Goyang-si, Agreement to Establish National Road No. 1 Urban Alliance in the Ultra-Wide Area Era

Six Local Governments Along National Route 1 Gather to Solve Urban Issues Like Population Decline
Mayor Lee Dong-hwan: "We Will Create a Sustainable City Where People Want to Live Together"

Goyang Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) announced on the 5th that it has signed a business agreement to establish the "National Road No. 1 Urban Alliance for Sustainable Urban Development in the Ultra-wide Area Era."

Goyang Special City and local governments along National Road No. 1 are taking a commemorative photo at the National Road No. 1 Urban Alliance Establishment Agreement Ceremony on the 5th. (From left) Kang Hyundo, Deputy Mayor of Osan City; Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong; Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City; Lee Gyeyeol, Deputy Mayor of Mapo District; Kim Hyuk, Deputy Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District. Provided by Goyang Special City

Last month, Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang Special City sent a letter to the heads of 40 local governments along National Road No. 1, proposing to expand the scale and roles among local governments centered on National Road No. 1 and to build a cooperative network for mutual growth and development between regions.

In response, Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, Park Seung-won, Mayor of Gwangmyeong, Lee Kwon-jae, Mayor of Osan, and Yoo Hee-tae, County Governor of Wanju, accepted the proposal and agreed to join forces by signing the business agreement on the same day.

On this day, Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang Special City stated, "We will transform National Road No. 1 from merely a transportation axis connecting regions into a growth axis connecting economies," and proposed, "Let us respond to the common challenges of population decline and regional extinction faced by all cities and create sustainable cities where people want to live together."

National Road No. 1 is a key transportation axis of the West Coast area of South Korea, along which many industries, agriculture, and manufacturing have developed. In particular, it has supported the economic development of the nation as well as the growth and vitality of local communities, playing a role in strengthening connections between regions through the flow of people and resources.

This agreement includes the intention to establish an urban alliance among local governments based on the symbolic meaning of National Road No. 1 and the road as a foundation for interregional connections, aiming to solve regional problems through cooperation among regions and create new growth engines.

The four core tasks for cooperation through the establishment of the National Road No. 1 Urban Alliance are △ seeking new development strategies for sustainable cities and improving citizens' quality of life △ promoting cooperation among local governments to respond to population decline and regional extinction risks △ deriving economic cooperation plans that utilize the unique characteristics of each region △ jointly discovering regional connectivity infrastructure projects and developing programs.

A city official stated, "We plan to establish a working-level council among local governments to promote the four cooperation tasks and prepare a strategy for mutual development," adding, "Although some local governments could not participate in this agreement, those dreaming of sustainable cities where people want to live can join through additional agreements."