[Interview] Park Junhee, Gwanak-gu Mayor: "Rebirth of Clean Living Spaces through Natural Ecological Restoration in the New Normal Era"

Restoration of Dorimcheon, a Walkable Ecological Space Where Water and Forest Coexist... Reborn as a Complex Cultural Space and Plaza-Type 'Eutteum Park' in Line with the 2022 Opening of the Sinlim Line

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwanaksan Mountain is a famous mountain spanning Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, attracting over 7 million visitors annually as a park and hiking trail. Dorimcheon Stream, originating from the valleys of Gwanaksan and flowing into Anyangcheon, serves as the lifeline that makes Gwanak-gu a city of water and forests.

Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, recently stated in an interview with this publication, "Through the Dorimcheon Special Project and the Gwanaksan Prime Park Project, the forest and water will be connected as a single ecological axis, transforming Gwanak into a happy, clean living space where people and nature coexist as neighbors."

Gwanak-gu began a project in February to restore the unrecovered section of Dorimcheon from the main gate of Seoul National University to Dongbang 1 Bridge into an ecological stream. The project is scheduled for completion by December next year. This year, the district is actively promoting the "Dorimcheon Special Project for a Walkable Stream," beautifying the entire Dorimcheon area. Mayor Park expressed his expectations, saying, "An ecological axis will connect from Gwanaksan to Yeouido along Dorimcheon, with walking paths and bicycle roads linked, creating a recreational space for residents where clear water and green forests coexist."

The "Gwanaksan Entrance Prime Park Creation Project," which includes rest areas and plazas linked with the Sillim Line light rail at the entrance of Gwanaksan, is also underway to create a pleasant park environment. Mayor Park explained the purpose of the project, stating, "Although many citizens frequently visit the entrance of Gwanaksan, there is a lack of meeting places and cultural rest areas. The outdated rest areas and limited parking lots result in inefficient land use, which is not fitting for Gwanaksan, a mountain visited by many."

The outdated rest areas will be demolished and reborn as a complex cultural space equipped with cafeterias and book cafes. The parking lot area will be transformed into a plaza with trees, making it a place where people want to walk. The plaza will be converted into a space capable of hosting various cultural events and large-scale festivals. The district also plans to improve convenience for visitors by rearranging routes such as meeting places, entrances, and bus stops.

Mayor Park said, "The Gwanaksan Camping Site, opened this year, the largest forest playground in Seoul, Gwanaksan Adventure Forest, and the healing forest trails that help recover tired bodies and minds have all received great responses from citizens." He added, "We expect that developing Gwanaksan and Dorimcheon as representative healing landmarks will also contribute to revitalizing the local economy."

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