Park Hyung-duk, mayor of Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province, announced his bid for re-election. Drawing on 16 years of local government experience—12 years as a city and provincial council member and four years as mayor—he aims to complete what he calls an "uninterrupted, sustainable Dongducheon."
At a press conference held at Dongducheon City Hall on the 22nd to declare his candidacy, Park said, "There is no time to waste getting up to speed on Dongducheon's pressing issues." He stressed that "only a capable mayor, proven through legislative experience and hands-on execution, can keep Dongducheon moving forward without pause."
◇ Focusing Administrative Capacity on Advancing Stalled Issues
Park said his administration during the eighth elected local government term concentrated its efforts on moving forward long-stalled projects.
He cited his selection for a specialized public rental housing initiative sponsored by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as a key achievement. The project establishes housing infrastructure for young people and newlyweds near Jihaeng Station. Park described it as "a substantive turning point for transforming Dongducheon's outdated urban image, which had been symbolized by the Type-75 housing complex."
A streetscape improvement project for Pyeonghwa-ro is also underway. The city was also selected for a competitive program to support the renovation of deteriorated residential areas, triggering the full-scale launch of an urban regeneration project near Dongducheon Jungang Station that includes cleanup of the red-light district in Saengyeon 2-dong and Jungang-dong.
The city also recorded gains in education. It succeeded in being designated a leading Education Development Special Zone and in attracting the Dongducheon campus of Korea Polytechnic University. "We have laid the groundwork to elevate Dongducheon's educational conditions to a new level," Park said.
"These accomplishments did not happen overnight," he said. "They are the result of untangling issues one by one, thanks to the cooperation of residents and the efforts of public officials, amid tight fiscal conditions and structural limitations in the region."
Park also emphasized that his administration secured the largest-ever amount of central and provincial government funding during the eighth local government term, establishing sustainable engines for the city's future growth. By setting up a dedicated competitive-grant team to preemptively respond to central and Gyeonggi provincial government shifts toward competitive funding, the city was selected for 181 programs—an outcome credited with transforming residents' lives despite difficult fiscal conditions.
◇ Five Pledge Areas... "All-Out Effort from Livelihoods to Transportation"
Park presented five key areas as central pledges for the ninth elected local government term.
The first is the livelihood economy. He plans to significantly expand management stabilization funds for small business owners suffering from high prices and an economic slowdown. He will develop traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts as themed destinations and create jobs by building a defense industry cluster and attracting companies. "I will firmly solidify the foundation of a self-sufficient city," Park pledged.
Next is welfare and education. The city plans to build an emergency medical system to create "a city where residents don't have to search for an emergency room." He will complete the Education Development Special Zone and expand support for youth entrepreneurship as well as housing supply for young people and newlyweds.
"I promise a city that provides seamless childcare for children, jobs and homes for young adults, and a secure framework for the lives of the elderly," Park said.
He cited early groundbreaking for the Great Train eXpress (GTX)-C line and increased service on Line 1 as core tasks.
"This is not a choice but a matter of survival," Park said. "I will no longer let residents waste their lives commuting." His vision is to clear congested roads and establish Dongducheon as a transportation hub in the northern Gyeonggi region of the Seoul metropolitan area.
He also announced plans to transform the Sincheon stream into an ecological sports park where residents want to walk. He will upgrade the city into "Korea's leading healing tourism destination" by developing tourism infrastructure in the Soyosan area and revitalizing tourism in the Wangbang and Tapdong areas. Community sports infrastructure will also be expanded throughout the city.
Finally, Park defined his philosophy as "residents are the mayor," saying, "The voices of residents will become policy, and the inconveniences of residents will be placed at the top of the budget priority list." He pledged an administration adept at securing central and provincial funds and attentive to the details of neighborhood streets.
"I will run an administration that takes responsibility for completing what it starts, not one that merely produces plans," Park stressed.
"Dongducheon now stands at a critical turning point," he said. "The most important task is to ensure that the currents of change we have been preparing do not stop, but translate into tangible results in residents' lives."
"I will work with residents to build a dignified Dongducheon where the wisdom of the elderly is respected, where disabilities are not barriers, where children and teenagers nurture their dreams, and where young adults want to stay," Park said in his candidacy remarks.
