| Title | New Cheongju City Government Building to Reduce Citizen Inconvenience and Increase Administrative Effectiveness |
|---|---|
| Writer | Cheongju |
| Subject |
- Concluded that current design proposals obtained via international competition are unsuitable in numerous ways.
- Mayor Lee Bum-seok strives to construct City Hall in accordance with the grand integration principle proposed in Cheongju's petitions. The construction of the new government building is a significant undertaking that represents the unification of Cheongju and Cheongwon. Due to the fact that the current structure design, obtained via a design competition, does not serve the purpose of the integration between Cheongju and Cheongwon, the city of Cheongju has announced that it will undergo a redesign of the building. In addition, Cheongju City will employ all available legal and administrative means to remove illegal occupants, such as Cheongju Hospital and surrounding commercial establishments, in order to secure the site and proceed with the construction of the new government building as scheduled. ▶ It is necessary to construct the government building in accordance with the principle of the Cheongju-Cheongwon integration. The location of the new city hall was determined by the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration's "research service for zoning of four districts in the integrated Cheongju City and location selection of government offices" on June 20, 2013. Osong-eup was also considered for the integrated Cheongju City Hall, but the issue of hollowing out the original downtown arose. Accordingly, the city government decided to construct a new government building in the current location of Bukmun-ro, under the vision of "Urban and Rural Complex Cities with 1 Million Population." Consequently, Cheongju City held an international design competition to create a unique structure. In the course of the discussion, the design goal to retain the main building, which was not the original purpose of discussion, was decided, resulting in a concavo-convex (⊓) structure with restricted space utilization. It was pointed out that, due to integration, this structure has limitations in meeting the demand for metropolitan administration, such as having to place three headquarters in different locations, and causes a long-term decrease in administrative efficiency while causing inconvenience for citizens. ▶ Demolition of the council building and main building, and construction of the city hall building as planned After Mayor Lee assumed office as mayor, Cheongju City announced that it would proceed with the demolition and redesign of the main building after conducting a comprehensive review, citing inefficiency, inconvenience to citizens, and a lack of safety. Regarding this, a number of civic organizations opposed the demolition for reasons such as the cultural significance of the main building and sunk costs. Conservative groups and original downtown residents countered this argument by arguing vehemently for the demolition of the main building to revitalize the original downtown and eliminate the controversial Japanese colors. As the budget for the demolition of the main building was approved at last year's plenary session, Cheongju City is currently removing asbestos from the main building and council building, and plans to demolish the council building after asbestos removal is completed. However, the decision to demolish the main building will be finalized after consultation with the Cultural Heritage Administration. Meanwhile, Cheongju City is promoting a "documentation project" that collects digital data, surveys the building's history and interior/exterior condition, and records and preserves the main building by taking photographs and videos, as opposed to just demolishing it. ▶ Relocation of Cheongju Hospital scheduled for completion by the end of this year Now that the direction of the integrated city hall has been determined, Cheongju City is accelerating its efforts to secure the project site by using all available legal and administrative means to remove Cheongju Hospital and nearby commercial establishments that are illegally occupying the site. The city government acquired the hospital through a legal expropriation process because consultations with Cheongju Hospital during the compensation process did not go smoothly. Cheongju City deposited the total amount of compensation, approximately KRW 17.8 billion, and the hospital received two payments totaling approximately KRW 17.2 billion. On December 15, 2022, the city finally prevailed against Cheongju Hospital in the "land and building expropriation lawsuit” at the Supreme Court. Even though an evacuation order is pending as a result of the ruling, Cheongju Hospital is currently treating approximately 120 inpatients without implementing relocation measures. "Cheongju Hospital has a psychiatric ward and is a place where the elderly are hospitalized," commented a resident of Jungang-dong. "Inpatients should not become involved in the legal battle between Cheongju City and the hospital.” Meanwhile, the Cheongju Court has given Cheongju Hospital three notices to relocate, with the threat of forced relocation if the hospital doesn't comply by February 19th. A city official noted that "citizen fatigue is increasing as construction of city hall is delayed." To ensure that the construction scheduled for August 2025 is not impacted, he continued, "We will do our best to promote the construction of the new building, such as securing the site, with strict legal responses, including compensation claims and lawsuits for the return of undue profits.” |
| File |
| 이전글 | Opening of Korea’s First Drive-Through Library, Yulbong Smart Library |
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| 다음글 | Cheongju City to Attract Seasonal Workers from Overseas |