100-day interview: ambition to become central Korea's hub city
Second round of public institution relocation to be pursued with precision
'Wonju, Gangwon's largest city, will drive the province's growth'
Culture and tourism vision seen as underdeveloped
Wonju Mayor Koo Ja-yeol said Thursday he plans to develop a medical AI industrial district in the Seo-Wonju area, creating a future medical industry hub to rival Pangyo.
Speaking at a 100-day briefing at City Hall, Koo said Wonju must evolve beyond southern Gangwon Province to become a new growth engine for the central inland region and a leading city in balanced regional development. "We will take Wonju's flagship strategic industry — the medical device sector — to the next level," he said.
He added that the city will pursue the long-sought designation as an advanced medical complex and push forward the Gangwon Medical Wellness AX Transformation project, a 1 trillion won ($747 million) initiative aimed at fundamentally restructuring the local industrial base.
With the government set to announce the second round of public institution relocation sites before year's end, Koo also said the city would sharpen its strategy to attract institutions that Wonju needs and those that align with its industries.
As Gangwon Province's largest city and economic capital, Wonju will foster advanced industries, attract businesses and talent, create quality jobs and drive growth across the entire province, he said.
The 100-day briefing covered a wide range of topics, with the main focus on attracting advanced industries, public institution relocation and improving residents' quality of life and welfare.
The briefing offered little vision, however, for culture, tourism and content — areas widely seen as key to elevating a city's brand value and drawing visitors from the central government, other regions and abroad. Observers noted that Wonju's preparations for attracting domestic and international visitors, a critical condition for its ambitions as a central hub city, remain underdeveloped.
Koo said the city will maintain close cooperation with the central government and local political circles to ensure the Yeoju-Wonju double-track railway — a key metropolitan transport project — is completed on schedule by 2028. The city will also actively push to have the extension of the greater Seoul metropolitan railway and the GTX-D line to Wonju included in national infrastructure plans.
"These rail infrastructure projects are core initiatives that will bring qualitative change to Gangwon Province's development, connecting Seoul's Gangnam with southern Gangwon and extending all the way to the Yeongdong region," Koo said.
Koo also expressed strong commitment to revitalizing the old city center. He said the city will repair and reinforce the main structural elements of the Jungang Market's Na Building, which has been largely non-functional since a fire in 2019, to ensure the building's safety. The second floor will be acquired and remodeled into a multipurpose cultural space open to all, including a merchant training room, meeting rooms and cultural facilities.
Koo reaffirmed his campaign pledge to pursue a range of half-price policies. He promised to build 1,000 units of "1,000-won housing" to stabilize housing for young people and newlyweds; provide full jeonse loan and interest support for 100 housing units starting in the second half of next year; distribute Wonju-style growth vouchers to ensure uninterrupted educational opportunities for school-age children; offer up to 300,000 won ($224) in transportation subsidies to 3,000 pregnant women and women with fertility challenges; cut hourly childcare fees for infants and toddlers in half; halve usage fees at public sports facilities; increase the budget for half-price agricultural input support by 1 billion won each year; and double medication cost support for elderly residents with chronic illnesses.
Koo also outlined plans to open City Hall to the public as part of an effort to make books a part of everyday life, convert the sites of the former livestock breeding station and prison into public parks, and open Camp Long as a public park in April next year.
He said the city is also laying the institutional groundwork for greater civic participation, including preparations to launch a Citizens' Sovereignty Era Committee and the establishment of a citizens' sovereignty officer reporting directly to the mayor.
Koo also outlined plans to open City Hall to the public as part of an effort to make books a part of everyday life, convert the sites of the former livestock breeding station and prison into public parks, and open Camp Long as a public park in April next year.
"From changes in daily life to a leap toward the future, we will achieve Wonju's great transformation together with our citizens," Koo said. "I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support and encouragement you have shown over the past 100 days. We will build a city government where citizens' voices are the starting point and the foundation of every policy."
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