[New Year's Address] Mayor Baek Younghyun: "With the Determination of 'Grinding an Axe into a Needle'... We Will Reach the Summit Together with Citizens"

Baek Younghyun, Mayor of Pocheon: A Year of Leap Forward as Pocheon's Dreams Become Reality
Overcoming the Pain of Two Special Disaster Declarations to Achieve Record-Breaking Success
Full Commitment to Advanced Defense Industries, Expanding Metropolitan Transportation Networks, and Building a Stay-Type Tourist City
Establishing an Advanced Industrial Ecosystem... Completing the "Pocheon-Style" Education and Care Model

Baek Younghyun, Mayor of Pocheon, expressed his strong determination to "complete a vibrant Pocheon that citizens can truly feel, building on the record-breaking achievements accumulated last year," as the city welcomes the new year of 2026, the Year of the Byeongo (Fire Horse).

Baek Younghyun, Mayor of Pocheon. Provided by Pocheon City

In his New Year's address, Mayor Baek first mentioned the hardships the city faced last year, including the accidental bombing by an Air Force fighter jet and the extreme summer downpours, which led to Pocheon being designated as a special disaster area twice. He expressed deep respect and gratitude to the citizens who overcame these challenges, stating, "Thanks to your active participation, we were able to recover quickly from these disasters."

Mayor Baek then emphasized the remarkable administrative achievements that shone through even in times of crisis.

He stated, "The collective energy of our citizens led to the selection of 41 public contest projects and the securing of 142 billion won in national and provincial funds, marking an unprecedented financial achievement." He particularly highlighted that attracting the Gyeonggi Defense Venture Center laid a monumental foundation for Pocheon's transformation into a hub city for advanced defense industries.

Mayor Baek presented "Mabujakchim" (磨斧作針), meaning "grinding an axe into a needle," as the guiding principle for city administration this year, and announced four major priority initiatives.

First, to support small business owners and self-employed individuals, the city will expand the benefits and special guarantees of the Pocheon Love Gift Certificate and establish the "Pocheon Commercial District Revitalization Center" to provide tailored support. Additionally, with the Gyeonggi Defense Venture Center at the core, the city plans to focus all efforts on creating a "Defense Industry Innovation Cluster" to generate high-quality jobs centered on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The city will further advance the "Special Education Development Zone" project by expanding the "Pocheon-Style Self-Directed Learning Center" and increasing the number of safe school routes known as "Pochon Edu Road." In particular, the city will complete "Pocheon Aebom 365," a regional care hub, and accelerate the creation of a child-friendly environment, including free childcare for children under the age of three.

The city will also improve residential conditions and expand living infrastructure.

Mayor Baek stated, "To improve the residential environment, we will supply high-quality apartment complexes for about 23,000 households in phases, and continuously enhance living infrastructure such as parks, river maintenance, and water and sewage facilities."

He added, "In particular, we will steadily improve the supply of city gas and, alongside the construction of the Okjeong-Pocheon metropolitan railway, promote systematic urban development centered around station areas. Furthermore, we will closely collaborate with Gyeonggi Province and Yangju City to ensure that Pocheon citizens can conveniently use the GTX-C line by advancing the construction of the Deokjeong-Okjeong urban railway."

Mayor Baek further stated, "We will make every effort to attract the GTX-G line and concentrate administrative resources to expedite the extension of the Pocheon-Cheorwon Expressway."

He also pledged to make Pocheon an attractive tourist city.

Mayor Baek said, "By focusing on the Garden Festa, we will expand the Media Art Park and experiential tourism facilities at the Hantan River, which is emerging as the top tourist destination in the metropolitan area, to make Pocheon a city where visitors want to stay all year round." He added, "We will also gradually promote the creation of the Peace Garden and waterfront parks, building a foundation for stay-type tourism in connection with various local attractions such as Sanjeong Lake, Art Valley, and Baegun Valley."

Mayor Baek concluded, "In the new year of Byeongo, Pocheon's long-held dreams will become reality. For those of us who have persevered and prepared diligently, a bright future awaits. We have already passed the most difficult part of the journey to the summit. I will do my utmost to ensure that every citizen reaches the top together. I ask all citizens to trust and join us as we move toward Pocheon's shining future."