Key Pledges of Yeoju Mayor Lee Choongwoo Face Setbacks... Sharp Decline in Public Trust

Second Yeoju Bridge, Gangcheon Station, and Industrial Complexes Face Collapse
Some Criticize, "Prestigious School Project Also Missing the Mark"
"80% Pledge Fulfillment Rate" vs. "Key Projects Stalling One After Another"
Drifting Amid 'Politics of Words'... Administrative Competence Under Scrutiny

Since the launch of the 8th Civil Election Term, core pledges put forward by Lee Choongwoo, Mayor of Yeoju City, have repeatedly failed or stalled, leading to growing criticism from civil society.

With projects such as the construction of the Second Yeoju Bridge, the establishment of a new Kwangcheon-myeon train station, fostering prestigious schools, and the creation of industrial complexes-all of which Mayor Lee personally promised would show tangible results during his term-now facing the risk of collapse, cynicism is spreading both inside and outside Yeoju, with many saying, "A pledge (公約) is ultimately just an empty promise (空約)."

Lee Choongwoo, Mayor of Yeoju City, is delivering a greeting at the 3rd Anniversary Major Achievements Report Meeting of the 8th Term of Direct Election held in the city hall's main conference room on June 26. Provided by Yeoju City

One of Mayor Lee's signature pledges was the construction of the Second Yeoju Bridge. During the 2022 local elections, he declared, "I will connect the city center and areas such as Ohak, linking the south and north of the Namhan River with a new bridge," and pledged to begin construction during his term. He promoted the project as a symbol of regional development, aiming to ease traffic congestion, boost logistics, and expand tourism infrastructure.

However, with less than a year left in his term, the Second Yeoju Bridge remains at the planning stage. Not only has a feasibility study not begun, but securing national and provincial funding also appears out of reach.

A representative of a local civic group stated, "If the mayor, despite his extensive administrative experience, made unrealistic promises as pledges, this is not just a policy failure but a betrayal of voters," urging him to take political responsibility.

As the Second Yeoju Bridge project continues to stall, residents are increasingly deriding it as "just another empty promise." Kim, a 58-year-old resident of Ohak-dong, remarked, "The mayor built a bridge with words, not over the river," adding, "In the end, it is the citizens who suffer the consequences."

The pledge to establish a new Kwangcheon-myeon train station is also at risk of collapse. The plan was to include Gangcheon Station in the Yeoju-Wonju double-track railway (total length: 22.2 km, total project cost: 930.9 billion won) to drive regional tourism and balanced development. The vision also included developing the area into a tourism hub, leveraging natural assets such as Gangcheon Island and the Namhan River.

However, nearly a year after construction began, the establishment of Gangcheon Station has still not been included in the government's official plans.

Yeoju City's response has also been criticized as lukewarm. In October last year, about 50 residents of Gangcheon-myeon held a protest in front of City Hall, demanding the immediate establishment of Gangcheon Station. Mayor Lee responded, "As this is a national project, it is difficult for the city to make a decision."

Yeogang High School exterior. Provided by Yeogang Press Corps

Residents expressed their frustration, stating, "During the election, he promised to start construction within his term, but now he has washed his hands of it." A local political figure criticized, "This was a typical populist pledge made without prior consultation or administrative review," and added, "Responsibility-evading administration is holding Yeoju back."

The flagship project in the education sector, "Fostering Prestigious Schools," is also not free from controversy. Centered on Yeogang High School, about 4 billion won was invested to create a boarding school, and the city promoted its achievements by highlighting admissions to major universities such as Seoul National University and Yonsei University. In fact, there have been short-term results, with four students entering Seoul National University this year and an increasing number of students advancing to Seoul.

However, a closer look reveals underlying structural issues and debates over fairness behind these achievements.

The dormitory occupancy rate is only about half of its capacity, with some spaces essentially left unused. A civic group pointed out, "The dormitory vacancy rate exceeds 50%, and only a handful of students actually benefit," criticizing it as "performance-centered, show-off administration."

Some city council members commented, "Concentrating about 4 billion won of taxpayer money on a single school deepens educational imbalance," and emphasized, "Fairness in the process and budget efficiency should take precedence over results."

Location map of the industrial complex development plan. Provided by Yeoju City.

Projects to create industrial complexes and attract companies, promoted as a means of economic revitalization, are also spinning their wheels without tangible results. Although Mayor Lee emphasized the creation of a "Yeoju-style advanced industrial complex" at the beginning of his term, the site designation and permitting procedures are facing difficulties.

As a result, the industrial complex development project is proceeding only in terms of administrative procedures, lacking substantive progress such as actual company attraction, and is thus being criticized as running in circles without real achievements.

In particular, the rosy blueprint announced by Mayor Lee at the beginning of this year-"attracting 70 companies and creating 1,500 jobs"-has rarely translated into actual construction or job creation, fueling criticism of "empty promise administration."

Mayor Lee expressed his ambition, stating, "I will make Yeoju a leading city in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by attracting advanced companies and developing industrial complexes," and "Together with residents, we will spark a wave of change and innovation to leap forward as a self-sustaining economic city." However, in reality, almost no tangible results have been achieved so far.

Efforts to attract companies, which Mayor Lee had pushed forward with enthusiasm, have also either been halted or are progressing sluggishly.

Company A, a secondary battery materials company, announced a 100 billion won investment at a groundbreaking ceremony for its factory in Jeomdong-myeon in September 2023, but construction progress has been slow. The construction site remains closed, with only a banner indicating the exercise of a lien hanging at the site.

Construction site of Company A where a lien has been exercised. Photo by Yeogang Reporters Group

The construction company reportedly exercised its lien and terminated the construction contract, as only 9.8 billion won out of the total contract amount of 35.1 billion won had actually been paid. According to some reports, Company A is currently planning to build a joint venture factory with an overseas company in the United Kingdom.

Additionally, Company B, which the city expected would create 150 jobs, signed a memorandum of understanding with the city for a 50 billion won investment in manufacturing facilities in Heungcheon-myeon. However, as of today, construction has not begun. Some land compensation and permitting procedures appear to be underway, with completion targeted for next year, but even the construction schedule has not been confirmed, making the timing of actual job creation unclear.

Despite these criticisms, Yeoju City argued that, as of the first half of the year, about 78.2% of its 84 pledged projects had been implemented, achieving a pledge fulfillment rate of over 80%. The city also emphasized that it received a positive evaluation rate of 85.4% in a citizen satisfaction survey, and that major projects such as station area development and the ceramics festival are progressing smoothly.

An official stated, "It is clear that Yeoju City, under Mayor Lee Choongwoo's leadership, has made significant progress in fulfilling pledges and managing city affairs," and added, "Indicators such as a fulfillment rate exceeding 80% and a citizen satisfaction rate above 85% are positively evaluated in terms of 'execution' and 'citizen perception.'"

He further stated, "Specifically, the quality of completed projects (in terms of completeness and sustainability), strengthening follow-up in underperforming areas, and creating quality jobs and improving infrastructure will be strategic tasks moving forward. If these supplementary measures are effectively implemented during the remainder of the term, the fulfillment rate is expected to rise even further."

View of Yeoju City Hall. Provided by Yeoju City.

However, the city council and citizens warn that "the indiscriminate proliferation of pledges without realistic review and the evasion of responsibility are eroding trust in the administration," and caution that unless there is a shift from 'politics of words' to 'politics of execution,' leadership will become even more unstable during the remainder of the term.