Yangju Mayor Jung Duk-young (first from right) speaks with German business executives at an event held with the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Photo courtesy of Yangju City
YANGJU — Yangju, a fast-growing city in Gyeonggi Province, is shifting its focus from expanding in size to improving quality of life. After enlarging its footprint through the development of the Okjeong and Hoecheon new towns and an influx of residents, the city plans to fill in the fabric of daily life — transportation, industry, education, culture, and health care and welfare — to turn growth into something residents can feel.
The centerpiece of that plan is expanded regional rail, the city said on the 17th. Construction on the Great Train Express (GTX)-C line began on Sept. 15. The 86.6-kilometer line will link Deokjeong to Suwon and Sangnoksu via central Seoul, with service targeted for the end of 2031. Once it opens, travel time from Deokjeong to Samsung Station is expected to fall sharply, improving Yangju’s access to the greater Seoul area.
Yangju is also pushing for the GTX-C to add a stop at Yangju Station. The aim is to extend rail benefits, now centered on Deokjeong Station, to the older downtown and western districts. The city is simultaneously pursuing an extension of Seoul Subway Line 7, express service at Deokgye Station on Line 1, and shorter intervals between trains at Deokgye and Deokjeong stations.
If rail connects people, industry creates jobs inside the city. Yangju is developing the Yangju Techno Valley and the Eunnam General Industrial Park as its two industrial pillars. The Techno Valley is to cluster advanced industries such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology along with research and development functions, while the Eunnam park is to become a base for manufacturing, distribution and logistics.
Efforts to attract companies are also accelerating. In July, the city signed an agreement with incoming tenants covering 28.6 billion won ($20.6 million) in investment and 140 new hires. It also signed a tenancy agreement with the logistics company Logisvalley that includes an investment plan worth 1 trillion won ($720 million) at the Eunnam park. The strategy is to convert corporate investment into local jobs and economic activity, laying the groundwork for a self-sufficient city.
Education infrastructure is expanding as well, with a new Yangju Office of Education, new schools in the new towns and measures to relieve overcrowded classrooms. In the western district, the city is building a multipurpose school complex at Ganap Elementary School. Officials plan to strengthen future-oriented and career education in areas such as AI, coding and robotics, creating a pipeline that runs from schooling to jobs for young adults within the city.
Yangju Mayor Jung Duk-young greets residents. Photo courtesy of Yangju City
Yangju is also drawing on its own historical and cultural assets. Procedures are under way to have the Hoeamsa Temple Site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list by 2029, and the city is expanding use of other heritage sites through excavation and restoration work at Yangju Daemo Mountain Fortress and broader hands-on programs at the Yangju Gwana government office site.
The city is pursuing a public medical center for northeastern Gyeonggi Province. A feasibility study put the benefit-cost ratio for a public hospital in Yangju at 1.20, and the city is working toward a groundbreaking in 2030 and an opening in 2033. Through an integrated smart care program, it is also strengthening tailored support for residents who need medical treatment and caregiving, making a stronger social safety net one of its main tasks.
Yangju’s next phase of growth is not about getting bigger. Expanded rail is meant to cut commuting times, and corporate recruitment is meant to translate into local jobs. The key, officials say, is having education, health care and cultural infrastructure support conditions for settling down.
“Until now we have grown the city’s outward size through new town development and population increases, but now is the time to create changes residents can feel in daily life,” a Yangju city official said. “We will concentrate our administrative resources on making Yangju a livable, self-sufficient city and the hub of northern Gyeonggi Province.”