Hwaseong Marks 100 Days of 9th Elected Administration, Expands Transit and Care to Transform "Daily Lives of 1.08 Million Residents"

Hwaseong City Lays Foundation for "Happiness for All, A Greater Hwaseong"
Traffic Complaint Response Within One Hour; Geunyang Dream Operating at 41 Locations
Expanding East-West Balanced Development and West Coast Stayover Tourism
Strengthening Late-Night Autonomous Shuttles, Home Medical Visits and Housing-Based Care
Expanding Mobility Access and Welfare Safety Nets, with a Focus on "Changes in Daily Life"

Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province, whose population has surpassed 1.08 million, is stepping up efforts to deliver “substantive administration that citizens can feel” as the 100th day of its ninth popularly elected administration approaches. From launching a rapid-response team to answer traffic complaints within an hour to expanding a welfare network covering food assistance, home visits by doctors and housing-based care, plans to turn the city’s quantitative growth into improvements in residents’ quality of life are beginning to bear fruit.

Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun inspects the interior of a Geunyang Dream site undergoing remodeling. Photo provided by Hwaseong City.

Hwaseong City has set “Happiness for All, A Greater Hwaseong” as its administrative goal. Its core values are fairness, inclusion and growth. The city aims to expand opportunities for young people and protect the livelihoods of vulnerable groups, while strengthening its competitiveness by expanding advanced industries and transportation networks.

Transportation is the first priority in bringing about changes that residents can feel. In September, the city established a “Rapid Response Team for Traffic and Road Complaints” under its Transportation Bureau. The team, made up of a team leader and professional staff at Grade 7 or above, divides complaints among district offices and manages each case from receipt through resolution.

The team’s rule is to inform residents of a plan for addressing their complaint within one hour of receiving it. The complaints may concern traffic signal adjustments, the installation of traffic safety facilities, road maintenance and easing congestion. The city plans to run the team on a trial basis through December, then analyze resident satisfaction and its track record before expanding it into a permanent dedicated unit.

The city is also improving transportation for commuters and residents in areas with limited transit access. It has added two express bus routes, P9303 and P9304, and expanded the Ddungbus service in Paltan-myeon from Gicheon 1-ri to Gicheon 3-ri.

Over the longer term, the city is pursuing a “30-minute mobility city.” A late-night autonomous shuttle bus connecting Dongtan Station with the first and second Dongtan new towns is scheduled to be rolled out in stages through December 2027, including the selection of an operator, the creation of high-precision maps and a control system, and trial services. Plans call for four vehicles, three circular routes and at least 20 stops. The city also plans to flesh out a proposal for a circular railway connecting the entire city after conducting an internal feasibility review.

A vending machine for Koriyo sanitary pads, set to be installed in women's restrooms in Hwaseong Special City. Photo provided by Hwaseong City.

In the welfare sector, the city has expanded “Geunyang Dream,” a program that supports residents struggling to make ends meet. It operates 41 locations in all: three under the national program and 38 under the Hwaseong program. Along with providing food assistance, the program identifies residents who have fallen through the cracks in the welfare system and connects them with the services they need. The city is also pursuing a “Geunyang Dream on the Go” program that travels around townships and neighborhoods to serve residents with limited mobility or who live far from service facilities.

A public sanitary pad distribution program is also underway. Free “Koriyo sanitary pads” dispensers have been installed in public restrooms at 68 public institutions and government offices. The city will survey users’ satisfaction through QR codes on the vending machines through the end of October and plans to increase the number of locations to 75 by 2027.

A traditional Korean medicine doctor visits older adults and people with disabilities who have difficulty getting to medical facilities to check on their health. The city plans to expand the program to include family doctors and dentists.

“Hwaseong On Ieumchae,” a 24-unit care-supportive housing complex built in Jinan-dong, provides housing and care together for households in crisis among basic livelihood security recipients and near-poor groups. Healthcare professionals, including nurses and social workers, are stationed at the building’s community center, and a 24-hour smart care and safety system is in place. The complex supports residents’ health management and independence, as well as their return to daily life.

Along the west coast, the city is expanding facilities where tourists can stay and enjoy their visits. The “Golden Coast Road,” which opened temporarily in June, is a 17-kilometer coastal trail stretching from Gungpyeong Port to Jebu Marina Port. It consists of three sections: the 5-kilometer Sunset View Trail, the 4.5-kilometer Salt Sea Trail and the 7.5-kilometer Gungpyeong Tourism Trail.

A view of Hwaseong Hwanggeumhaean-gil. Provided by Hwaseong City.

According to the city, cumulative visits totaled 186,611 as of September 29. Daily visitors peaked at 11,518. Visitors can enjoy views of the west coast sunset and coastal scenery along the seaside deck and scenic road.

Hwaseong Eco Farm Theme Park, which began operations in July, occupies a 14.6-hectare site and has 106 auto-camping pitches. It also features an observation deck, a children’s playground, a hands-on garden, an outdoor performance venue, a farm restaurant and a local food store. The city plans to develop it into a west coast tourism hub where families can enjoy both agricultural activities and recreation.

The city is also pursuing “Hwaseong-Style Solar Basic Income Villages,” where residents share revenue from solar power generation. Each village will have a generation capacity of 0.3 to 1 megawatt. To ease the initial financial burden, the city will provide loans of 150 million won per village from its Social Economy Fund at an annual interest rate of 2.2%.

Seokpo 6-ri, the first such case, is pursuing a project using a levee on state-owned land. The city estimates annual electricity sales revenue of about 100 million won and net profit of about 70 million won.

The city is also improving internal administrative work practices. From July 1 to August 24, it received 122 proposals from public officials on ways to improve their work. After excluding duplicates, it conducted departmental reviews and two rounds of feasibility meetings on 117 proposals, selecting 73 as initiatives to pursue.

The Hwaseong West Coast Sunset Concert and Sea of Light Fireworks Show are underway at Hwaseong Eco Farm Land. Photo provided by Hwaseong City.

A Hwaseong City official said, “The past 100 days have been a time to lay the groundwork for turning the results of the city’s growth into changes in residents’ daily lives. Going forward, we will ease transportation difficulties and expand care, while pursuing balanced development projects that reflect the distinct characteristics of the east and west of the city and field-oriented administration to realize ‘Happiness for All, A Greater Hwaseong.’”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.