Voting for Name Selection Until the 26th
"Formal Proposal After Hearing City Council Opinions"
Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province, which is set to launch as a special city next year, is beginning the formal process to establish new general districts.
On the 24th, Hwaseong City announced that it will conduct regional votes to select district names by the 26th in order to officially propose the establishment of four new district offices to the government.
General district zoning plan determined by Hwaseong City through collecting citizens' opinions. [Image source=Hwaseong City]
The establishment of general district offices is part of the metropolitan administrative system reform aimed at enhancing citizen convenience and providing efficient administrative services. The city began the process of establishing general districts in earnest in 2019 and, through consultations with local political circles and citizen feedback, prepared a plan to create four general districts. Subsequently, regional citizen briefings were held from July 24 to last month on the 7th.
The city explained that 83.8% of participants in the regional citizen briefings supported the plan to establish four district offices, and in a survey conducted by a professional polling agency until the 25th of last month, 79.8% of respondents agreed with the proposed district plan.
Accordingly, based on the district plan, the city will finalize the district names through a citizen vote on the Policy Plaza by the 26th. Afterward, following the city council’s opinion hearing process, the plan to establish general districts will be finalized and a formal application for the creation of four district offices will be submitted to Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
The vote for selecting district names will be conducted through the 'Hwaseong Citizen Policy Plaza Survey System.' The survey targets two candidate names selected by the District Name Selection Deliberation Committee, which is composed of experts, regional city council members, and resident representatives from each eup, myeon, and dong, from among 1,748 submitted name proposals received through an open call.
The candidate district names by region are ▲Region 1: Manse-gu, Dangseong-gu ▲Region 2: Hyohang-gu, Donghwa-gu ▲Region 3: Byeongjeom-gu, Hyohang-gu ▲Region 4: Dongtan-gu.
For Region 1, 'Manse-gu' is derived from the historical fact of the Hwaseong March 1st Independence Movement. 'Dangseong-gu' originates from Dangseong, a traditional administrative district in the southwestern region that has been passed down through Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla.
In Region 2, 'Hyohang-gu' is named after King Jeongjo’s filial piety, and 'Donghwa-gu' is named after the historical fact that it was an important route connecting Hanyang and Chungcheong Province from the Goryeo to Joseon periods, as well as the Donghwa Stream, a river flowing through Bongdam-eup, Bibong-myeon, and Maesong-myeon.
For Region 3, 'Byeongjeom-gu' is named after 'Tteokjeon Street,' a key transportation hub from the southern provinces to Hanyang, and 'Byeongjeom Station,' a well-known major station on the Gyeongbu Line. 'Hyohang-gu' reflects King Jeongjo’s filial piety.
In Region 4, 'Dongtan-gu' was selected as the sole candidate and its name will be decided by a vote for or against.
Jung Myeong-geun, mayor of Hwaseong City, explained, "To ensure fairness and transparency, the district names will be finalized through the Policy Plaza survey by region."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
