Kim inaugurated as 40th Yeoncheon-gun chief in 9th popular election cycle
Kim Duk-hyun was inaugurated Tuesday as Yeoncheon-gun chief for the ninth popular election cycle, extending his administration into a second consecutive four-year term following the eighth cycle.
In his inaugural address, Kim said he had been entrusted with the weighty responsibility of serving as the 40th Yeoncheon-gun chief "by the solemn command of the great people of Yeoncheon-gun to lead uninterrupted development." He pledged to adopt "the spirit of a true public servant as described by Dasan" as the governing philosophy of his new term.
He went on to enumerate nine specific pledges for the development of Yeoncheon-gun, promising to "lace up his shoes firmly" so as never to lose sight of his founding commitment to revitalize the region and improve residents' lives.
The following is the full text of Kim Duk-hyun's inaugural address.
Respected and beloved residents of Yeoncheon-gun!
And distinguished guests joining us here today!
Thank you!
By the choice of the great people of Yeoncheon-gun, I have been entrusted with the weighty responsibility of serving as the 40th Yeoncheon-gun chief. I offer my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude.
The warm support you have shown me is the solemn command of the great people of Yeoncheon-gun to lead uninterrupted development. To repay the trust of the residents I respect, I will run with all my energy toward the development of Yeoncheon-gun, looking only to you.
Whether you supported me in the last election or backed another candidate, we are all residents who love Yeoncheon. We must now come together as one — not as "you" and "I," but as "we." I also extend my warm regards to those who competed with me in good faith.
Respected residents of Yeoncheon-gun!
Jeong Jae-won, the father of Joseon-era practical scholar Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, served as a local magistrate in Yeoncheon for five years. As a child, Dasan learned from his father the duties of a public official and the importance of understanding the people. Later, while serving as a regional administrator in Goksan, Hwanghae Province, where the people's lives had fallen into ruin, Dasan recorded his anguish in "Mongminsimseo" ("Admonitions on Governing the People").
Every day I face the Dasan memorial monument at the county office, and I engrave deeply in my heart the teaching that "public service is not merely a post — it is a calling to save lives." I will take the spirit of a true public servant as described by Dasan as the governing philosophy guiding the ninth popular election cycle.
For the ninth popular election cycle, I make nine pledges for the development of Yeoncheon-gun.
First, I will break ground on the Seoul–Yeoncheon expressway at the earliest opportunity.
For the past three years, I have worked toward building the Seoul–Yeoncheon expressway. Now, only the question of whether it will be included in a preliminary feasibility study remains. An expressway connecting Yeoncheon to Seoul in under 40 minutes is the core infrastructure that will lay the groundwork for population growth and business attraction. Over the next four years, I will pour all my passion into achieving an early ground-breaking for the Yeoncheon expressway.
Second, I will successfully host the 2029 Yeoncheon World Paleolithic Expo.
Yeoncheon is a treasure trove of civilization where some of East Asia's earliest humans lived. The Yeoncheon Paleolithic Festival, which has run for 30 years, is now ready to leap forward as an international event shared with the world. Under the theme "Revolution in the Palm of Your Hand, Awakening the Future," I will host the World Paleolithic Expo in 2029. I will raise the profile of Yeoncheon, South Korea, on the world stage and lay the foundation for a tourism industry.
Third, I will build an AI-based green biotech cluster.
In December, Yeoncheon-gun was designated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as the northern hub of Gyeonggi Province's green biotech industry zone. Building on adlay — which accounts for 55 percent of national output — as well as oats, ginseng and hemp, I will expand into functional food, biotech materials, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. By establishing a smart production, processing and retail system integrated with AI technology, I will attract more than 50 biotech companies and create more than 1,000 jobs.
Fourth, I will develop a national garden — the "World Ecology Peace Garden."
I will create the "World Ecology Peace Garden," embodying the ecological value of the Imjin River and the peace-oriented value of the DMZ, a wound of national division. Centered on the kochia garden in Jungmyeon, I will establish a third national garden. Phase one, from 2025 through 2027, will build the foundational infrastructure, and I will pursue national garden designation by 2030. As a project preparing for the post-reunification era, I will transform the currently divided north-south territory into a unified "Garden of Peace." I will create a crescent-shaped garden in Yeoncheon and, after reunification, extend it beyond the Imjin River into the northern territory — so that two crescents become one full moon, a space of peace and life, and a great legacy for our descendants.
Fifth, I will pursue designation as an opportunity development special zone and a peace economy special zone.
Special compensation for special sacrifice is now the spirit of the age. Through designation as an opportunity development special zone, I will create conditions for corporate investment, and through a peace economy special zone, I will link Yeoncheon's ecology and peace to an industrial base. I will build a Yeoncheon that attracts corporate investment and generates quality jobs. Breaking free from the defeatism that has long defined the limitations of a border region, I will demand special compensation from the central government. Through a shift in thinking — that we must raise our voices louder — I will make Yeoncheon a land of opportunity.
