Esteemed people of Gyeonggi!

My fellow public officials!

2015, the year of Eulmi, is coming to an end.

I am sincerely grateful for the wholehearted love and support.

You have shown us this year for the growth of our province.

I also want to thank our public officials who shared in the joys and griefs of the Gyeonggi people throughout the province.

People of Gyeonggi!

More than a year has passed since Gyeonggi Province started its political coalition to conciliate the ruling party, the opposition, and the people for the first time in Korea.

Through our coalition,

we were able to overcome a national disaster like the MERS epidemic.

We also resolved policies that were in deadlock between the ruling party and the opposition like the Living Wage Ordinance.

Additionally, we opened the path towards coalition in education together with the Education Office by promoting programs including Good Uniform and Dream School.

We have come so far because of your strong passion asking us to ‘look beyond political conflicts and cooperate to move forward’.

People of Gyeonggi Province! I would like to express my deepest gratitude.

The coalition effort in Gyeonggi Province will continue to strengthen cooperative ties between cities and counties in addition to ties with other metropolitan cities and provinces to expand the outward reach of our coalition.

Moreover, we will continue our efforts to fulfill the highest objective for our coalition, the happiness of the people of Gyeonggi Province.

People of Gyeonggi Province!

And our public officials!

We have realized some valuable accomplishments in 2015 despite difficult conditions.

During the MERS outbreak in May, we created a close-knit cooperative network between the public and private sectors including neighborhood medical practices, public hospitals, and outpatient strategic hospitals to successfully respond to the epidemic.

By putting policies for creating employment opportunities at the forefront of our administration, Gyeonggi Province accounted for half of all new job opportunities created nationwide.

Our province also won the Overall Grand Prize for Job Creation.

We also began customized transportation welfare with the ‘Ddabok bus’ service to operate bus routes that had difficulty holding regular bus schedules, and the ‘Ddabok taxi’ service to dispatch taxis to neighborhoods with poor transportation infrastructure where bus service was difficult altogether. 

For the first time in Korea, Gyeonggi Province introduced double-decker buses to help commuters travelling to and from work. 

We also prepared a platform to introduce an open, inclusive and communicative administration with innovative programs such as the NEXT audition and UP Creative Audition. 

Gyeonggi Province won ministerial awards in five welfare sectors, making it the only metropolitan organization in the country to accomplish this feat, based on its exemplary management of its social security council, alleviation of welfare blind spots, and support of vulnerable population segments.

To ensure a quick first response to disaster situations, we concentrated operational control in the field at the Disaster and Safety Headquarters and we also managed disaster systems efficiently with measures such as reorganizing the administration to transfer disaster safety functions directly under the Offiec of the Governor.

As a result, Gyeonggi Province was named the most outstanding organization at the ‘Safety Culture Awards’.

With our government expenditures exceeding KRW 10 trillion for the first time in history, we secured KRW 11.625 trillion in government funds for 2016, which is an increase of more than KRW 1 trillion over last year.

I want to express my gratitude to all those who worked hard to make these valuable results possible. 

Esteemed people of Gyeonggi!

And my fellow public officials!

In recent years, our society has been facing a number of crises stemming from low birth rates, low economic growth, youth unemployment, and the failure to form a nationwide consensus.

Facing the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  

It is a message that rings true.

When we overcome the vague fear that crisis brings and turn it into an opportunity, we can embark on a new journey. 

Gyeonggi Province will change if our people, public officials, and the ruling party as well as the opposition bring their strengths together.

When Gyeonggi Province changes, Korea changes.

Let’s move forward together until Gyeonggi Province becomes not just the Korean standard but also the global standard.

Once again, I sincerely thank you for your love and support throughout the year and I offer best wishes for the health and happiness in each and every family. 

December 31, 2015

Nam Kyung-pil

Governor of Gyeonggi Province