[New Year's Address] Mayor Seungwon Park of Gwangmyeong: "Building a Capable City for the Future with Strong Resilience"

"Direction Over Growth, Trust Over Speed...
Unwavering Completion Together with Citizens"

Seungwon Park, Mayor of Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province, presented his 2026 municipal vision to create a "capable city of Gwangmyeong" that opens a sustainable future with strong resilience together with its citizens.

Mayor Seungwon Park of Gwangmyeong City expressed his aspiration in the New Year's address, stating, "We will create a competent city that opens the future with strong resilience." Provided by Gwangmyeong City

In his New Year's address, Mayor Park stated, "Building on the sustainability and resilience of the city that has been fostered through people-centered policies, we will move toward a safer city, a sustainable city, a city where fundamentals are upheld, and a city that realizes a greater future."

Mayor Park outlined four main strategies for municipal governance in the new year: ▲making safety the top priority ▲strengthening the foundation for sustainable growth ▲realizing a fundamental society where basic rights are protected ▲completing future industries and the city itself.

He emphasized, "The most fundamental aspect that supports the lives of citizens is safety," adding, "No development or growth can take precedence over the lives and safety of our citizens, and this principle will be the starting point of our municipal administration."

He also expressed his commitment to further solidifying the foundation for sustainable growth. By making carbon neutrality a core urban strategy, the city will steadily pursue the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, aiming to create a virtuous cycle between the environment and the economy.

Mayor Park said, "The climate crisis is not a matter of choice but of survival," and added, "We will view carbon neutrality not as a cost but as an investment for the future, and transform the entire city into a sustainable structure."

The local economy will be steered beyond recovery toward structural growth. Mayor Park stated, "The key to local economic policy is to create a virtuous cycle so that money does not flow out of the region," and added, "Through the social solidarity economy, we will lay the foundation for citizens' lives and the local economy to grow together."

The realization of a fundamental society is the core policy that Mayor Park is focusing on most in the new year. He stated, "Welfare is not a favor but a right of citizens," and pledged, "We will create a city where everyone, at any stage of life, has their basic needs guaranteed."

Mayor Park also expressed his determination to ensure the smooth progress of various ongoing development projects across the city, including the attraction of the K-Arena with a capacity of 40,000 seats, the Gwangmyeong Haan 2 public housing district, the Gureumsan urban development project, the Gwangmyeong Siheung New Town, and urban redevelopment and reconstruction projects.

In the new year, Gwangmyeong City will also move swiftly to expand the metropolitan transportation network, including railways and roads, and to transition into a future mobility city. The city will focus all administrative resources to ensure that the Sincheon-Haan-Sillim Line can be newly established as quickly as possible, whether through national budget projects or private investment projects. Plans are also in place to steadily promote major railway networks such as the Gwangmyeong Siheung Line, Shin Ansan Line, Wolgot-Pangyo Line, and Susaek-Gwangmyeong high-speed railway.

Mayor Park stated, "Through investments in future industries, transportation, and education, we will ensure that the next generation of Gwangmyeong has greater opportunities."

He concluded his New Year's address by saying, "In 2026, we will continue to move forward unwaveringly with a municipal administration that assures citizens they are not alone and protects the civic community."