Mayor Kim Kyunghee of Icheon: "Establishing a Foundation for New Growth with Semiconductor and Drone Clusters"

New Year's Press Conference Held
"City Administration Aimed at Growth, Livelihoods, and Daily Life"
Jungni District to Be Developed as an Integrated Education and Culture City to Enhance Residential Conditions

Kim Kyunghee, Mayor of Icheon in Gyeonggi Province, has unveiled her New Year's vision for city administration, outlining plans to establish a foundation for new growth by creating a semiconductor and drone cluster, among other initiatives.

Kim Kyunghee, mayor of Icheon, is explaining the city's administrative plan for this year at the New Year's press conference held on the 8th in the city hall's main conference room. Provided by Icheon City

At a New Year's press conference held in the city hall's main conference room on the 8th, Mayor Kim stated, "This year marks the fruition of the 8th popularly elected administration," adding, "We will pursue city governance with the goals of greater growth, robust livelihoods, and a comfortable daily life."

During the press conference, Mayor Kim emphasized that the city's policy focus for the new year would be on the economy. She announced plans to establish the Icheon Industrial Promotion Agency to support small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners, as well as to foster new industries. She also pledged to expand the semiconductor mega-cluster and build a network for the drone industry. The city plans to provide incentives of up to 3 billion won (approximately 2.3 million USD) to large-scale investment companies and to eliminate regulations that hinder business activities, aiming to transform Icheon into an industrial city that attracts companies.

The city also plans to accelerate the expansion of residential infrastructure. The Jungni residential district, with 4,472 housing units, will be developed as a new city integrating education and culture, and plans for developing three station areas will be further detailed. The aging Icheon Terminal will be redeveloped into a residential, commercial, and tourism complex transfer center by 2029, with the aim of making it a new city landmark.

Welfare for citizens will also be strengthened. The city plans to expand tailored employment through the Youth Startup Support Center and policies for re-engagement of the retired generation, while completing key projects such as the Welfare Center for the Disabled, the Women's Vision Center, and the Children's Dream Center. In line with its status as a women-friendly and child-friendly city, Icheon will expand child care centers, and enhance the quality of leisure for seniors by operating indoor park golf courses and senior community schools.

Mayor Kim also stressed the importance of educational innovation. The city is preparing to establish a semiconductor-specialized science high school with the goal of opening in 2030, while also strengthening public education by expanding free school meals, support for school uniforms, and after-school programs. Investments will also be made to improve school facilities, including upgrades to science labs and the installation of ondol (traditional Korean floor heating) in classrooms.

To strengthen the city’s safety net, Icheon will operate a disaster and safety situation room year-round and expand the deployment of intelligent CCTV systems to prevent crime and accidents.

In the field of transportation, the city will work to have the GTX-D line and railway network included in the national transportation plan, and aims to build six public parking towers by 2029 to alleviate downtown parking shortages.

Mayor Kim added that the city will steadily expand cultural and sports infrastructure, including the construction of an artists' center, an international equestrian stadium, a large performance hall in Seolbong Park, as well as more sports parks and park golf courses to promote everyday sports activities.

Mayor Kim concluded, "In this final year of the 8th popularly elected administration, we will faithfully carry out the projects promised to citizens and, through our vision for the future development of the city, make Icheon a great place to live."