Bucheon Mayor Jo Yong-ik unveils 'Bigger Bucheon' vision built on industry, transit and welfare

Bucheon Mayor Jo Yong-ik has launched the ninth elected-term administration with a new urban vision he calls "Together Again, Bigger Bucheon (B.I.G Bucheon)."

The plan centers on three pillars — economy and industry, transport and urban space, and livelihoods and welfare — aimed at strengthening the city's growth engines while delivering changes residents can feel in their daily lives.

Mayor Jo said Tuesday that "B.I.G" stands for Business, Infra and Growth, and that the city would pursue sustainable development that fosters future industries, drives urban innovation and improves residents' well-being at the same time.

The flagship economic initiative is the transformation of the Sangdong Special Planning Zone into a mixed-use complex anchored by AI and content industries.

The strategy calls for a self-sustaining city district combining residential, commercial and cultural functions to secure long-term growth drivers.

The city is working through administrative procedures including revisions to its urban management plan, with a target of signing key agreements before the end of the year.

The Bucheon Daejang Urban Advanced Industrial Complex will be developed as a hub for cutting-edge sectors including semiconductors and urban air mobility.

The city plans to build on its existing tenant companies to attract additional investment and broaden participation by technology-competitive firms, strengthening the local future-industry ecosystem.

Nurturing local talent is also a priority. Centered on Bucheon Science High School, set to open next year, the city plans to build an education network linking universities, research institutions and businesses — creating a cycle in which locally trained talent feeds directly into local industries.

On urban infrastructure, the city aims to expand its transport network and reshape its urban spaces to emerge as the key city in the southwestern Greater Seoul area.

The area around Bucheon Comprehensive Stadium will be redeveloped into a mixed innovation hub where AI-driven advanced industries coexist with cultural facilities.

Industrial facilities will be placed alongside cultural and commercial venues to form a new growth axis and invigorate the local economy.

The city also plans a major expansion of its regional transit links, pursuing GTX-B, GTX-D, the Second Gyeongin Line, the Daejang–Hongdae Line and a KTX-Eum stop at Sosa Station on the West Coast Line — laying the groundwork for a transport hub connecting not only the Greater Seoul area but also the Chungcheong and Honam regions.

Revitalization of older urban districts will also accelerate. The city will expand transit-oriented development and mini new-town projects, and will carry out a phased redevelopment of the first-generation Jungdong new town.

The demolition of the Sinheung and Gyenam overpasses will reconnect severed residential areas, while transit-oriented development and the expansion of everyday social infrastructure will proceed in parallel.

On livelihoods, the city will concentrate its administrative resources on policies that residents can feel directly in their daily lives.

Through its flagship "Right Away, Step by Step Project," the city will fast-track policies covering childcare, culture, sports and labor. It plans to expand birth support payments starting from the first child, introduce a new family-care allowance, and scale up Bucheon-style kids cafes and year-round part-time childcare services.

Medical and senior welfare services will also be strengthened. The city plans to increase the number of public late-night pharmacies, expand smart senior centers, and bolster housing supply and employment and startup support for young residents.

A new "1,000-won series" of policies will debut to ease the cost of living — including a 1,000-won laundromat, 1,000-won classical music performances and a 1,000-won indoor park golf course — to improve residents' access to culture and leisure.

On public safety, the city will upgrade its AI-powered integrated urban control center, strengthen flood-response systems in vulnerable areas and introduce an AI snow-removal system to boost disaster-response capabilities.

Plans also include establishing a dedicated labor affairs unit and expanding rest facilities for mobile workers to improve working conditions.

"I will set policy priorities with residents' lives as the foremost standard and raise our capacity to deliver," Mayor Jo said. "I will build a Bucheon where urban competitiveness and residents' happiness grow together — so that people can feel real change across industry, transport and welfare."