Mayor Lim Byung-taek of Siheung: "Securing New Growth Engines Through the AI and Bio-Innovation Cluster"

"We Will Actively Attract Advanced Companies to Create Quality Jobs"
"City Hall Station Area to Undergo High-Density, Mixed-Use Development Linked with Undeveloped LH Land"

Siheung City in Gyeonggi Province has identified strengthening the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bio-innovation cluster, as well as advancing transit-oriented development projects, as its core administrative priorities for this year.

On January 20, Mayor Lim Byung-taek of Siheung City outlined these plans for the year during a New Year's press conference held at Neumnae Hall in City Hall.

Im Byung-taek, Mayor of Siheung City, is presenting his plans for city administration this year at the New Year's press conference held at the Siheung City Hall Neumnae Hall on the 20th. Provided by Siheung City

Mayor Lim stated, "This year, we will focus on balanced development, create new drivers of growth tailored to the region's characteristics, and ensure that this growth translates into improved quality of life for our citizens."

To achieve these goals, Mayor Lim plans to accelerate city administration with three key strategies: strengthening policies that impact citizens' livelihoods, building the AI and bio-innovation cluster, and securing new growth engines.

For the AI and bio-innovation cluster, the city will move forward with the first phase of bio-infrastructure development, including the Siheung Baegot Seoul National University Hospital (tentative name) and Chong Kun Dang. The city also intends to actively attract leading bio companies to the Baegot Free Economic Zone and Siheung-Gwangmyeong Technovalley. In addition, Siheung plans to expand AI-bio convergence infrastructure, such as the Advanced Bio Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Demonstration Center (tentative name), which is set to open this year.

Mayor Lim emphasized, "It is important to create not just jobs, but quality jobs. To this end, it is crucial to actively attract companies in advanced fields."

Through the SNU Pharmaceutical and Bio Workforce Training Center, the city will nurture more than 1,500 skilled professionals annually. The Gyeonggi Siheung AI Innovation Cluster, set to open in March, will support the launch and growth of new bio startups. The science high school, which the city attracted last year, will be established as the nation's first institution for nurturing basic convergence talent in partnership with Seoul National University.

Mayor Lim also expressed his intention to make the area around Siheung City Hall Station a new engine for urban growth. He stated, "We will expedite the mixed-use development of the City Hall Station area, which was agreed upon with Halla in March last year. In addition, we will develop the 33,000-square-meter parking lot site and unsold commercial land owned by LH in conjunction, establishing the City Hall Station area as a hub for balanced urban development."

To revitalize aging downtown areas, the city will actively pursue transit-oriented development at locations such as Wolgot Station and Maehwa Station. For the Siheung-Gwangmyeong public housing district, the city will provide strong support for prompt compensation and relocation measures. Siheung will also launch the "Basic Plan for Redevelopment of Aging Planned Cities" for the Jeongwang-dong area, a new town adjacent to industrial complexes, to proactively address demand for reconstruction.

Additionally, the city will strengthen welfare policies tailored to every stage of life for all citizens, led by the Gender Equality and Family Bureau established last May. Siheung will also fully implement its community-based integrated care model in line with the "Integrated Care Support Act." The city will establish a labor policy roadmap and integrated governance structure to create an environment where labor is respected.

Mayor Lim stated, "The ordinary citizens living in Siheung today are both the owners of this city and the protagonists of Siheung's future. This year, we will accelerate growth, deepen balance, and strive to ensure that the diverse achievements of city administration are realized as tangible changes that citizens can truly feel."