"In the new year, I hope Gimhae will become a city where we support and create 560,000 dreams and happiness together."
Hong Taeyong, Mayor of Gimhae, Gyeongnam, delivered this message in his New Year's address for 2026, the Year of the Red Horse.
Mayor Hong said, "I sincerely wish that the vibrant energy of the new year will permeate your daily lives, bringing health and peace, and that small joys will accumulate throughout the year."
He described the present as "an era of new transformation, following the Industrial Revolution and the Information Revolution, now facing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Revolution," and added, "Technology is evolving, the pace of change in the world is accelerating, and while new opportunities are being created, it can also bring about anxiety."
He continued, "Even amidst this tremendous wave of change, there are values that must never be shaken," emphasizing, "Those values are people, and the lives of people."
Mayor Hong stated, "Technology and innovation ultimately exist for people, and cities exist to protect the dreams and happiness of people," adding, "At the center of it all are human dignity, mutual respect, and each individual's dreams and happiness."
He went on to say, "This is also the future that Gimhae envisions for 2026: a city where one person's dream does not push out another's, where our differences become our strength and we live together, a city where dreams are realized and happiness grows in each person's life-in short, Gimhae, the city of happiness where dreams come true."
Mayor Hong said, "Gimhae is a city where 560,000 different lives live side by side," and added, "I hope we will become a happy city where each person's dream is respected and all these dreams come together as the hope of the city."
He further added, "I wish that each and every citizen's day will become warmer, and that every hope cherished in your hearts will bear meaningful fruit."
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