 135, reflecting Mayor Kang’s administrative philosophy of 'vitality,' 'industry,' and 'value,' forming the blueprint for the four years of the 8th local government.

Chairman Kim Junha said, "I ask Gwangju to become a future vision of Korea by advancing one step beyond the May 18 Democratic Square to become a 'city of squares' where people gather, stories flow, and vitality thrives; a 'MoT (Mobility of Things) city' where AI, semiconductors, and battery industries converge for future mobility beyond internal combustion engine automobile industries; and a 'city of values' that respects individual participation, rest, happiness, and practices public interest."

The committee shared 15 core pledges and roadmaps under the five major administrative goals, including ▲ MoT industry ▲ Yeongsan River Y-belt ▲ Five major care aspects of Gwangju identity ▲ Control towers for safety and education, and continued various policy proposals such as strategic cooperation for Gwangju-Jeonnam win-win and the three major biennale cities.

Vice Chairwoman Im Seonsuk announced the committee’s stance on Gwangju’s long-standing issues that had drawn attention since the committee’s launch.

The task force on current issues said that over 30 days of field inspections, expert consultations, and meetings with related parties, they prioritized citizen safety and Gwangju’s development.

Among five pending issues to be resolved within six months after the mayor’s inauguration, the development of Eodeungsan Tourist Complex is expected to take longer due to procedural issues such as lawsuits, so it was excluded. The other four projects will be promoted within six months, with policy directions and roadmaps presented.

First, regarding the opening of the Jisan IC exit road, it was concluded that local governments must prioritize the safety of users of automobile-only roads, and since the current Jisan IC is deemed insufficient in safety even with supplementary facilities, its closure is appropriate.

However, they proposed securing objective indicators on the traffic accident risk at the current Jisan IC and deciding on opening or closure alternatives through a public discussion process.

For the installation of the underground road at Baegun Square, considering safety issues such as flooding and the hindrance to revitalizing surrounding commercial areas, they proposed to continue constructing the current two-way, two-lane underground road on the condition that future safety measures and manuals are thoroughly reviewed and supplemented.

Regarding the development of the Jeonbang and Ilsin Textile sites and the attraction of a complex shopping mall, they proposed to comprehensively consider linkage and revitalization with surrounding areas, traffic measures, job creation, and damage to local small business owners and self-employed people, and to finalize negotiation plans or select business operators within six months through rapid negotiation procedures.

The development of the Eodeungsan Tourist Complex, a project stalled for 17 years, requires a prompt and efficient development method. They proposed to first investigate business promotion methods and feasibility during the lawsuit period and quickly review the public offering plan before proceeding.

For the Gwangju military airport relocation project, they ordered to start the public offering procedure within the four-year term by balancing speed and direction through the enactment and revision of the Gwangju Military Airport Relocation Special Act and proposing a Gwangju-type airport model.

Mayor Kang said, "Based on the policy proposals of the transition committee, the administration will responsibly review and quickly lead Gwangju’s changes," and asked for the creative administration of public officials and active interest and participation of citizens.

The proposed pledges will be finalized in September after reflecting opinions from each department and deliberation by the citizen jury, and the Gwangju strategic report will be published annually during the 8th local government term, containing the administration’s strategies and vision.