Presiding Over Executive Meeting,
Urges Proposals for National-Level Projects
Calls for Detailed Plans for the Summer Universiade Preparation
"With the confirmation of the new administration's national policy tasks approaching, I believe this is a golden opportunity for a groundbreaking turning point. We must manage Sejong City with a renewed mindset."
Choi Minho, Mayor of Sejong, emphasized this point during an executive meeting on August 12.
Mayor Choi stated, "The outlines of the new administration's national policy tasks and organizational restructuring plans are becoming clear," and urged, "Since significant policy changes are expected, I ask everyone to be especially determined."
In particular, he instructed officials to systematically organize and shortlist national-level projects that could be proposed during meetings with key figures in the new administration, including a scheduled meeting that day with Park Soo-hyun, Chair of the Special Committee for Balanced National Development under the National Policy Planning Committee.
He cited the amendment to the Commercial Building Lease Protection Act, which aims to address the issue of vacant commercial properties-a pressing issue not only for Sejong but nationwide-as a representative example. This is in line with Mayor Choi's official proposal of the amendment at the National Council of Governors' General Assembly in December last year.
The proposed amendment stipulates that if the vacancy rate exceeds a certain level (50%), the period for which a tenant can request a lease renewal would be reduced from the current 10 years to 5 years. This is designed to reduce the burden on landlords regarding long-term renewals and to encourage lower rents for new contracts, thereby helping to resolve commercial vacancies and revitalize the local economy.
He also explained, "I will present opinions to the National Policy Planning Committee to lay the foundation for nurturing domestic innovative talent through a Korea-Vietnam ICT workforce development model centered on the Sejong International Technical Education Center." He added, "I will also work to ensure that issues such as converting fines from unmanned traffic enforcement equipment into local tax revenue and introducing a vacancy tax are reviewed at the national level and that related systems are established."
In short, the plan is to actively propose various pending projects to the National Policy Planning Committee for innovative change, while also actively reflecting the new administration's policy direction to innovate city governance.
Furthermore, with two years remaining until the 2027 Chungcheong Summer Universiade, he called for the full implementation of the comprehensive plan and the meticulous design of a detailed roadmap.
Mayor Choi stressed, "The remaining two years are by no means long," and emphasized, "What is especially important is to ensure that the 15,000 athletes participating in the event become truly captivated by Sejong." He called for comprehensive preparations to ensure that athletes, their families, and supporters-who will stay in the region for 12 days-are fully satisfied with everything from Chungcheong-area tourism courses, accommodations, and food, to detailed programs.
He added, "Since the participating athletes, who are university students, will become future tourists to Sejong, we must create detailed daily itineraries that will make them fall in love with the city." He also instructed that preparations for the launch of the Lifelong Education Policy Research Institute, which will begin operating next month, be thorough, and that the Jochiwon Peach Festival next year be enhanced by adding water play content.
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