Special Interview Icheon Mayor Kim Gyeong-hee: "We Cannot Stop Here. We Have Only Opened the First Door of Change"

[News S=Reporter Eom In-yong] Kim Gyeong-hee, Icheon's first female mayor, is marking her third year in office. Since taking office, she has been moving busily with activities that seem to need more than 24 hours a day to establish Icheon as a "central city in the southeastern metropolitan area." This is well exemplified by the designation of Icheon Science High as a Gyeonggi-style science high school. From the time she took office, she already had grand plans in mind to transform Icheon into the region's first "core city for science education" in eastern Gyeonggi Province. Given that SK Hynix, a leading global advanced semiconductor company, has its headquarters and research institutes in Icheon, serving as a core hub of the semiconductor industry ecosystem, the need for a science high school as a linked educational institution has been acutely felt. Her relentless determination and resolve ultimately led to the "realization of bringing Icheon Science High to the city." Additionally, the materialization of plans to build Icheon Municipal Crematory proves her other convictions and ambitions. Whereas local governments in northern Gyeonggi Province have signed agreements with each other and pursued joint funeral facilities but have faced opposition from local residents and have not been able to proceed with site selection or project implementation, Icheon City successfully completed plans to build a municipal crematory on about 133,690 square meters in Dancheon-ri, Hobop-myeon. In this process, Mayor Kim demonstrated wisdom by devising Korea's first resident-proposal public deliberation process, bringing the issue of Icheon Municipal Crematory to a close. Beyond this, the achievements over Mayor Kim's three years in office are too numerous to count on one's fingers. Through her own words, we look back on the three years and hear her plans for the remaining one year of her term.

▲ What has changed in Icheon City since the start of the eighth popularly-elected administration?

- Under the slogan "New Icheon, Future We Open Together," three years have passed since I began working with citizens' happiness as the top priority. The most significant change over the past three years is that we have established a 24-hour civil petition response mobile team to listen to and resolve citizens' inconveniences day and night. The civil petition response mobile team, which started immediately after taking office, has handled about 2,000 civil petitions large and small over the past three years, implementing citizen-centered and field-centered administration.

Additionally, upon launching the eighth popularly-elected administration, we have been operating a Southern Administrative Office to promote balanced development of the southern regions including Janghowon, Yurmyeon, and Seolseong areas, which have been relatively neglected compared to the urban northern Icheon region. Even now, every Tuesday, I work at the Southern Administrative Office in Janghowon and directly listen to citizens' voices.

Furthermore, we introduced Ddobak buses early to ensure convenience in using public transportation. We expanded express bus routes directly to Seoul and completed a public parking lot in Gongseol Sports Park and Namcheon Park to address parking shortages.

Thanks to these efforts, we have recently achieved the highest grade of "Excellent (SA)" in the Korea Manifesto Practice Center's "Promise Implementation Evaluation for Basic Local Government Leaders," and we have ranked first nationally for two consecutive years in the "Quality of Life Index for Rural Communities" evaluation by the Presidential Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Areas.

▲ What are your achievements in creating a pleasant urban environment to enhance citizens' quality of life in their daily lives?

- When I first took office as mayor of the eighth popularly-elected administration, many citizens expressed regret, saying "There is no place to properly go with children" and "There is a shortage of spaces where families can rest comfortably." Taking these citizens' voices and desires deeply to heart, I have been working hard to create a pleasant and livable city where children and families can all be happy.

Last year, Seolbong Park, a place of rest for Icheon citizens, was returned to the public as a warm and beautiful premium park where children can run freely and cultivate their imagination. The old and dirty Bunsudae Intersection was transformed into Icheon's new landmark with culture, traffic safety, and urban landscape by installing a media facade and enabling citizens to experience culture and arts up close.

Currently, every weekend our students gather to perform busking, and it has become established as a plaza where citizens gather. We pursued this preemptively for the activation of the original downtown area in connection with the Jungni residential development.

Furthermore, the third Bokha Stream waterside park features the nation's best camping facility. For the first time in Korea, each individual site is equipped with restrooms, shower facilities, and refrigerators. In the adjacent fourth waterside park, children's water play areas, theme gardens, and lawns have been created, making it a special Icheon destination where many citizens and children enjoy weekends together and create memories.

Going forward, I will continue to create various rest spaces so that our citizens, worn out by life, can rest comfortably nearby without having to travel far.

