Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young launches third term, vows 'unceasing progress'

Ju Nak-young was inaugurated Tuesday as Gyeongju's first three-term directly elected mayor, launching the ninth elected-term administration under the new governing motto "A United Gyeongju, Unceasing Progress" and laying out his vision and key campaign pledges for the next four years.

The city held the inauguration ceremony at Seorabeol Culture Hall, with about 600 residents in attendance.

In his inaugural address, Ju reviewed the major achievements of his seventh and eighth terms and outlined his governing direction for the ninth term through a presentation.

"Thanks to the support you have given me, I have been entrusted with this weighty responsibility once again," he said. "To move toward a greater Gyeongju and a better future, I will make communication with citizens my top priority and will fulfill every campaign pledge I have made to them."

The ceremony featured a "ninth-term vision performance" in which nine citizen representatives — including a small-business owner, a worker, a farmer, a member of a multicultural family, a person with a disability, a young person, a student, a senior and a child — joined Ju in touching an LED screen to affirm their shared commitment to a united Gyeongju and unceasing progress.

Ju presented nine core campaign pledges for the ninth term: attracting 60 million tourists annually and breaking into the world's top 10 tourism cities, pursuing post-APEC projects, building a next-generation K-nuclear energy innovation cluster, developing vibrant and prosperous rural and fishing communities, and realizing a sustainable city where residents can thrive.

After the ceremony, Ju visited a manufacturing company at the Naengnam-myeon Myeonggye 3 General Industrial Complex to inspect business conditions and hear views on revitalizing the local economy and improving livelihoods.

"I will take the distinction of being Gyeongju's first three-term directly elected mayor not as an honor but as a greater responsibility," Ju said. "Together with our citizens, I will build a united Gyeongju and achieve a new leap forward through unceasing progress."

Earlier that day, before the inauguration, Ju paid his respects at the Patriotic Martyrs' Monument in Hwangseong Park and held a tree-planting ceremony at an urban wind-corridor forest to mark the launch of the ninth elected-term administration.