CHEONAN — Chungcheongnam-do Governor Park Soo-hyun visited Cheonan on November 10 for the 14th leg of the province’s ongoing communication tour, dubbed "Chungnam Tonghaeng." During the visit, Governor Park shared the 9th-elected provincial administration's strategic vision and pledged full administrative and financial backing to accelerate Cheonan’s development in advanced industries, wide-area transit networks, and the establishment of a national dental science research institute.

The day’s itinerary began with an early-morning breakfast meeting with Cheonan Mayor Jang Ki-soo, followed by a visit to the city council to coordinate views on pressing local issues. Later, Governor Park met with roughly 800 local residents at the Beongseo Hall in Cheonan City Hall for an open town-hall discussion.

Addressing the public, Governor Park provided progress updates on civic grievances previously collected during a town hall meeting in June, while directly answering new questions and recommendations from attendees. To ensure continuous communication, the provincial government operated an on-site "Governor’s Direct Civil Petition Office," promising to channel citizen complaints through relevant departments for thorough tracking and resolution.

On the industrial front, the provincial government plans to leverage seven specialized industrial complexes in the Cheonan-Asan region—designated as semiconductor back-end packaging, materials, parts, and equipment specialized zones last September—to bolster the local tech supply chain. Regarding the former Seonghwan livestock station site, selected as a candidate for a new national industrial complex, the province is preparing preliminary feasibility study applications and coordinating with the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) to secure corporate investments. Furthermore, collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport are underway to shape an AI-specialized pilot city in Cheonan-Asan, integrating artificial intelligence into everyday civic services.

To secure the bid for the National Institute of Dentistry, the province is building a robust application leveraging the educational and clinical foundations of Dankook University’s dental hospital and college, alongside designated land near KTX Cheonan-Asan Station.

In terms of transportation infrastructure, the province is jointly pushing for the extension of the metropolitan express railway (GTX-C) to Cheonan and Asan, as well as the inclusion of the mid-region east-west cross-country railway into the 5th National Railway Network Plan, advocating for the GTX-C extension to be funded as a national fiscal project. Meanwhile, construction for the modernization and expansion of Cheonan Station—which broke ground in April of last year—is picking up pace with a target completion date of May 2028. Plans for the KTX Cheonan-Asan Station Metropolitan Complex Transfer Center, which will expand parking facilities and transit stops for buses and taxis, are also progressing with preparations to invite private business operators.

"We will join hands with Cheonan to ensure that its robust industrial foundation translates into quality corporate growth and jobs, while citizens can tangibly experience improvements in their daily commutes and transit systems," Governor Park stated. He emphasized that Cheonan’s long-awaited structural projects are vital national initiatives essential for the advancement of both Chungnam and South Korea as a whole.

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