[Interview] Jung Won-oh, Seongdong District Mayor, "Committed to Creating a 'Livable Seongdong' through Balanced Regional Development in the New Year"

Majang Station Area and Geumho District Center District Unit Plan Approved, Signaling Balanced Regional Development in the New Year... Establishing a Leading Urban Administration Model Based on Advanced Technologies Such as Seongdong-type Smart Shelters and Smart Crosswalks... Expansion of Infrastructure Including Ttukseom Complex Cultural and Sports Center, Aisarang Complex Cultural Center, and Regional Public Parking Lots

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “In the new year, we will carefully manage not only the major blueprint for regional development but also life-oriented policies through smart technology.”

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu (photo), said this during an interview with Asia Economy to explain his resolutions and key project plans for the new year, marking the Year of the Ox (辛丑年).

Recently, in Seongdong-gu, the district unit plan for the Majang-dong and Geumnam Market areas, which had been underdeveloped compared to other living zones, passed the Seoul city review after four years of persistent efforts, signaling a green light for regional development.

Mayor Jung explained, “As initially proposed by our district, the Majang Station area now has guidelines allowing differential floor area ratios within the special planning zone, enabling an upgrade to quasi-residential areas where residential and commercial functions can be harmoniously developed. The Geumnam Market area also expanded the special planning zone, increasing the feasibility of market maintenance and modernization.”

This district unit plan is scheduled to be officially announced by the end of January and is expected to serve as a foothold for balanced regional development.

Alongside this, following last year’s nationwide first innovative policies such as the Seongdong-type mobile electronic registry and smart shelters, this year the focus will remain on creating a leading model of urban administration based on advanced technology.

By the end of last year, 20 smart shelters were established, with plans to add more than 10 additional locations in 2021. The smart crosswalks, which began installation in 2019 and currently number 43, will increase to a total of 62 this year.

Efforts will also continue to attract the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX)-C line to Wangsimni Station. On December 22 last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed 10 lines for the GTX-C line as planned and announced that private operators could propose up to three additional stations. Mayor Jung said, “Over the past seven months, we have made every effort with residents to include Wangsimni Station in the ‘GTX-C Line Private Investment Facility Project Basic Plan,’ but unfortunately it was not reflected. However, since Wangsimni Station was initially a 0% possibility location that was not even considered, and now with the new scoring system reflecting resident transportation demand in this announcement, the possibility of adding a station has opened, so we plan to continue our efforts until the end.”

Last year, the district also significantly expanded public facility infrastructure, including the Oksu-dong Public Complex Building, Seongdong-gu Yongdap Sports Center, and the Childcare Comprehensive Support Center. This year, investments will continue generously to improve residents’ quality of life. Projects such as the Ttukseom Complex Cultural and Sports Center, Seongdong Ai Sarang Complex Cultural Center, expansion of large public parking lots in Ttukseom, Majang, and Oksu areas, and construction of public complex buildings in Wangsimni 2-dong and Songjeong-dong will be steadily promoted to enhance the city’s dignity and competitiveness across culture, sports, welfare, and transportation sectors.

He also proudly mentioned that to eliminate welfare disparities by region, starting this year, Seoul City, the Education Office, and autonomous districts will jointly provide entrance preparation funds and birth congratulatory money, a result of the welfare grand compromise led by Seongdong-gu. Mayor Jung added, “In difficult times, we must be more faithful to the basics, with people at the center. We will ease residents’ hardships through employment retention, the foundation of livelihood stability, and the creation of 7,700 customized jobs.” He concluded, “In the With-Corona era, we will work hard to respond flawlessly to COVID-19 with untact projects and a smart welfare care system that carefully addresses welfare blind spots, striving for a further leap forward for Seongdong-gu in the new year.”

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