Sixth, I will continue pursuing a rural basic income program.
The 27th of every month is Rural Basic Income Day. Although the current program ends at the end of next year, Yeoncheon-gun will prepare to ensure that rural basic income payments continue beyond that point. Yeoncheon-gun is currently at the center of change thanks to the rural basic income program. Coverage in KBS and Maeil Business Newspaper last May reported that the population had grown by about 1,800 and that commercial district sales in Yeoncheon-gun had increased 2.3 times compared to the previous year. On top of that, the total fertility rate stands at 1.06, ranking second in Gyeonggi Province after Hwaseong. Major national media outlets are competing to cover the fact that Yeoncheon is developing into a hometown worth living in. I will build a virtuous cycle system in which the rural basic income — the catalyst for Yeoncheon-gun's development — continues to circulate. Through this, I will ensure that Yeoncheon-gun continues to advance as a model region for rural basic income.
Seventh, I will pursue a settlement support allowance for border area residents.
Yeoncheon-gun has endured sacrifice under the dual regulations of military facility protection zones and the Capital Region Readjustment Planning Act. It is now time for us to raise our voices so that the state responds to that sacrifice. Residents of the five West Sea islands currently receive a settlement support allowance. I will pursue an amendment to the Special Act on Support for Border Areas to demand equivalent support for Yeoncheon-gun as a border region. I will do my utmost to ensure that Yeoncheon-gun's legitimate demand for rights equal to those of the five West Sea islands is met.
Eighth, I will build Yeoncheon into a hydrogen-centered city anchored by hydrogen trains on the Gyeongwon Line.
When the Gyeongwon Line section from Yeoncheon Station to Baengmagoji Station reopens, the existing diesel trains must be replaced with hydrogen trains by 2028. In preparation, a hydrogen charging station broke ground this past spring. By the end of next year, hydrogen trains, hydrogen buses and hydrogen passenger vehicles will be running on Yeoncheon's roads. Yeoncheon-gun will realize carbon neutrality to prevent global warming and emerge as a cutting-edge mobility city leading the future energy industry.
Finally, I will develop Yeoncheon-style "sunshine income villages."
The sunshine income village model, which has been drawing national attention, is one in which residents directly participate in solar power generation projects and reinvest the proceeds into village welfare and community initiatives. Yeoncheon benefits from the geographic advantage of abundant sunlight and the timely availability of idle land from military base relocations. The Yeoncheon-style sunshine income village is a renewable energy income model built on a virtuous cycle — residents participate directly, share in the profits, and those profits flow back into local consumption and investment. Through this, I will create quality jobs and new income sources for young people and residents, pursuing a model that can become a "Yeoncheon pension."
Respected and beloved residents!
And distinguished guests!
The nine core campaign pledges befitting the ninth popular election cycle are my declaration of commitment to the great people of Yeoncheon-gun — a pledge that I, Kim Duk-hyun, will do my utmost for Yeoncheon's development over the four years ahead. I will keep them without fail! I will deliver on them without fail!
Beloved residents of Yeoncheon-gun!
Over the past two months, I traveled to every corner of Yeoncheon-gun's 10 towns and townships, meeting the residents I love with all my strength. Seeing the elders who greet the day in the early morning air, the farmers who till the fertile land with their sweat, and the bright smiles of the young people and children who will carry Yeoncheon's future, I resolved to become a steadfast pillar supporting the lives of Yeoncheon-gun's residents. The residents I respect told me, Kim Duk-hyun, that Yeoncheon's development must continue without interruption. Those earnest eyes and voices are something I will never forget — not for the next four years, but for the rest of my life. I will be a field-based county chief who stays close to residents and listens carefully even to the smallest voices. I will dedicate everything I have to building a Yeoncheon worth living in, looking only to its residents.
Respected residents of Yeoncheon-gun!
I will complete more than 20 core projects initiated during the eighth popular election cycle that are still under way, including the construction of an edu-healthcare facility. Starting from today, the launch date of the ninth popular election cycle, I will wear out the doorsteps of central government ministries to ensure that the nine core campaign pledges I made to Yeoncheon-gun residents are kept.
A Yeoncheon where quality jobs are guaranteed!
A Yeoncheon where elders enjoy a happy retirement!
A Yeoncheon — a great place to raise the next generation!
I will lace up my shoes firmly so as never to lose sight of my founding commitment to revitalize the region and improve residents' lives.
Finally, I again thank the residents and distinguished guests who have joined us here today. I wish your families an abundance of happiness and joy.
Thank you!
Thank you, great people of Yeoncheon-gun!!!
pjh@heraldcorp.com
