East-West Balanced Development… A City Not Envious of Seoul's Gangnam
Mayor-Elect Chae publicly declared, "I will now turn this possibility into reality." The goal is now set. Only the method remains—how we should proceed. He stated, "I am keeping all possibilities open. If the method is transparent and reasonable where common sense prevails, I am prepared to run forward for Hwaseong's development, no matter how difficult the path may be."
◇ Lee Ho-jin, Publisher First, please share your feelings about your election victory and your impressions of participating in various activities in your capacity as mayor-elect.
◇ Lee = I imagine there was considerable deliberation in composing the transition committee. Please explain the background of the committee's composition and the key tasks to be undertaken going forward.
◆ Chae = Immediately after our election victory, many people came forward and offered their support to lead Hwaseong during the 5th popularly-elected term. I would like to express my gratitude once more on this occasion. As you can see from the composition of the transition committee members, we have assembled experts from various fields, including Baek Dae-sik, former Gyeonggi Province council member, who serves as head of preparations. The transition preparation team is composed of 17 committee members across five divisions, including general administration. In particular, regarding education, we have assembled educators such as elementary school principals and those who can practically analyze and diagnose policies and derive optimal implementation strategies.
Going forward, we will carefully review various pending issues in Hwaseong and produce reasonable results that anyone can understand regarding policies to continuously pursue and those that must necessarily be concluded.
◇ Lee = If you were to describe the differences between Hwaseong under the previous mayor and the Hwaseong you will lead going forward.
◆ Chae = This year marks the tenth anniversary of Hwaseong's promotion from a county to a city. It is also true that compared to its expansive area, 1.4 times that of Seoul, Hwaseong has lacked infrastructure for citizens such as cultural facilities, sports facilities, and welfare facilities. Thus, I believe former Mayor Choi Young-geun invested heavily in hardware such as facility infrastructure.
However, it is also true that these were pursued excessively without considering Hwaseong's financial capacity. So despite Hwaseong's annual budget growing to 1.1 trillion won, making it the sixth largest in terms of fiscal scale among 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province, I understand the city debt exceeds 200 billion won.
I believe that even with hardware like the U&I; Center and the Southern Senior Welfare Center, if there are no programs for citizens to enjoy and use these facilities, they are as good as useless. This is also inefficient in terms of input and output.
Going forward, the 5th popularly-elected term of Hwaseong will focus more on building software rather than hardware. Through developing diverse programs that anyone can enjoy and participate in, I plan to pursue administration that provides citizens with benefits they can directly feel.
◇ Lee = The mayor-elect has positioned balanced development of the western and eastern regions as a key campaign promise. Frankly, finding a direction that satisfies everyone does not seem easy. Where do you plan to place emphasis?
◆ Chae = The eastern region, with rapid urbanization such as Byeongjeom and Dongtan new city, external population influx, and the resulting high expectations of residents, does indeed have relatively insufficient aspects. Additionally, the Namyang Peninsula representing the western region, and the Woojeong and Jangan areas, as typical rural-urban complex cities, are relatively underdeveloped compared to the east, with insufficient transportation infrastructure and lack of cultural and welfare facilities despite their expansive area.
Nevertheless, the western corridor, represented by Jeongok Port and Songsan Green City, is developing into the center of the West Coast that will lead Korea's future growth. Some express concern that the eastern region with higher tax revenue may actually face reverse discrimination, but I believe this is unfounded. I promise to explore diverse approaches for balanced development without bias toward either side.
I believe the most important factors are education and medical welfare. Whether in the western or eastern regions, if we implement optimal educational policies suited to each area and expand medical welfare benefits that anyone can receive, I am confident that Hwaseong will develop into a city not envious of Seoul's Gangnam.
◇ Lee = Voters' interest is most concentrated on the realization of free school meals. Please explain your specific plans.
◆ Chae = Solving the school meal issue has been an important matter I have contemplated even before my election. One cannot ask students who skip meals to work hard on their studies while saying "education is equal." The Gyeonggi Province Office of Education is already implementing free school meals for elementary school students in townships and rural areas starting from March this year, proving this is not difficult. If local governments cooperate with a more progressive stance toward education, the meal issue can achieve good results.
Hwaseong will actively cooperate in expanding free school meals. Additionally, from the perspective of eco-friendly meals and revitalizing agricultural economy, we will promote superior agricultural products produced within Hwaseong to be consumed in schools.
◇ Lee = Regarding administrative integration, I understand you have already had dialogue with the elected officials of Suwon and Osan. In fact, the mayor-elect's proposal to create a tourism belt connecting Hwaseong and Yonggeonneung suggests the possibility of close administrative exchange with Suwon. Please share your plan for administrative integration and the vision for unification that you envision.
◆ Chae = Most importantly, I believe that integration from the bottom up through voluntary participation is ideal, rather than integration from above. Additionally, I will do my best to ensure no disadvantages result from integration, and for this purpose, I plan to establish a "private-public joint promotion committee."
Furthermore, as a prerequisite for such integration, emotional integration must precede physical integration. For this, we plan to host the "Hwaseong Cultural Festival" alternately between Suwon and Hwaseong, have Suwon purchase Hwaseong rice, and provide consideration for Suwon Yeonhwa Memorial Service fees for Hwaseong citizens.
Going forward, through ongoing discussions with Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, I plan to draw a vision for integration where everyone wins.
◇ Lee = If there are any plans for municipal organizational restructuring you have in mind, please share them.
◆ Chae = Of course, I am planning organizational restructuring for Hwaseong's development. First, I plan to establish a task force team for education policy, which I am actively pursuing. Considering the importance of women's social status and role, I also have plans to establish a Women's Division during my term.
Most importantly, I believe people are key. I plan to place the most suitable person in the most appropriate position. This will thoroughly exclude academic, regional, and family ties—only ability and character will be considered.
◇ Lee = Finally, I ask for a few words for our readers and the citizens of Hwaseong.
◆ Chae = The 500,000 citizens of Hwaseong are truly precious. If it contributes to the happiness of these precious people, even slightly, I will not hesitate for a moment. I will always keep my door open. Communication with our citizens and harmony are the only ways to ensure a beautiful future for Hwaseong. I ask for your continued support and encouragement. Thank you.
Compiled by Reporters Kim Ki-won and An Jong-hyun
Photographs by Reporter Choo Sang-chul
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