Mayor listens to residents in Hwado-eup during second field office visit
Namyangju city held its second "field mayor's office" session in Hwado-eup on Tuesday, with Mayor Choi Hyeon-deok inspecting key project sites and listening to residents' concerns firsthand.
The field mayor's office is a community-centered administrative initiative in which the mayor visits townships, towns and neighborhoods directly to examine local issues and engage with residents. The city held its first such session in Jinjeop-eup on July 16, with Tuesday's visit to Hwado-eup marking the second.
Choi received briefings on major issues in Hwado-eup and directed that civil affairs offices across the city's townships, towns and neighborhoods be opened from 8 a.m. to help prevent heat-related illness among residents vulnerable to extreme heat.
He also shared a case study from Hwado-eup in which adjusting contracted electricity capacity at public sports facilities had reduced utility costs, and urged other townships, towns and neighborhoods to join efforts to cut spending.
Choi then visited a business operating the "Giwon Whisky Tour," designated as a gift item under the hometown love donation program, to review its operations and examine ways to promote the program.
He also visited the site of an improvement project at a bottleneck on the national road near Nokchon IC, where chronic traffic congestion has long inconvenienced residents. Choi reviewed the project's progress and surrounding traffic conditions and heard residents' views.
Residents raised concerns that even after the improvement project is completed, increased traffic on nearby roads could continue to cause difficulties for local residents and businesses.
In response, Choi said the city would "move quickly to expand Rural Road No. 102, which runs between Nokchon and Changhyeon, to minimize inconvenience for residents."
After completing the morning site visits, Choi joined Hwado-eup staff for a working lunch, listening to frontline civil servants about their working conditions and challenges and expressing appreciation for their efforts.
He then visited Maseok Five-Day Market, where he met with vendors and residents to hear their views on revitalizing the traditional market and addressing inconveniences. He also checked safety management of facilities including cooking equipment at the market and urged compliance with safety rules to prevent accidents.
"We will develop effective measures to help Maseok Five-Day Market carry on its traditions and establish itself as a landmark of Namyangju," Choi said.
In the afternoon, Choi held a community forum attended by about 120 people, including representatives of major civic organizations and residents of Hwado-eup. Participants shared suggestions closely tied to daily life — covering traffic, the living environment and regional development — and discussed possible solutions.
"Meeting residents in person on the ground allows us to understand local problems and needs far more accurately," Choi said. "We will continue to listen carefully to the valuable opinions of our citizens and actively reflect them in city administration."
Meanwhile, the city plans to review the key issues and residents' suggestions that emerged from the Hwado-eup field session and continue follow-up discussions and administrative action, focusing on tasks that residents can tangibly feel.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
