Mungyeong Mayor Kim Hak-hong. [Mungyeong City]
Mungyeong Mayor Kim Hak-hong. [Mungyeong City]

Mungyeong City in North Gyeongsang Province said Friday that Mayor Kim Hak-hong spent his first 100 days in office assessing the city's current state, listening to residents and setting the direction for the ninth directly elected administration.

The city has finalized 70 projects across 10 policy areas under its ninth-term campaign pledges, with a total budget of 1.37 trillion won ($1.02 billion), as it moves to secure new engines of long-term growth.

Kim is a career public administrator with 33 years of experience in both central and local government, including stints as vice governor for administrative affairs of North Gyeongsang Province and at the Ministry of Interior and Safety.

Drawing on that background, he has focused on changes residents can feel in their daily lives and on Mungyeong's long-term development rather than short-term results.

Major pending issues — including a cable car on Juheulsan, a monorail on Dansan and a tourism-themed train in Gaeun — are being deliberated through a series of public forums that bring together residents and experts.

The city plans to develop Mungyeong apples and omija berries into flagship regional brands by linking their processing and retail with culinary tourism, while also pursuing the construction of an agricultural wholesale market, the attraction of biotech healthcare businesses and the establishment of an AI video industry cluster.

On the tourism front, the city is working to build a healing and wellness tourism cluster centered on Mungyeongsaejae pass along the Baekdudaegan mountain range, and to extend visitor stays and boost local spending by connecting sites such as Cheongunggak and the Mungyeong Doline Wetland.

Shortly after taking office, Kim formed a task force to expand city gas supply and rolled out a range of resident-focused policies, including measures to address housing needs, relief payments to offset high fuel costs and an expansion of the Mungyeong Love gift certificate program.

The city also plans to work with the National Assembly, the North Gyeongsang Provincial Government and the central government to secure the funding and policy frameworks needed for regional development, while introducing AI and data-driven administration to improve organizational efficiency.

"The first 100 days were not a time to compete for results, but an opportunity to reaffirm the future I promised to residents," Kim said. "This is just the beginning. I will repay their trust with tangible results, so that four years from now they will truly feel that Mungyeong has changed."


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