Gumi City Announces Top 10 News of 2024... No.1 is the Hosting of 'Gumi Representative Festival'

Changes Felt by Citizens, Top 10 News Confirmed

1,657 Citizens Participated... Total 5,237 Votes Cast

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk announced its top 10 news stories for 2024, with the number one spot going to the “Gumi Representative Festivals: Ramen Festival, Food Festival, and Romantic Night Market.”

The survey was conducted over seven days from the 4th to the 10th on the city’s official website, targeting 30 major municipal projects of the year. A total of 1,657 citizens participated, casting 5,237 votes.

The top-ranked “Gumi Representative Festivals: Ramen Festival, Food Festival, and Romantic Night Market” received 484 votes (9.24%), establishing itself as Gumi’s signature festival. These festivals attracted over 600,000 visitors, revitalizing the local economy and demonstrating Gumi’s potential to emerge as a festival city. Notably, they overcame the limitation of lacking a flagship festival and gained nationwide attention.

The second place went to the “Opening of Gumi＋ Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.” This is the only essential medical safety net established in the province and has become a successful Gumi-style medical model to overcome the low birthrate crisis.

Third place was awarded to the “Expansion of Public Parking Lots and Introduction of an Integrated Parking Information System.” Since the 8th mayoral term, this policy has been highly appreciated by citizens for significantly expanding parking lots, providing real-time parking information, and introducing QR code prepayment.

Fourth place was given to the “Expansion of 24-hour Village Care Centers and 365-day Childcare Centers.” This initiative was recognized for creating an environment where parents can raise their children with peace of mind and establishing a comprehensive care system.

Fifth place was the “Introduction of Time-based Speed Limits in Children Protection Zones,” the first such system implemented in Gyeongbuk. This policy identified and improved minor but crucial regulations, like a thorn under the fingernail, achieving both safety and efficiency and receiving strong support from citizens.

Sixth place was the “Selection of Semiconductor Specialized Complex-Linked Projects.” Since being selected last year as the only semiconductor materials and components specialized complex outside the metropolitan area, the city secured a total project budget of 90.6 billion KRW across six projects, including the establishment of a testing and evaluation center, specialized workforce training, and next-generation quartz glass development, solidifying the foundation for future growth industries.

Seventh place was the province’s first implementation of “Voucher Taxis for the Transportation Vulnerable and K-Mom Taxis Exclusively for Pregnant Women.” Along with the existing ‘Bureum Call’ equipped with wheelchair facilities, the voucher taxi operation reduced waiting times for transportation-vulnerable groups and greatly improved convenience, establishing a standard model for Gyeongbuk.

Eighth place was the “Selection of the Feasibility Study Project for the Gumi-Gunwi Expressway.” For the first time in 54 years since the opening of the Gyeongbu Expressway, an expressway connecting Gumi east to west is expected to open, which is anticipated to revitalize the local economy and lead the development of the central-western region of Gyeongbuk centered around the integrated new airport.

Ninth place was the “Renovation of Urban Parks such as Jisan Saetgang and Daon Forest.” In particular, Jisan Saetgang was transformed from a once gloomy space into a citizen healing area by introducing an unmanned caf?, a loess barefoot trail, and nighttime landscape lighting, earning certification as a model city forest by the Korea Forest Service this year.

The final tenth place was the nation’s first “Opening of a Job Convenience Store” that simultaneously created jobs for women and solved childcare issues. As of the end of November, the job convenience store recorded 132 job postings, 224 job seekers registered, and 132 people employed, providing new opportunities and a platform for local women to realize their dreams.

Although not in the top 10, the “Gumi-style Low Birthrate Countermeasure TF Team” established in February and the “Future Education and Care Bureau” established in July addressed low birthrate and population decline issues. As a result, the population decline rate was mitigated by 83% compared to 2022 (from an average monthly decrease of 372 to 64), earning 11th place.

The most notable feature of Gumi City’s top 10 news this year is that policies that citizens can tangibly feel received high evaluations. Improvements to minor but impactful regulations, expansion of public parking lots, and the successful hosting of the Ramen Festival based on a win-win strategy with local businesses, along with the Food Festival and Night Market that revitalized small business owners and self-employed people, were ranked highly, making the changes in Gumi palpable.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, “The creation of healing spaces, festival planning, and regulatory improvements aimed at returning daily happiness to citizens have led to good results. Next year, we will continue to remove obstacles that hinder citizens’ happiness and create a better Gumi through creative and innovative policies.”