Launch of Songpa Dullegil Guardians

Voluntary Participation of Residents Adjacent to Songpa Dullegil... Leading Efforts to Maintain and Protect the Trail... July 1 Tancheon Section Opening Ceremony and Walk with Residents

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Seongsoo Park) is creating the district’s flagship project, the ‘Songpa Dullegil,’ together with its residents. To this end, the district announced on the 3rd that it will launch the ‘Songpa Dullegil Keepers’ (hereafter Keepers), a group of residents who voluntarily participate.

The ‘Songpa Dullegil’ is a 21km circular walking tourism course connecting four rivers flowing along the outskirts of Songpa-gu: Seongnaecheon, Jangjicheon, Tancheon, and the Han River. It offers a ‘walking-friendly zone’ where residents can enjoy the pleasure of walking through a well-connected structure linking major historical and cultural sites throughout Songpa-gu, and the unique feature of experiencing the river ecology within the city.

The ‘Keepers’ were formed voluntarily by residents living adjacent to the Songpa Dullegil sections. Like tending to their own front yard gardens, residents directly maintain and protect the Songpa Dullegil.

Currently, residents from 19 neighborhoods along the four rivers have expressed their intention to participate. Among them, nine neighborhoods including Ogeum-dong and Jamsil 4-dong have completed their formation and are actively engaged.

The Seongnaecheon Road Ogeum-dong Keepers have been organized since 2013 and have carried out various activities. They personally planted Paulownia trees, which have become a symbol of Ogeum-dong, and installed swing chairs that have become a landmark of Seongnaecheon. The Jamsil 4-dong Keepers, formed in October last year, are responsible for patrolling and cleaning the Seongnaecheon embankment path. During this year’s cherry blossom season, they conducted social distancing guidance and patrol activities to ensure the safety of visitors gathering along the Dullegil.

In particular, there is high resident interest in the Tancheon path, which is set to open for the first time in 50 years. The adjacent neighborhoods of Munjeong 2-dong, Garak 1-dong, Samjeon-dong, and Jamsil Bon-dong have already completed their Keepers’ formation and are engaged in ecological landscape conservation activities along Tancheon. They regularly remove invasive plants and clean Songpa Dullegil sculptures, participating in preparations for the Tancheon path’s completion.

The district appointed the heads of the Keepers from each neighborhood as members of the existing Songpa Dullegil Operation Council. They plan to discover project ideas related to Songpa Dullegil and incorporate residents’ voices.

Mayor Seongsoo Park said, “The main agents who fully experience and enjoy Songpa Dullegil are the residents, and the role of managing it like tending a garden will also be centered on the residents. Together with the residents, we will carefully maintain Songpa Dullegil and make it a walking tourism landmark that offers a special experience and peace of mind to many residents and visitors.”

Meanwhile, the district will complete the connection construction of the Tancheon section of Songpa Dullegil by the end of June. To commemorate this, an opening ceremony will be held on July 1 to showcase the beauty of Tancheon returning to the residents. A walking event will be held to allow residents to experience the true meaning of a circular walking path.

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