Inspects youth-focused housing and checks settlement conditions before holding a talk-style dialogue with some 400 residents

The Daejeon Metropolitan Government began its first autonomous district tour of the 9th popular election, the "Win-Win Empathy Tour," starting in Yuseong-gu on the 12th.

On this day, Daejeon Mayor Huh Tae-jung visited the site of the youth-focused housing development in Gung-dong, Yuseong-gu, and then met with about 400 Yuseong-gu residents at Chungnam National University's Baekma Hall to share the municipal vision and major policies of the 9th popular election, while directly listening to citizens' opinions on regional issues.

This Win-Win Empathy Tour focused on breaking away from the method of unilaterally explaining administrative achievements and policies, with the mayor visiting key project sites in the region directly and finding solutions to regional issues together with citizens through free Q&A sessions.

For his first schedule, Mayor Huh visited the youth-focused housing development site in Gung-dong, Yuseong-gu. The youth-focused housing project involves building an integrated public rental housing complex with 56 units across 10 floors, investing a total project cost of approximately 9.3 billion KRW in the area of 499 Gung-dong, and was selected for a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport public contest project last June.

At the site, Mayor Huh received a report on the project's progress and listened to residents' opinions, requesting active support at the city level so that future administrative procedures, such as approval of the housing project plan, can proceed smoothly.

In particular, he emphasized the importance of expanding residential infrastructure linked with surrounding youth and startup ecosystems such as Chungnam National University, KAIST, Tips Town, and Startup Park, enabling youth to work, live, and settle down in Daejeon.

In addition, regarding the pedestrian overpass project crossing nearby Hanbat-daero, he emphasized that it is a necessary project for the safety and passage convenience of the mobility-impaired and pedestrians, stating that the city will secure the necessary financial resources and push forward as planned.

During the subsequent dialogue with citizens held at Chungnam National University's Baekma Hall, Mayor Huh personally explained the municipal vision and core tasks of the 9th popular election, as well as major issues and support plans for Yuseong-gu. Moving away from standardized policy explanations, the event was conducted in a talk-style communication format where the mayor directly explained the direction of city administration, followed by an open session where citizens could freely ask questions and the mayor and district head answered.

The dialogue with citizens featured questions on local issues closely tied to daily life, including the improvement of sports facilities, pedestrian environments for mobility-impaired individuals such as those with disabilities, the improvement of welfare facilities for people with disabilities, village bus operations, and regional economic revitalization resulting from the establishment of the Army Academy.

First, to improve the leisure space at the Science Daedeok General Sports Complex used by Shinseong-dong residents and research complex workers, the city decided to provide 400 million KRW in city funds to install restrooms and rest facilities and tidy up walking trails. However, considering the purpose of the city funding, Mayor Huh requested that an operational plan be devised to ensure general citizens can use the facilities without inconvenience.

In addition, the city will provide 380 million KRW to improve aging facilities and equipment at the Yuseong-gu Welfare Center for the Disabled. Regarding the request to renovate aging sidewalks around the Hagha-dong Support Center for the Disabled, he stated that the city will review support after checking on-site conditions to improve pedestrian accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Regarding the proposal to jointly use electric vehicle charging facilities at the Bongsan-dong starting point to ensure stable operation of Yuseong village buses, Mayor Huh stated that the city would actively consult with the transport business operator, who owns the facilities, on a joint-use plan.

Concerning the establishment of the Army Academy in Jaundae, he stated that the city will continue consultations with the Ministry of Defense to minimize the relocation of existing military educational institutions out of the region, and also prepare regional co-prosperity connection strategies so that the establishment of the Army Academy leads to an influx of population and regional economic revitalization.

Along with this, regarding the Seongbuk 3 Bridge reconstruction project requested by Yuseong-gu, Mayor Huh agreed on the necessity of the project to secure water-passing capacity during floods and ensure resident traffic safety, and decided to support 1.1 billion KRW in deficient project funds necessary to push the project forward.

Daejeon Mayor Huh Tae-jung stated, "In the 9th popular election, we will strengthen win-win cooperation between the city and districts, and actively reflect the voices heard from the sites of citizens' lives into our policies," adding, "We will meticulously examine and resolve local issues so that citizens can experience practical changes in their daily lives."

Meanwhile, starting with Yuseong-gu, the Daejeon Metropolitan Government plans to continue its Win-Win Empathy Tour by visiting Jung-gu on the 21st, Dong-gu on the 23rd, Daedeok-gu on the 26th, and Seo-gu on the 27th, sharing the municipal vision and core tasks of the 9th popular election with citizens while listening to district-specific issues and citizen suggestions.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]