Mayor Baek Gyeonghyun: "Incorporation into Seoul to Be Reviewed from Multiple Perspectives, Reflecting Citizens' Voices"

Guri City Holds Regional Briefings on the "Guri-Seoul Incorporation Effect Analysis Research Project"
Positive Changes Expected in Administration, Finance, Transportation, and Development with Incorporation into Seoul

Guri City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Gyeonghyun Baek) held regional briefing sessions on June 11 and 12 for the 'Guri-Seoul Incorporation Effect Analysis Research Project'.

Gyeonghyun Baek, mayor of Guri, is holding a regional briefing session on the 'Guri-Seoul Incorporation Effect Analysis Research Project' on the 12th. Provided by Guri City

The purpose of these sessions was to share various analytical data on the potential effects of Guri City's incorporation into Seoul with local residents, and to gather a wide range of opinions to be reflected in the research results.

The first briefing was held on June 11 at the performance hall of the Sutaek 3-dong Administrative Welfare Center, followed by the second session at the main auditorium of Guri City Hall. On June 12, the third session took place at the main auditorium of the Galmae-dong Complex Office Building.

The presentations were delivered by Seongeun Lim, chief researcher at Gachi Management Institute Co., Ltd. (former president of Seoul Institute of Technology), who conducted the research project. Lim provided detailed explanations to citizens regarding the specific changes and effects that Guri's incorporation into Seoul would bring, and held a Q&A session.

According to the results announced by the research institution, the number of public officials in Seoul is higher than in Gyeonggi Province, which would halve the number of citizens each official must serve. This is expected to significantly improve the speed of civil complaint processing and the quality of services. In addition, it is projected that approximately 87.7 billion KRW in annual expenditure savings would be achieved, expanding available financial resources and enabling citizens to enjoy substantial benefits in welfare, culture, education, and other areas.

The simplification of administrative procedures would also allow for faster and more efficient implementation of large-scale urban railway projects and other transportation and railway-related tasks. It is anticipated that longstanding transportation inconveniences experienced by citizens could be largely resolved through measures such as increasing the number of buses, establishing new routes, expanding late-night bus services, and abolishing taxi surcharges.

Furthermore, as various policies such as Seoul's youth job support, basic livelihood security system, expansion of welfare facilities for people with disabilities and youth, and the operation of Seoul-style weekend childcare centers are applied, the scope of direct benefits available to citizens is expected to broaden.

Mayor Gyeonghyun Baek of Guri stated, "This briefing session was a meaningful opportunity to share a variety of opinions and analysis results on incorporation into Seoul with our citizens, helping to resolve many longstanding questions," adding, "We will continue to listen to the voices of our citizens and thoroughly review all related matters from multiple perspectives."

Meanwhile, Guri City plans to carefully review the possibility of incorporation into Seoul, actively reflecting internal and external conditions, policy environments, and citizen opinions based on the research results.