Choi Yu-cheol takes office as Uiseong-gun chief, vows to serve residents above all

Choi Yu-cheol was officially inaugurated Tuesday as the 46th chief of Uiseong-gun in North Gyeongsang Province, marking the start of the ninth directly elected term.

Choi began his first day in office by reporting to work, completing senior staff greetings and signing the administrative handover documents, before visiting a war memorial tower to pay tribute to fallen soldiers and patriots.

He then held an inauguration ceremony at Uiseong Culture Center, attended by about 1,000 people representing all walks of life in the county — including provincial and county lawmakers, heads of affiliated agencies and organizations, prominent figures with ties to the region, and residents from youth, women's, veterans' and senior citizens' groups.

In his inaugural address, Choi proclaimed "Happy residents, a prosperous Uiseong" as the governing vision for his term and outlined the direction of his administration.

His core priorities include building a long-term foundation for Uiseong through the Daegu-North Gyeongsang new international airport and emerging growth industries, developing a high-tech, high-value smart agricultural city, establishing a resident-participatory renewable energy profit-sharing model, and revitalizing the local economy for small business owners and traditional markets.

Choi also said he would work to make Uiseong a vibrant city where young people choose to stay, develop it into a year-round tourism destination, build an inclusive community through life-cycle-tailored welfare services, and drive administrative innovation through field-centered communication and cooperation.

"I will devote all my passion and sense of responsibility to building a truly prosperous Uiseong — an Uiseong that runs together, an Uiseong where young people come back, an Uiseong where every resident is happy," Choi said. "I will always listen with humility, work with sincerity, and move forward with my eyes fixed solely on the people of this county."