Park Jun-hee, Gwanak-gu Mayor, Marks 2nd Anniversary: Laying the Foundation for Local Economic Leap through Innovation, Communication, and Cooperation

Nakseongdae-dong and Daehak-dong Startup Valley, Establishing a Foundation for Regional Economic Innovation through Commercial Renaissance... Creation of 'Gwanakcheong,' the First Pledge Project Opened as the District Mayor's Office, Realizing Impressive Administration... Secured a Total of 605.2 Billion KRW in External Funds, Achieved Major Results Including Light Rail Extension and Early Construction Start

Park Jun-hee, the mayor of Gwanak District, is having a conversation with residents at Gwanak Office.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Many of the changes and developments achieved over the past two years were possible thanks to the warm interest and active participation of the residents. Just as seeds planted in well-prepared soil bloom into abundant fruits and flowers, we will do our best to ensure that the promises made to the residents bear fruit one by one.”

Park Jun-hee, the mayor of Gwanak-gu, who is completing the first half of the 7th local government term and entering his third year in office, expressed these reflections.

Under the core principles of innovation, communication, and cooperation, the 7th local government of Gwanak-gu promised to realize “Together, the Best Gwanak-gu” and has achieved significant results over the past two years in various areas including regional economic revitalization, resident communication, culture, transportation, and residents’ daily lives.

In particular, the Nakseong Venture Valley project was newly launched, and in cooperation with Seoul National University, the University Campus Town project is being promoted to develop the Nakseongdae-dong and Daehak-dong areas into a startup hub.

The district announced a blueprint to expand seven startup spaces in Nakseongdae-dong and Daehak-dong, including the newly built Nakseong Venture Startup Center opened this March, to accommodate more than 100 startups by 2021.

It will also establish the first-ever 20 billion KRW scale Nakseong Venture Valley startup support fund among basic local governments nationwide in the second half of this year.

Significant achievements were also made in policies to revitalize neighborhood commercial districts. The 8 billion KRW Starlight Sinsari Commercial Renaissance project to revitalize the commercial district around Sillim Station officially started this year, and the Dorimcheon specialized project began to restore the Dorimcheon ecological stream and transform the area into a cultural tourism attraction.

Additionally, the scale of loans from the Small and Medium Business Development Fund was greatly expanded from 1.5 billion KRW in 2018 to 6 billion KRW this year, and 18 billion KRW worth of Gwanak Love Gift Certificates were issued to boost sales for small business owners and stimulate local consumption.

In particular, Mayor Park established “Gwanakcheong (聽),” an open mayor’s office on the first floor of the district office building, as the first completed pledge project of the 7th local government term. Every Tuesday and Thursday, he meets residents to listen to their suggestions and directly handle civil complaints, realizing an administration that moves residents through direct communication.

Last year, to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Battle of Gwiju, the Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival was successfully held with a record participation of over 230,000 people. Efforts were also actively made to brand the city with Gang Gam-chan by designating Gang Gam-chan-daero as an honorary road and co-naming Nakseongdae Station as Gang Gam-chan Station.

The extension of the Seobu Line to the front gate of Seoul National University on Gyeongcheonjeol and the early commencement of the Nangok Line light rail transit project, converted to a financial project, marked a groundbreaking turning point in improving the transportation environment, a long-standing wish of Gwanak residents.

Furthermore, to overcome poor financial conditions, an external funding attraction response system was established, resulting in the attraction of an impressive 605.2 billion KRW in external funds from the central government, Seoul City, and others over the past two years.

In addition, clear achievements were made in resident-centered policies such as youth policy promotion including the creation of youth cultural spaces, designation as a women-friendly city by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and UNICEF child-friendly city certification.

Mayor Park Jun-hee stated, “The past two years can be evaluated as a period of innovation that laid the foundation for the leap of the local economy and reshaped the overall framework of district administration. Based on the foundation we have built so far, we will create tangible results that residents can feel.”

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