Mayor Kim Byungsoo: "Continuing Communication-Focused Administration by Listening On-Site and Responding with Action"

Gimpo City Launches "2026 New Year's Town Hall Meetings" to Boost Communication with Citizens
Strengthening On-Site Administration... Shaping Gimpo's Future with Voices from the Field
Residents' Opinions and Suggestions to Be Reviewed and Shared with the Public

Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province, led by Mayor Kim Byungsoo, officially launched its "2026 New Year's Town Hall Meetings" on January 13, starting with Wolgot-myeon, marking the beginning of a new era of communication-focused administration with citizens.

Gimpo City opened the first chapter of the "2026 Communication Administration" starting with Wolgot-myeon on the 13th. Photo by Gimpo City

This communication initiative will be held 14 times over approximately four weeks, from January 13 to February 3. The mayor will personally visit each town, township, and neighborhood, meeting with local residents to directly hear about key local issues, everyday civil complaints, and challenges. The New Year's town hall meetings, which last about 90 minutes, minimize formal reporting and lower the barriers to communication by focusing on open Q&A sessions.

The "New Year's Town Hall Meeting" is Gimpo City's signature on-site communication initiative, held at the start of the year to share the city’s administrative direction with citizens and to accurately understand their thoughts and needs for policy reflection. At these events, major policies for 2026 will be explained, and residents will be encouraged to candidly share their concerns about daily inconveniences and offer suggestions for regional development.

This year’s meetings are particularly notable for their stronger connection to on-site administration, with a total of six on-site visits planned, mainly in towns and townships. The mayor and officials will visit senior centers and traditional markets to observe the daily lives of seniors and market vendors, listen to their real-life concerns, and practice administration that seeks answers directly in the field rather than from behind a desk.

The events will take place at each local administrative welfare center, proceeding in the order of staff encouragement, work reports, New Year's greetings, and Q&A on local issues. Senior city officials, local administrators, heads of community organizations, and resident representatives will all attend to share local issues and jointly seek solutions.

Gimpo City plans to thoroughly review the opinions and suggestions collected during this annual round of visits in coordination with relevant departments, systematically manage the feasibility and outcomes, and share the results with citizens.

Mayor Kim Byungsoo stated, "I will continue to listen to citizens’ voices on-site and respond with action so that their input leads to policy. I hope the 2026 New Year's Town Hall Meetings will serve as the starting point for city administration created together with our citizens."