From an industrial city to a cultural and sports city...Gumi City, North Gyeongsang Province

■ Host: Lee Yeo-jin, anchor Jang Won-seok
■ Starring: Kim Jang-ho, Gumi Mayor

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN News PLUS] when quoting.


[Anchor]
Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, is considered the representative industrial city of Korea. Recently, it is trying to change into a cultural and sports city. Today, we invited Kim Jang-ho, Mayor of Gumi, to YTN Studio. Please come in. Not long ago, the Gimbap Festival in Gimcheon received a lot of response, and I heard that the ramen festival in Gumi was a big hit.

[Kim Jang-ho]
It's been three years this year. It has now become a nationwide festival. About 170,000 people came. About half of them came from outside the country.

[Anchor]
How many people found it?

[Kim Jang-ho]
170,000 people came.

[Anchor]
What kind of ramen do you like?

[Kim Jang-ho]
I like Shin Ramen.

[Anchor]
You like spicy ramen. So many people came, but what do you think about the success of this ramen festival?

[Kim Jang-ho]
Ramen is a favorite material of all ages in Korea and is an original material. The second is that you can buy and eat freshly fried ramen right from the factory. And then we did it in the city. And in selecting our ramen chefs, the applicants are reviewed by documents, the second is a cooking test, and the last is an expert consultation, so I think citizens like it a lot.

[Anchor]
Did you come up with such a festival because you have a sense of agriculture in Europe and America?

[Kim Jang-ho]
Yes, our Nongshim manufacturing plant is in Gumi. In particular, Shin Ramen has the advantage of being No. 1 in the brand, so we are selling unique ramen using Shin Ramen.

[Anchor]
So with that Shin Ramen, did various local chefs cook with their own unique recipes?

[Kim Jang-ho]
It's very appealing to citizens and the people, and I think they like it because there are a variety of unique dishes based on ramen.

[Anchor]
Is this ramen festival held every year?

[Kim Jang-ho]
Yes, it's the third time this year and I'll prepare it next year.

[Anchor]
I asked you because I think there are people who are sad that it's already over. I heard that the Asian Athletics Championships will be held for the first time in a basic organization in Gumi next year. Can you introduce what kind of competition this is?

[Kim Jang-ho]
Among the Asian Games, there is an Asian Games, and in fact, the Asian Athletics Championships are higher in grade. In Korea, it was held in Seoul and then in Incheon in 2005. After 20 years, we are preparing for 2025 and next year in Gumi. In order to use Gumi as an opportunity to market as a luxury city and a global city in Asia, our city is preparing for urban maintenance and remodeling restaurants and lodging facilities.

[Anchor]
I guess this is the first time for a local government?

[Kim Jang-ho]
In Korea, it was first done in Seoul, followed by Seoul Metropolitan City, followed by Incheon Metropolitan City, and Gumi was the third in basic organizations. [Anchor] What is the economic trigger?

[Kim Jang-ho]
About 1,500 people from 45 countries will come. In addition, we believe that it is a good opportunity to promote our Europe and America throughout Asia, despite the fact that the entire Asian population is watching a lot and the economic effect is great.

[Anchor]
Did you have any difficulties while being childish?

[Kim Jang-ho]
We competed with China, but since there are so many big cities in China, I think there was a good result because we did it with all our heart.

[Anchor]
There is also an analysis that the economic inducement effect of 300 billion won is expected.

[Kim Jang-ho]
I think that's a little big, but anyway, with this Asian Athletic Conference, we're saving the local economy and there are many companies in Gumi City. Since there are many companies in Asia, I think it will be an opportunity for those companies to establish good relations with local countries.

[Anchor]
We have about half a year left now, but is the preparation work going well?

[Kim Jang-ho]
So we have to create a boom and promote this, so we are preparing for the Gumi Park Chung-hee Marathon in March next year. We're also preparing K-pop festivals and trying to attract public attention.

[Anchor]
I heard that Gumi has recently come up with various low birth rate measures, so please introduce them.

[Kim Jang-ho]
All the fat is difficult. It is a low birth rate and the population is decreasing, and in Gumi City, all the core of the city government focuses on children, childcare, youth, and women. So, we are focusing on establishing medical infrastructure for childbirth. In this way, we are expanding a system that takes care of 365 care centers, night-long daycare centers, sick child care centers, and together care centers 24 hours a day in a 10-minute distance. Through this, our young couples leave their children safe and try to do this to minimize career breaks.

[Anchor]
For those who have a hard time raising their children and working, and those who need work-life balance, what kind of requirements did the mayor say?

[Kim Jang-ho]
So young parents leave their children behind and need a lot of healing space for their work-life balance. So, in Gumi City, there is a place called the Jisan Saetgang River on the Nakdonggang River. It's a migratory bird habitat, but this is actually a place where it's gloomy at night and neglected like this, so we made it a hot place. We built a red clay road, a barefoot road, night lights, and because it's farmland, it's not a resting restaurant, but we set up an unmanned cafe and it's becoming a very hot place right now. We prepare so that many women can come to such places.

[Anchor]
I heard you're increasing the number of children's treatment facilities.

[Kim Jang-ho]
If your child is sick now, there is a pediatrician during the week, but on weekends, nights, and holidays, the only medical facilities are emergency rooms, right? But there are not many pediatricians in the emergency room. Because pediatricians are precious these days. So, we will collaborate with the city and the hospital to have four more pediatricians, whether it's 365 days at night or on weekends, with nurses. Anyway, we leave the door open 24 hours a day. So, I think it's very popular because we created an environment where parents can raise their children safely.

[Anchor]
When you hear the voice in person at the scene, parents say that when children are sick, it is the most difficult and difficult to work with. I think you must have thought a lot about these policies at the time.

[Kim Jang-ho]
After this essential infrastructure is established, childcare is provided, and from our perspective, our parents can have a career break, right? So, we opened a job convenience store to prevent career breaks. It is now gaining popularity by opening a convenience store where mothers with career breaks can find their own jobs for a while at the same time by collecting all information on employment and job openings.

[Anchor]
Ramen Festival ended successfully and the sports festival will be held in half a year. It seems that the image of a city where children are raised and a good city is changing, what is this driving force?

[Kim Jang-ho]
In the end, we believe that our public officials, including myself, should change and innovate and become experts. So, we are studying that our civil servants come out every Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. and are studying it as a Wednesday special lecture. And if there is a topic, we run a program that goes to the best field in the world and sees it. So, if you remodel a library, then you go to a library in Japan and see it, and if you need a night market, you go to a night market in Taiwan or Vietnam and so on, public officials should become experts. Don't we need to focus on this and have a posture for change? I'm seeing that that's what's driving this right now.

[Anchor]
If you have any last words to say to YTN viewers about Gumi?

[Kim Jang-ho]
Small business owners and self-employed people are very difficult right now. I hope that this festival, healing course, and things like this will give you a little bit of warmth. I hope you pay a lot of attention and affection to Gumi.

[Anchor]
So far, we've talked with Kim Jang-ho, Mayor of Gumi. Thank you for coming out today.