Gyeonggi Governor Urges Fair Investment Review for City Hall Relocation at Policy Meeting with Mayors and County Chiefs
Broadcasting Video Valley Should Strengthen Self-Sufficiency and Minimize Housing Supply
Baekseok-dong Office Relocation Seen as 'Practical Choice'... Emphasizing Purpose of Investment Review
On the 11th, Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, strongly requested the swift normalization of the K-Culture Valley, a long-cherished wish of Goyang citizens, and a fair investment review for the Goyang City Hall relocation project at the Gyeonggi Province Governor-Mayors and County Heads Policy Meeting held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office.
Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, attending the 2024 Gyeonggi Province Governor-Mayor and County Heads Policy Meeting. Photo by Goyang Special City
This policy meeting was attended by Gyeonggi Province officials including Governor Kim Dong-yeon, First and Second Deputy Governors for Administration, and Deputy Governor for Economy, along with 31 mayors and county heads from across the province. Discussions were held on establishing a joint response system to the climate crisis and cooperation measures between the province and cities/counties.
Mayor Lee Dong-hwan expressed strong regret once again over Gyeonggi Province’s unilateral termination of the basic agreement on the CJ Live City development project, which has been a long-standing wish of Goyang for nearly 20 years, without prior consultation with the city, and the announcement to proceed with the project through a public development method.
Mayor Lee stated that the 1.08 million citizens of Goyang still hope for the swift normalization of the K-Culture Valley and conveyed the citizens’ requests including △ pursuing private-led development including renegotiation with CJ △ separate promotion of K-Culture Valley and the Free Economic Zone △ enactment of a specific and binding K-Culture Valley ordinance.
The Broadcasting and Video Valley adjacent to the K-Culture Valley is also facing difficulties in project promotion due to differences in position between our city and GH. Mayor Lee requested the active role of Gyeonggi Province, as a joint project implementer, to ensure the project aligns with Goyang’s policy direction to strengthen self-sufficient functions such as a high-tech self-sufficient city with abundant jobs and to minimize housing supply.
He also expressed deep regret over the Gyeonggi Province’s notification of ‘rejection’ in the local finance investment review for the ‘Goyang City Hall relocation project,’ emphasizing that “the cost for relocating the city hall to Baekseok-dong is about 59.9 billion KRW, which can save approximately 370 billion KRW compared to constructing a new city hall, making it a realistic choice considering the city’s poor finances.”
Regarding the prerequisite conditions for the investment review proposed by the province, such as consent from residents and the city council, he explained that a city hall residents’ briefing session was held in December last year with about 200 residents attending, along with communication meetings at 44 administrative welfare centers, on-site inspections and discussions at the Baekseok office building, and the proposal of the ‘Ordinance on Citizen Participation and Communication for the Construction of Goyang New City Hall,’ demonstrating multifaceted communication and consultation.
Mayor Lee said, “The local finance investment project review system was introduced to ensure planned and efficient budget operation and to prevent indiscriminate overlapping investments in various projects. Relocating to the Baekseok-dong city hall aligns with the purpose of the investment review to enhance budget efficiency and prevent overlapping investments,” and requested the province’s active cooperation to conduct a fair review and enable a swift relocation to the Baekseok-dong city hall.
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