[Interview] Ryoo Kyung-gi, Jungnang-gu Mayor, "Full Effort to Create an Economic and Educational City through SH Headquarters Relocation and Completion of Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center"

Starting construction in 2022 and with SH Headquarters moving in 2024, Jungnang-gu's local tax revenue will increase first, and private company investment will expand due to improved district image and recognition... The Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center includes essential facilities for raising children such as a career experience center, lifelong learning center, and book cafe, supplementing education at home that may be neglected due to dual-income families.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Jungnang is surrounded like a folding screen by Mangusan, Yongmasan, and Bonghwasan mountains, with the Jungnangcheon Stream flowing to the west, creating a beautiful natural environment and a neighborhood full of affection. However, the downside is that it has been emphasized mainly as a residential area, making its industrial functions weak. This is why I have focused on economic revitalization since the beginning of my term.”

Through an interview with Asia Economy, Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “For rapid economic growth, infrastructure that can attract companies must be established first,” adding, “The hopes of Jungnang residents came together to achieve the success of attracting the SH headquarters to Jungnang-gu in 2019.” Construction began in 2022, and when the SH headquarters moves in 2024, local tax revenue in Jungnang-gu will increase first, and private company investment will expand due to the rise in the district’s image and recognition. It is also expected to inject great vitality into the overall local economy of Jungnang-gu through the activation of surrounding commercial districts and increased employment resulting from the influx of employees and visitors.

He expressed his determination to do his best to build an economic city based on the success of relocating the SH headquarters.

He also explained that they are preparing to leap forward as a vibrant economic city by developing the available land around Sinnae IC and Yangwon District into an ‘advanced industrial cluster.’ First, in Sinnae 3 District, the ‘Knowledge Industry Center 1,’ a building with four underground floors and 12 aboveground floors, opened last May, and this year, a similar-sized ‘Knowledge Industry Center 2’ will open. The first center is expected to create jobs for about 2,100 people across 280 companies, and the second center is expected to create about 3,000 jobs across 350 companies. He also revealed that they are preparing to build a startup support center that can accommodate 120 startup companies.

In Yangwon District, Moda Inochip, a mid-sized company specializing in electronic components manufacturing and fashion outlets, has been confirmed as the business attraction operator, and the fashion industry advancement complex within the self-sufficient land of Yangwon District is planned to be completed in 2023. Once these projects are completed, about 1,100 large and small companies are expected to move in, creating approximately 10,000 jobs.

In the long term, plans are underway to relocate the Sinnae vehicle depot and develop an advanced industrial complex. The plan is to move the 50,000-pyeong vehicle depot to the northern Gyeonggi region, convert the site into corporate land, and create an ICT-based advanced industrial and business-commercial complex. Upon completion, it is predicted to create about 23,800 jobs and generate an annual production effect of 5.98 trillion won.

Mayor Ryu is putting all his efforts into creating a lively economic city while also fostering an educational city where residents do not leave Jungnang due to education. He said, “After several school visits immediately after taking office, I realized that expanding educational expense support is crucial to improving the educational environment and strengthening students’ educational capabilities.” He added, “Educational expenses, which were 3.8 billion won in 2018, have been increased every year and expanded significantly to 7 billion won this year. This is a remarkable support level, ranking third among Seoul’s autonomous districts, considering the district’s financial conditions. The goal is to expand it to 8 billion won by 2022.”

Especially, the ‘Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center,’ scheduled to open in the first half of this year, is equipped with essential facilities such as a career and job experience center, lifelong learning center, and book cafe, which are expected to supplement and reinforce education at home that may be neglected due to dual-income families.

He also emphasized that knowing the joy of reading and developing the habit from an early age is the greatest responsibility of adults and parents, and is actively promoting the ‘1000 Books Reading Project.’ Mayor Ryu said, “This project started with the purpose of forming a reading habit during infancy and encourages preschool children to read 1,000 books. As of the end of last December, 2,565 participants joined, and 52 have achieved the goal, showing its high popularity.”

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