Son Hwa-jeong, mayor of Yeongjong-gu District in Incheon, attended the 'Inaugural Ceremony of the First Yeongjong-gu Council of Incheon Metropolitan City' held on the afternoon of the 6th at the main council chamber of the Yeongjong-gu Council, where she expressed her commitment to closely joining hands with the executive branch to open an era of resident-centered, on-the-ground autonomous decentralization. Yeongjong-gu, which took its first step as a new local government on July 1 following a reform of the administrative system, formally opened the doors of its council, the deliberative body, on this day, thereby fully establishing the two pillars of self-governance.
 [The Korean Today] Yeongjong-gu Mayor Son Hwa-jeong attending the Yeongjong-gu Council inaugural ceremony © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
This inaugural ceremony was arranged to proclaim, both internally and externally, the opening of the 'Yeongjong-gu Council,' which was newly launched on July 1 along with 'Yeongjong-gu' under the administrative system reform. The district sought to make the event not a mere formality but an occasion for communication and harmony together with residents, sharing the start of the newly born council with the local community.
In her congratulatory address, Mayor Son underscored the significance of the opening, saying, "Amid the enormous change of the administrative system reform and the aspirations and expectations of residents, the Yeongjong-gu Council has finally taken its first step," and adding, "The Yeongjong-gu Council will mark the prologue of 'field-centered autonomous decentralization' that proclaims residents are the masters of Yeongjong." It was a remark emphasizing that a newly established local government having its own deliberative body serves as the foundation of self-governance, allowing the region itself to decide and check policies directly tied to residents' lives.
She extended congratulations to the entire leadership and all council members, including Council Chair Choi Mi-ja and Vice Chair Han Chang-han, as well as Steering and General Affairs Committee Chair Choi Eun-ju, Urban Policy Committee Chair Son Eun-bi, Special Budget and Accounts Committee Chair Lee Jae-jin, Special Ethics Committee Chair Cho Hyun-jung and council member Kim Seon-hong. She went on to say, "As the first Yeongjong-gu Council is composed of members with both professional expertise and virtue, I expect them to carry out active council activities to resolve the various pending issues of the newly established Yeongjong-gu, including the economy, tourism, employment, the environment, education and welfare."
Citing the 9th popularly elected administration's district slogan, 'Yeongjong-gu, Connecting the Sky, Opening the Future, Embracing People,' Mayor Son stated, "As a trustworthy mayor who is always present wherever residents want, I will run an open district administration centered on communication." Given Yeongjong's geographical characteristics as home to an international airport and its rapidly growing population, the executive branch and the council must together address the full range of pending issues, from the economy and tourism to education and welfare.
In particular, Mayor Son likened the executive branch and the council to 'the two wheels of a cart running toward the single goal of Yeongjong-gu's development,' expressing her will to cooperate by saying, "Let us pool our capabilities together so that mature local autonomy that substantially changes residents' lives can be realized." This is interpreted as an intention to pursue a relationship weighted toward cooperation rather than conflict, while upholding the principle of checks and balances.
In closing, she urged, "I hope that, within a beautiful partnership of mutual trust and close cooperation going forward, we will raise residents' quality of life one step further and build Yeongjong's bright future together." Attention is being drawn from residents as to what cooperative achievements Yeongjong-gu and the Yeongjong-gu Council, standing at a new starting line, will produce during their first term.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
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