▲ What is the significance of successfully attracting the "Gyeonggi-style science high school," surpassing major cities in Gyeonggi Province?

- We created a miracle of attracting a Gyeonggi-style science high school starting from a 2% possibility thanks to citizens' consistent support and passion. As soon as Gyeonggi Province Office of Education announced in April last year that it would pursue "new designation of a Gyeonggi-style science high school" for the first time in 20 years, I immediately entered the attraction competition thinking it was absolutely necessary for Icheon's future.

While other major cities in Gyeonggi Province had conducted preliminary work a year in advance, Icheon entered the attraction competition after the announcement, and there were assessments that it was too late. However, thanks to the passion and dedication of citizens who made a unified effort, we ultimately succeeded in attracting a science high school.

Icheon Science High is expected to play a major role in alleviating the educational imbalance that has long plagued eastern Gyeonggi Province, and in nurturing future talent necessary for Korea's advanced industry development beyond just Icheon.

▲ What was the secret to successfully attracting Icheon Science High, and what are your future plans?

- Icheon is a semiconductor-centered city. SK Hynix headquarters is located here, and 5 of 6 research institutes are in Icheon. The Semiconductor Comprehensive Solutions Center, which produces and analyzes prototypes of semiconductor-related small and medium enterprises, is also located here.

Since the semiconductor industry is Korea's future economic engine and a key national industry, I emphasized that a science high school for cultivating advanced science talent is absolutely necessary in Icheon where SK Hynix is located.

While there may be various reasons, ultimately I believe the secret was that the earnest wishes and efforts of our Icheon citizens became a great force for attracting a science high school.

Additionally, Icheon Science High is currently undergoing establishment work with a target opening date of March 2030. Rather than a simple college entrance exam-focused science high school, Icheon Science High will pursue practical education linked with the region's industrial base including SK Hynix, semiconductor parts and materials companies, and the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology, where students can directly experience the field and acquire competencies required by future industries in advance.

The science high school, which was attracted with all citizens united as one, will be a starting point for Icheon to advance as Korea's central city for nurturing advanced science talent, so I will prepare carefully to ensure it opens without any setbacks.

▲ The construction of Icheon Municipal Crematory, which has undergone prolonged difficulties, has become concrete. Can you tell us more?

- We have finalized plans to build a municipal crematory in Dancheon-ri, Hobop-myeon (133,690 square meters). This is not simply a facility construction project, but carries significant meaning in that it is a decision derived through discussion and agreement with citizens on the community's responsibility. In addition, it is receiving high praise as Korea's first crematory to go through a resident-proposal public deliberation process.

In January this year, residents of Dancheon-ri submitted an application with 77% agreement and neighboring residents also sent petition signatures supporting it, successfully leading the deliberation process. Subsequently, on March 14th, the Crematory Facility Establishment Promotion Committee recommended Dancheon-ri as the optimal site considering its excellent isolation being surrounded by mountains and accessibility to Gyeonggi Province Route 12, and Icheon City made this official decision.

Icheon Municipal Crematory will be developed beyond a simple cremation facility into a park and complex cultural space. It will be built as a state-of-the-art facility equipped with complete combustion systems using the latest eco-friendly technology and air pollution prevention facilities, with approximately 30 billion won in project costs. The space is planned to be configured for comfortable use by citizens and is expected to contribute to regional development.

▲ "Icheon, a city good for raising children" recently received Child-Friendly City certification as well?

- While I am a female mayor, Icheon is becoming a city where it is good to have and raise children. Recently, the low birth rate problem has become serious, and many working couples have no place to quickly entrust their children to. In response, the city opened "Aiday Boom," a 24-hour child care center, as the nation's first facility last year. It operates 365 days, 24 hours a year for children from birth to age 12, without any days off.

When a family member becomes ill or an urgent situation arises and there is no one to look after the children, they can entrust them at any time, and the city takes care of them as if they were my own children.

In addition, we are implementing Korea's first elementary school learning materials support project, operating pediatric clinics for children who become ill at night, and building a shared care center within military bases. We are making various efforts to create an Icheon that is good for raising children.

One more thing we can be proud of is that Icheon has a children's song museum. We are Korea's only children's song city where the National Chick Creation Children's Song Festival and Children's Song Grand Festival are held, a place where childlike wonder breathes and lives.

