Mayor Kim Byungsoo Outlines Key Policy Directions in Municipal Address
Accelerating Seoul Line 5 and GTX-D Projects; Transportation Budget Increased by 177%
50% Subsidy for Ilsan Bridge Toll and Building a "Marine Tourism Hub"
Gimpo City Submits 2026 Budget Proposal of 1.7735 Trillion Won
On December 1, Byungsoo Kim, Mayor of Gimpo, delivered the "Municipal Administration Speech on the Submission of the 2026 Budget Proposal" at the 264th extraordinary session of the Gimpo City Council, expressing his commitment by stating, "Gimpo will turn the tomorrow imagined by its citizens into reality. We will prove it with results and open the future with our vision."
Mayor Kim declared that he would focus all administrative efforts on completing "Gimpo, the City of Communication for 700,000 People," centered around four core keywords: "transportation," "waterside culture," "nighttime policy," and "reimagined education."
Mayor Byungsoo Kim is delivering the municipal administration speech on the direction of city governance and operations for 2026 at the 264th extraordinary session of the Gimpo City Council on the 1st. Provided by Gimpo City
Mayor Kim stated, "If the past three years of the 8th popularly elected administration were a time to prove Gimpo's potential with results and to draw the big picture, going forward, it will be a time to turn the 'vision' imagined by citizens into reality based on those results. I will do my utmost to ensure that citizens' precious taxes are spent efficiently and appropriately. I hope that the 2026 budget proposal, submitted to protect citizens' lives and open Gimpo's future, will be reviewed and approved as originally proposed."
On this day, Mayor Kim mentioned the completion of "Gimpo Connected by Transportation" as the first key policy for 2026.
He pledged to steadily promote the construction of metropolitan transportation networks that will transform Gimpo's future, including the Seoul Subway Line 5, GTX-D, Incheon Line 2, and the extension of Seoul Lines 2 and 9 to Gimpo. He also announced the allocation of a 4.5 billion won budget for temporary support to increase the number of Gimpo Gold Line subway cars, aiming to achieve a 2-minute and 10-second interval between trains. Additionally, he stated that the city would establish an ordinance to provide a 50% subsidy for the Ilsan Bridge toll, and that a system would be set up with Ilsan Bridge Co., Ltd. in the first half of next year to expedite this support as soon as possible.
Next, as the second key policy, he announced plans to create "Gimpo Connected by Waterside Culture," where citizens can enjoy relaxation in their daily lives.
He emphasized that, as a city with 186 km of riverside paths, Gimpo would return this valuable asset to its citizens. The city will invest 22.5 billion won to develop waterside spaces, including the opening of Baekmado, and will invest 26.2 billion won, including national funding, in projects to utilize the sea route from Gimpo Terminal to Daemyeong Port and to develop Daemyeong Port as a cultural complex tourism port, aiming to establish Gimpo as South Korea's leading "marine tourism hub" connecting the Han River and the West Sea.
The third key policy is to create "Gimpo Connected by New Nighttime Policies, Where Day and Night Are Both Enjoyable."
He announced the full-scale implementation of nighttime policies, a core initiative of the 8th popularly elected administration, to provide a variety of cultural and sports content that citizens can enjoy after work. The city will pilot nighttime wellness exercise programs and children's programs, further expand nighttime cultural, sports, and learning programs, and create an environment where all citizens can safely walk the streets at night.
Finally, as the fourth key policy, he pledged to complete "Gimpo Connected by High-Quality Public Education That Our Children Dream Of."
He stated that in 2026, Gimpo City would allocate 660 million won to the city-led autonomous curriculum project, operate various experiential education programs such as water and aviation activities, and continue academic cooperation with Yonsei University. He added that the native English camp, which was implemented to strengthen foreign language skills among elementary students in the city, would be expanded to meet increasing demand.
Mayor Kim said, "To realize the four core visions and ensure the safety of people's livelihoods, we have increased the transportation and logistics budget by 177% compared to the previous year, and the social welfare budget by 2.63%. For 2026, we have included a total of 202 projects and a budget of 668 billion won for livelihood support. In particular, the social welfare sector, which is directly linked to citizens' lives, has been allocated 700 billion won, an increase of 17.9 billion won compared to the 2025 main budget. This accounts for 46.8% of our general account budget. Although our fiscal situation is challenging, this demonstrates the city's strong commitment to protecting people's livelihoods."
Meanwhile, the budget proposal that Gimpo City submitted to the City Council for next year is set at 1.7735 trillion won, an increase of 104.2 billion won or 6.24% compared to the 2025 budget. The general account is 1.4959 trillion won, and the special account is 277.6 billion won.
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