Elevator Installed Next to Kumho Tunnel Retaining Wall to Assist Elderly Residents

Result Achieved Through Proposal by 75-Year-Old Grandmother and Efforts of Yaksu-dong Community Center... Feasibility Study for Dong Government Budget Allocation, Project Funding Secured by Selection in Seoul City Resident Contest

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] An elevator connecting Yaksu-dong Village Square to the left retaining wall of Dongho-ro towards Kumho Tunnel at Yaksu Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, is scheduled to be installed in the second half of next year.

Although this project is being promoted as part of the hillside mobility improvement project and was selected through a Seoul city resident proposal project, its roots lie in the Dong (neighborhood) government project of Jung-gu (Mayor Seoyangho).

The original proposer of the project was 75-year-old grandmother Yoo.

Grandmother Yoo, who has knee problems and finds walking difficult, lives near Yaksu-dong Village Square, an area in Jung-gu known for its high elevation. The path she mainly uses to access the subway and nearby shops is a steep staircase that even young people find challenging. She reportedly climbs up and down these stairs several times a day, resting two or three times and holding onto the handrail for support.

Approximately 750 households are located adjacent to the hillside where grandmother Yoo lives. About 8,800 people reside there, including around 1,550 elderly residents aged 65 or older. This indicates that many seniors, like grandmother Yoo, experience difficulties using the stairs.

The elevator installation project began from grandmother Yoo’s conversation with the Yaksu-dong chief when she visited the neighborhood community center.

"My knees hurt, and walking is getting harder. My house is located high up, so to go shopping or take the subway, I have to use the stairs, but my knees hurt, making it very uncomfortable and difficult... Most of the people living above are elderly. Many live alone... When I go shopping, I only buy a block of tofu or a handful of bean sprouts, so it’s less than 10,000 won, and delivery isn’t available. Even if I call a taxi, they rarely come. I go up and down those stairs several times a day, but where can an elderly person’s legs stay healthy? It would be great if there was an escalator there..."

At that time, it was around the period when resident proposal projects for the 2020 Dong Resident Participation Budget were being accepted, and the Yaksu-dong chief, who listened carefully, encouraged grandmother Yoo to propose it as a project.

In January last year, Jung-gu became the first district nationwide to establish a Dong government department and granted budget allocation authority to neighborhood community centers. The purpose was to make each Dong a small government where residents could decide how to spend the taxes they paid. Through various communication channels in all 15 Dongs, residents’ opinions were collected, projects were discovered, and after a residents’ general meeting, the final budget was allocated.

The Yaksu-dong Village Square elevator is a result born from this background.

Community center staff received grandmother Yoo’s proposal and held several neighborhood meetings in the installation area to gather opinions from nearby residents. Many elderly residents who experienced inconvenience were found, and most wanted mobility convenience facilities. After assessing the project’s feasibility, Yaksu-dong Community Center reviewed it with related departments and held a residents’ general meeting, then allocated 25 million won in the 2020 Dong budget for a feasibility study on elevator installation. Grandmother Yoo’s single remark was reflected in the budget.

Around February this year, when the feasibility study was underway, Seoul City opened a resident contest for hillside mobility improvement projects. Based on the feasibility study, Yaksu-dong Community Center submitted the proposal together with grandmother Yoo, and in April, it was finally selected, securing project funds and allowing the project schedule to be advanced.

Grandmother Yoo said, "I didn’t know how much it would cost or if it would even happen. I just told the community center that the stairs were difficult and that something like an escalator would be really nice. It’s amazing and I’m grateful that it’s actually being built."

Among the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul, Jung-gu is the only one where the Dong directly allocates and executes the budget based on residents’ proposals and participation. As a result, there are many projects that reflect residents’ vivid opinions.

This year, the district has also started accepting resident proposal projects for the 2021 Resident Participation Budget. If there is a project you want to be reflected in the budget for the development of your neighborhood, anyone living, working, or studying in the relevant Dong can freely propose it by September 18.

Proposals can be submitted directly to the local neighborhood community center or by filling out the form, taking a photo, and sending it to #1110-3396. Forms are available at each neighborhood community center and can also be downloaded from the Jung-gu Office website.

Seoyangho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "Resident participation is not difficult. Paying attention to what projects are needed in our neighborhood and proposing them is the beginning of resident participation and autonomy. We ask for the active participation of residents for the 2021 Dong Resident Participation Budget allocation."

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