Anyang City, located in Gyeonggi Province, is expecting big changes this year, such as expansion of the local job market, improvements in its railroad network, upcoming renovation projects and more.

Mayor Choi Dae-ho addressed some important agenda for the city in his New Year’s message.

Amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Choi, who took the helm in July 2018, stressed community health to be the foremost agenda of the year, highlighting that the city would strengthen its disease control response in order to return to normalcy.

The city is looking forward to several achievements this year, such as preliminary agreement for the GTX-C line to stop at Indeokwon Station, opening of Hambaeksan Memorial Park, earning Smart City certification from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and more.

Anyang City will manage the COVID-19 crisis with its forthcoming Anyang One Stop Corona app. The app will allow the city government to more effectively manage its confirmed cases. Users will be able to access the results of COVID-19 tests through the mobile app.

Apart from the COVID-19 situation, sympathizing with those suffering from mental health issues is an important goal for the city. It will cover the medical costs of young people with psychological difficulties, while offering an outreach mental health consultation program to those in their 40s and 50s.

To prevent crimes, it will install extra emergency alarms in underground passages and public parking lots.

The city government also plans to launch a new platform to provide the latest health-related content to its residents.

To revive the local economy, the city government is to push the Anyang New Deal 2.0 drive, providing 160,000 jobs until 2025. An internship program for youths and a support fund worth 9.21 billion won for venture firms run by the younger generation are on the way.

The city will support the fees for 18 different language-related tests. It will expand the range of youth recipients that receive support for monthly rents.

With COVID-19 accelerating the working from home trend, Choi also explained the city will develop Cloud Work, a platform that allows people to work without in-person contacts.

The city also plans to support baby boomers who will soon join the senior population, opening a community center for the generation. The center will offer diverse programs, such as a senior model academy.

Providing care for the disabled people is also an important goal for Anyang City. It will arrange classes for sign language. It also plans to move up the opening date of the center for the disabled which is currently under construction. The city also stressed it will create more job opportunities for those with development disabilities. 

To help children who have experienced child abuse, the city is set to open a center. With more double-income families experiencing difficulties finding child care because of the pandemic, it will also set up a care center at Myeonghak Smart Square to minimize the gaps in coverage.

The city expects its overall child care environment to improve greatly as a public day care center is set to open. Also, it will renovate time-worn nurseries to provide a better environment for children.

While the city plans to build a nursing home for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, it will strive to strengthen the programs at senior citizen centers and to create jobs for the elderly, too.

With the late rise of Korean entertainment content, Anyang also plans to develop the city into hub of culture.

It will set up a tourism program for disabled people at Anyang Art Park, installing photo spots across the park. Outdoor stages at Anyang First Street and Pyeongchon First Street will be used to hold in-person and online performances, depending on the COVID-19 situation.

To improve the quality of life for Anyang residents, parks near Suamcheon and Anyangcheon will be renovated, too.

While the city is sure that GTX Line C, one of the metropolitan railway project that connects Seoul with Gyeonggi Province, will make a stop in Indeokwon, Anyang, the railroad network in the area will improve with the new Gyeonggang Line, Indong Line and New Ansan Line.

The goal is to create a living boundary for residents where people can have access to housing, shopping, medical care and education within a 10-minute distance.

The city will also look into what it can do for Yangji Village in Anyang 3-dong, designated as a renovation project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

By Park Joung-kyu (fob140@heraldcorp.com)
By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)