Yeonsu-gu District Mayor Lee Jae-ho unveils 90 campaign pledges for new term: 'Keeping promises matters more than making them'

Incheon's Yeonsu-gu has finalized 90 campaign pledges to guide the district's administration for the new term and has begun preparing in earnest to carry them out.

The total is 13 fewer than the previous term's pledges, but the list covers a broad range of local issues — from old downtown renewal and infrastructure expansion in Songdo International City to transport improvements and lifestyle-oriented welfare.

How concretely the district can spell out budgets, timelines and feasibility for each pledge will determine whether the agenda delivers results.

District Mayor Lee Jae-ho unveiled the 90 pledges at a press conference marking his 100th day in office, held Wednesday at the Yeonsu-gu Office briefing room. "Greater trust means heavier responsibility," he said. "I will not pile up promises — I will keep the ones I make."

The pledges are organized into six categories: administration and safety (11), welfare (23), education and culture (21), environment and green space (13), economy (9), and urban development and community cohesion (13).

Welfare and education and culture together account for 44 pledges — nearly half the total — reflecting the district's emphasis on policies that directly affect residents' daily lives.

By area, the plan identifies improving basic living infrastructure in the old downtown and expanding administrative and transport infrastructure in Songdo International City as the two main priorities.

In the old downtown, planned projects include building new community welfare centers in Seonhak-dong, Ongnyeon 1-dong and Yeonsu 3-dong, constructing a new Yeonsu Public Health Center building, and developing a public parking tower on Matgoeul-gil as well as a Yeonsu General Sports Town.

A silver care center to address the district's aging population is targeted for completion in 2028.

For Songdo International City, the pledges include splitting Songdo 4 and 3-dong into separate administrative units, building a community welfare center for Songdo 6 and 7-dong, and constructing a residents' sports center and a senior welfare facility.

Plans to strengthen the city's cultural and leisure offerings are also included, among them a large-scale fireworks festival at the Waterfront Lake.

On transport, the district named three priorities: the early completion of the GTX-B line, an extension of Incheon Metro Line 1 to Songdo Section 8, and the development of a figure-eight circular tram route in Songdo.

Transit-oriented development around Cheonghak Station and a KTX Songdo Station development originating from Incheon are also planned.

However, major metropolitan transport projects require cooperation from the central government and Incheon city, so the key challenge will be moving beyond district-level requests to nail down concrete schedules and funding plans for each project.

The use of AI in safety and welfare administration also stands out among the pledges.

Lee plans to build a safety management system using AI and ground-penetrating radar to prevent ground subsidence and sinkholes, with a target completion date of April 2027.

The district also plans to use its Yeonsu-gu data platform — which launched formal operations in September — to share real-time urban data with the public, and to use an AI check-in app to monitor the safety of elderly residents at risk of dying alone.

Lifestyle-oriented welfare pledges include subsidizing RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccination costs for premature infants under one year old and third-born children, expanding the scholarship program under the Yeonsu Keunjae Scholarship Foundation, and launching a youth employment dream project.

The district will also pursue job-skills training for middle-aged residents, expand senior welfare facilities, and develop a public screen park golf course.

Before announcing the pledges, Lee noted that he had submitted a formal proposal to Incheon city immediately after taking office, calling for action on key district issues.

The proposal called for a roadmap to establish Songdo as a separate administrative district, the early transfer of key administrative powers, the founding of an Incheon Bio Science and Technology Institute, and the recruitment of a public medical school to the area.

It also called for the cancellation of plans to relocate the Incheon Port Authority, a review of the Songdo freight parking lot opening plan, normalization of an urban development and theme park project on the former Daewoo dealership site in Songdo, and the creation of a global AI auto valley to resolve issues surrounding the used-car export complex in Ongnyeon-dong.

To the central government and the National Assembly, Lee urged the early establishment of a separate Songdo district, the creation of a new Songdo Police Station, and the swift advancement of the Second Gyeongin Line. He also called for legislative reforms, including amendments to laws governing personal mobility devices and to the Motor Vehicle Management Act to eradicate unregistered vehicles.

The district plans to incorporate public feedback to refine the pledges before releasing a detailed action plan in December.

"If it concerns the lives of Yeonsu-gu residents and the future of this district, I will not back down no matter how long it takes," Lee said. "If it is the right path for our residents, I will go anywhere, explain myself, persuade, and prove it through results."