As a result of these efforts, our city received certification as a Child-Friendly City from UNICEF in December last year, and recently received a Commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare in recognition of achievements in creating a child-friendly environment.

I will do my best to continue creating "a city good for raising children, a city where families want to stay together" in Icheon.

▲ What policies are you implementing for Icheon's future generation of young people?

- I believe that the future of Icheon should be led by young people. That is why I appointed a youth special advisor and operate a youth talent database registration system, involving young people in various city committees and forums while reflecting their opinions in policy.

Additionally, after taking office, I opened a youth employment café called Youth e-room. Professional career counselors help young people with employment and entrepreneurship, and through the "job interview all-care project" that handles everything from job interview preparation to follow-up management, we are supporting young people in turning their dreams into reality.

This year, Icheon's Youth Startup Support Center is opening for the first time, and I will provide various support so that young people can become the main agents of local economic recovery.

These days, young people are struggling with difficult job market conditions, rising housing costs, and many other challenges. I will establish youth policies that link their marriage and childbirth, and ultimately support them to settle and live together in the region.

▲ The health bus that visits elderly residents for welfare services is popular, isn't it?

- Nowadays, rural areas have many patients with chronic diseases due to the growing elderly population, and it is actually not easy for elderly residents to go out to hospitals. Therefore, the city is directly visiting to help with disease prevention and health management.

We purchased buses and equipped them with medical equipment, then directly visit seniors' community centers in medically underserved villages to conduct blood pressure checks, blood sugar tests, osteoporosis screenings, and dementia tests through the "Deudreum Health ON Bus" project.

For elderly residents living in both northern and southern Icheon, areas with poor medical infrastructure, we provide basic health checkups as well as Oriental medicine acupuncture treatment, physical therapy, and dental oral examinations so that elderly residents can receive a variety of health services in one place.

Since these are mainly elderly residents in rural areas, many have joint and back pain, so physical therapy and Oriental medicine acupuncture treatment are popular.

In addition, we plan to implement a smart community center project going forward. Using various information and communication technologies, we will check elderly residents' health and develop tailored service targets and provide non-face-to-face welfare services based on accumulated data to comprehensively manage elderly residents' health.

The city will actively establish and implement related policies so that our elderly can enjoy a healthy and vibrant retirement.

▲ What strategies are you pursuing to strengthen industrial competitiveness?

- Icheon is intensively fostering future promising industries such as semiconductors, defense, drones, and mobility to revitalize the local economy. In particular, we are enhancing the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry through cooperation with Yongin, and we are focusing on securing new growth engines through the approval of the Daewol 2 General Industrial Complex.

We have established a semiconductor talent training center and semiconductor solutions center, and by establishing a semiconductor contract department at Icheon First High School, we are nurturing practical professionals. Through this, we have built a virtuous cycle where talent is cultivated within the region and that workforce in turn drives Icheon industry.

In early this year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's relaxed adjacent development measure allowed industrial complexes up to 300,000 square meters to be developed in existing factory-concentrated areas, enabling more flexible and efficient responses to expanding industrial infrastructure and attracting companies within the region.

Our city enacted an investment inducement ordinance providing up to 3 billion won in support to companies investing 20 billion won or more. This serves as a practical incentive both to turn around the footsteps of companies attempting to leave and to actively attract new enterprises.

Additionally, we established a Defense Industry Reliability Center in Majang-myeon for testing and certifying world-class defense companies' advanced weapons, and we are laying the foundation for expanding defense industry infrastructure through close cooperation with local military units.

Through these multifaceted industrial development policies, the city is growing as Korea's advanced industry hub, and is making a leap forward as a city leading future industries through continuous investment and infrastructure expansion.

▲ Finally, what would you like to say to public officials and citizens of Icheon?

- This year marks a meaningful 30th anniversary of our city's elevation to city status. Icheon, which was just a small marginal city in the metropolitan area, merely a rural area famous for rice and ceramics 30 years ago, is now displaying its stature as a central city in the southeastern metropolitan area, no longer a marginal rural region.

The past 30 years and the three years the eighth popularly-elected administration has walked were times of achievement accomplished with citizens.

However, we cannot stop here. We have only opened the first door of change.

We will establish greater and bolder plans and move forward without hesitation toward Icheon's new 30 years and new 100 years.

Until the day Icheon's name resonates across the nation as a symbol of new possibilities, our challenges will continue.