Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong prioritizes AI innovation and public welfare

Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong has directed city officials to accelerate AI innovation tasks while strengthening policies that directly impact citizens' livelihoods. During a weekly business meeting, the Mayor emphasized the need to prioritize the 87 innovation tasks discussed by the AI Innovation Committee, focusing on those that offer immediate benefits to the public. He also ordered practical AI training for all public officials to integrate technology into administrative duties.

Regarding local economy and welfare, Mayor Heo addressed the management of the ‘Ontong Daejeon 2.0’ program, suggesting that the city focus on expanding local consumption through year-end events rather than solely increasing cashback rates. He also called for the development of pet-friendly urban policies, including the creation of pet playgrounds, large-scale animal parks, and cremation facilities.

Other key directives included improving the management of local festivals by delegating certain events to autonomous districts, addressing low rankings in child quality-of-life assessments through cooperation with the Office of Education, and increasing school meal unit prices by an average of 15%.