Changes in Seoul in the Second Half of the Year: 'E-book' Published Covering 32 Projects in 5 Areas

Global City Competitiveness, Magok Enterprise Support Center Opens... Providing Office Space and Support for Startups and Growing Companies
Safe and Secure City, New Emergency Medical Center with 61 Beds Including 6 Negative Pressure Rooms at Seoul Medical Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 28th that it will publish "Changes in Seoul Life in the Second Half of 2021" as an ebook, allowing citizens to view at once the newly implemented projects, upcoming public facility openings, and new systems related to citizens' daily lives starting in the second half of 2021.

This "Changes in Seoul Life in the Second Half of 2021" is organized into five sectors to reflect improvements in the quality of life for Seoul citizens and enhancement of urban competitiveness. The sectors include Global Urban Competitiveness (6 items), Safe and Secure City (11 items), Urban Space Innovation (6 items), Smart City (6 items), and Fair and Coexistent City (3 items), totaling 32 projects across five sectors.

In the Global Urban Competitiveness sector, the opening of the Magok Business Support Center (M+ Center) and the BT-IT Convergence Center are included. In Magok, southwestern Seoul, the ‘Magok Business Support Center (M+ Center)’ will open in November, providing office spaces and various support programs for 75 startup and growth companies. Through the establishment of a regional specialized fund called ‘Magok Weconomy (tentative name),’ a foundation for supporting the growth of excellent companies will be built, and support for overseas market entry will be provided by leveraging the proximity to the Magok industrial complex and the airport environment.

In Hongneung, northeastern Seoul, the ‘BT-IT Convergence Center’ will open in September to support startup companies in the bio digital healthcare sector. The center will contribute to revitalizing the bio medical industry by providing comprehensive support such as office space, research equipment and R&D support, business consulting, investment attraction, and market development to cluster bio medical startup companies and research facilities in the Hongneung area.

In the Safe and Secure City sector, the opening of an emergency medical center for infectious disease response and treatment of severe emergency patients is included. Seoul will establish an emergency medical center at Seoul Medical Center in December to build medical infrastructure specialized for infectious disease response such as COVID-19 and treatment of severe emergency patients, serving as a public healthcare hub in the northeastern region. Additionally, to provide reliable public care services, the Seoul Social Service Institute will operate the Dongdaemun Silver Care Center starting in October.

In the Urban Space Innovation sector, contents include underground relocation of undesirable facilities and creation of preferred facilities such as experience centers and parks. Seoul will open a water recycling experience center at the Southwest Water Reclamation Center in October and create a rest-themed park. While modernizing the aging facilities of the Southwest Water Reclamation Center, the largest sewage treatment facility in Korea, undesirable facilities will be relocated underground, and cultural and leisure facilities, which are preferred, will be created above ground.

Also, Seoul will complete a project in October to connect buildings around Sewoon Sangga with tourist attractions such as Jongmyo Shrine and Namsan via a three-story high skywalk. At Daerim and Sampung Sangga, passageways connecting to the Euljiro underground shopping mall will be installed to revitalize the local commercial district by increasing visitors.

In the Smart City sector, the use of blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) for safety management of aging buildings is included. From December, Seoul will introduce a system integrating blockchain and IoT technologies for safety management of aging private buildings to accurately detect risk factors in real time and take preventive measures. The ‘Hangang Bridge Integrated Control Center,’ scheduled to be established in October this year, will pilot AI-based CCTV monitoring technology to prevent suicide attempts on Hangang bridges and enhance preemptive response capabilities.

In the Fair and Coexistent City sector, the opening of the Youth Center Orang Seocho to help young people in difficulty is included. The ‘Seoul Youth Center Orang Seocho,’ opening in July, will provide customized policy counseling and support to young people feeling overwhelmed amid difficult economic conditions and fierce competition. From late September, a ‘Welcome Box’ consisting of a youth policy guidebook and practical items will be provided to single-person households in their 20s who are starting life in Seoul for the first time.

"Changes in Seoul Life in the Second Half of 2021" will be easily accessible to anyone from the 30th on the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s ebook website ‘Seoul Special City’ and the ‘Information Communication Plaza.’ Deputy Director Hwang Bo-yeon of the Planning and Coordination Office said, “We have strived to include information that will provide practical help to citizens’ daily lives in ‘Changes in Seoul Life in the Second Half of 2021.’ We will continue to discover policies that help citizens’ lives so that citizens can see the changing Seoul at a glance.”

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