
Despite the political upheaval and its negative effects on the economy of South Korea last year, Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-joon is content with his city's progress.
He said the city had “overcome economic downturns” and created a “driving force for greater development in the future.”
Lee, who took office in July 2022 after winning the race for the Democratic Party of Korea, holds great pride in the social and economic policies he led last year under the slogan, “Renewed Suwon, Radiant Citizens.” Each of them, according to the mayor, enhanced living conditions for the city’s citizens and revitalized the city’s economy.
Those policies include Saebit Civil Service Office, which consists of nine public workers with more than 20 years of experience that handle complaints and inquiries submitted to the city government.
Through this service, the city government says queries and complaints were processed faster, as the staff were able to deal with the requests without having to seek additional assistance or approval from specific departments.
“The Saebit Civil Service Center has been recognized as an exemplary case nationwide, as it was rewarded the Presidential Award in 2024,” said Lee.
Lee also mentioned the Saebit Fund -- a city government-led policy that invests in companies based in Suwon, equipped with excellent technology and growth potential to support their development and foster them into global companies.
“As of now the Saebit Fund has garnered up to 314.9 billion won ($217 million), more than three times the target amount,” continued Lee. With the money, Lee stated that the city would begin to “invest in promising companies” from 2025.
Based on the city’s achievements from last year, Lee stated that 2025 will be a year of “great transformation” for Suwon.
“The city government has worked to make sure Suwon citizens will be able to experience these changes firsthand in their lives,” Lee said.

Lee added that, out of all other policies, those that aim to boost the city’s economy will “always take top priority” this year.
“The city will strengthen investments in high-tech companies and discover companies that hold a lot of potential for growth, to solidify Suwon’s foundation as an ideal city for companies to conduct business,” affirmed Lee.
The mayor added that the city government will also work to boost its economy by supporting local businesses through Suwon Pay, a local digital currency that works like a prepaid electronic voucher. After users load money onto Suwon Pay through a mobile app or card, they can use the digital currency at participating stores, restaurants and markets in the city.
“To help small businesses (in Suwon) and stimulate local spending, we doubled the annual budget for Suwon Pay this year to 41.1 billion won and increased the incentive rates from 6 to 7 percent to 10 percent,” said Lee.
The incentives come in the form of extra money that the city government provides when users load funds into their Suwon Pay account.
“During major holidays like the Lunar New Year and Chuseok, we increased the incentive rates to 20 percent,” he said.
Lee also pointed out that the city plans to introduce 2,000 job positions compared to the previous year, while also hosting monthly job fairs to link employers and potential workers searching for jobs.

When asked what Lee envisions as Suwon’s future, Lee explained that his goal is to shape Suwon into a “high-tech scientific city,” after revitalizing the city’s economy, creating high-quality jobs and encouraging company investments that increase “the city’s potential for development.”
“Suwon already possesses the fundamentals to become a high-tech scientific city, with its existing industrial hubs such as Gwanggyo Techno Valley and the Suwon Delta Plex,” explained Lee. “The city also plans to develop more of such hubs such as Buksuwon Techno Valley, Suwon R&D Science Park and Uman Bio Valley, to ultimately create a cluster in Suwon consisting of advanced scientific companies.”
Lee added that the city also aims to create a free economic zone in western Seoul, by creating what could be dubbed "Korea’s Silicon Valley" at the former site of Suwon Air Base to attract high-tech scientific companies and research centers.
“Once the high-tech scientific innovation cluster and free economic zone are established, Suwon will be able to become a creative, convergence city,” mentioned Lee. “In the future, Suwon will become a city where companies that hold great potential can gather and create synergy with one another. By mobilizing my previous experiences in urban design and planning (for Suwon), I will work to open up a new, promising future for this city.”
