[Interview] Park Gyeomsu, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, "Developing Attractions Around Bukhansan Ui Light Rail Station"

Judged as the key to driving the creation of a historic and cultural tourism city, a priority policy of Gui District in Uidong Amusement Park, weaving the warp of the old Pine Tree with the weft of the Bukhansan Historic and Cultural Tourism Belt to achieve regional development... Discovering various contents to incorporate the Bukhansan Ui Station area into Gangbuk-gu's treasured historic and cultural tourism belt, making it a memorable place where every visitor wants to return.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “The Gangbuk-gu district’s vision for developing the area around Bukhansan Ui Station can be summarized into three main points. This place will be reborn as another landmark representing our hometown, where ‘pristine natural environment,’ ‘open spaces accessible to all citizens,’ and ‘historical and cultural tourism’ harmoniously come together.”

Gangbuk-gu Mayor Park Gyeom-su introduced the development plan around the terminus of the Ui-Sinseol light rail in an interview with Asia Economy.

With construction resuming this November on the old Pine Tree (Ui-dong Amusement Park) adjacent to Bukhansan Ui Station, aiming for completion in 2021, Gangbuk-gu is actively moving forward. Mayor Park, who welcomed this as extremely good news, expressed his ambition: “This is the result of intricately weaving the warp of the old Pine Tree with the weft of the Bukhansan historical and cultural tourism belt. We will repay the residents’ hopes for regional development.” He also recalled the time when construction was halted, saying, “Although this was a long-cherished project for residents, there was no clear answer when the developer went bankrupt and the construction company entered court receivership, which made us anxious.”

Until now, the district has been searching for a developer to take over the project. After selecting the developer, they have consistently held T/F meetings involving Seoul City and the company to expedite the normalization of the project. They have also carefully examined any risk factors to ensure that the surrounding residential conditions and natural environment are not adversely affected by the facilities. This is because the Ui-dong Amusement Park is considered a key ‘key’ to driving the district’s flagship policy of creating a historical and cultural tourism city.

Currently, as construction resumes and the surrounding conditions change daily, the district is presenting several detailed projects that fit perfectly. Mayor Park explained the project vision, saying, “This area includes the Ui-dong Family Camping Site, artificial rock climbing wall, Bonghwanggak Pavilion, and Ui-dong Meeting Plaza ? places that embody the passion Gangbuk-gu has poured in. We will strengthen the identity of historical and cultural tourism and enhance our region’s unique charm and competitiveness.”

The Ui-dong Amusement Park is being constructed with partial facility access open to citizens and in a way that significantly alleviates concerns about damage to the Bukhansan landscape. We spoke with Mayor Park Gyeom-su about the projects Gangbuk-gu plans to accelerate in the new year.

- The family camping site is located adjacent to the Ui-dong Amusement Park. What effects do you expect?

▲ The Ui-dong Family Camping Site is the most suitable project to promote the original purpose of the Bukhansan historical and cultural tourism belt. The tourism belt aims for a 1-night, 2-day storytelling course, and the camping site is an essential condition for this. Furthermore, if the Ui-dong Amusement Park is successfully established, the 1-night, 2-day course is expected to become even richer. Visitors can explore the district’s historical resources one day, stay overnight at the camping site, and share stories. The next day, they can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Bukhansan Dulle-gil Trail. The Ui-dong Amusement Park will offer ‘small but certain happiness’ to visitors through convenience facilities such as a book caf?, kids caf?, and community room.

- How is the family camping site project progressing currently?

▲ In June last year, the urban planning facility decision and Seoul City Urban Park Committee review were completed. The plan is to proceed with land compensation and construction aiming for completion in 2020. The camping site will be developed on approximately 11,561㎡ at Ui-dong 316. It will include not only a general camping area but also a performance hall, exercise space, and parking lot, making it an ideal place for family outings.

- You mentioned the district’s identity as a ‘historical and cultural tourism city.’

▲ Near the Ui-dong Amusement Park, there are three historical landmarks: Bonghwanggak Pavilion, the birthplace of the March 1st Movement; the Neorang Narang Uri-rang Stamp Healing Tour; and Ui Gugok (Ui Nine Valleys). Bonghwanggak Pavilion was an educational facility established in 1912 by the leader Son Byeong-hui of the Cheondogyo religion to train leaders. Four hundred eighty-three missionaries educated here played a leading role in the March 1st Movement. Since 15 of the 33 national representatives came from here, Bonghwanggak’s influence on Korea’s independence movement history is absolute.

- Infrastructure must also be developed to accommodate increasing visitors.

▲ As the district’s historical and cultural tourism belt and the Ui-Sinseol light rail Bukhansan Ui Station area became more vibrant, the need to expand parking lots arose. The first place considered was the Ui-dong tow truck storage site. Since this site also operated as a public parking lot, it was deemed suitable for increasing parking spaces, and the project began immediately. Road structure improvements were made due to the light rail construction, and during this process, part of the Banghak-ro section was closed, facilitating smooth site acquisition. Construction started in April 2018 and was completed in July this year. The parking lot has a total of 158 spaces.

The Ui-dong Amusement Park will include a mountain museum for Bukhansan hikers, a public parking lot accommodating about 50 vehicles simultaneously, and a conference hall with approximately 500 seats to revitalize the local economy.

The Ui-Sinseol light rail, opened in 2017, has greatly improved accessibility to this area. Thanks to this, the area is bustling with Bukhansan hikers on weekend mornings. This is an invaluable opportunity for the district. We will discover various contents to incorporate into Gangbuk-gu’s treasured historical and cultural tourism belt so that the Bukhansan Ui Station area becomes a memorable place that citizens want to revisit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.