Seongdong-gu Seongsu IT Industry and Distribution Development Promotion District Unit Plan Decision... Floor Area Ratio Relaxed by 1.2 Times

[Seoul Autonomous District News] Floor Area Ratio and Maximum Building Height Relaxed up to 1.2 Times for Advanced Industry Preferred Sectors (IT and R&D)... Creating a Business-Friendly Economic Zone through Convergence of ICT Advanced Industry, Venture, and Traditional Industry... Gwanak-gu's Various Efforts for Cultural City Designation Including Ordinance Enactment, TF Team and Promotion Committee Formation... Mapo-gu Strengthens Nighttime Enforcement of Quarantine Violations in Hongdae Area... 26th AFHC Steering Committee Meeting Held... Jungnang-gu Pilots Safe Village Security Guards in Myeonmokbon-dong, a Single-Person Household Dense Area... 26th Session

Seongsu-dong Area Panorama

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced on the 14th the official decision and notification of the 'Seongsu IT Industry and Distribution Development Promotion District Unit Plan' covering 578,619㎡ around 277-28, Seongsu-dong 2-ga.

This is the result after 11 years since its designation as an industrial development promotion district in 2010 and the commencement of planning services.

Accordingly, within the Seongsu IT Industry and Distribution Development Promotion District, when advanced industries such as information and communication (IT) industry and research and development (R&D) are planned together with open spaces, the floor area ratio can be relaxed up to a maximum of 560%, and building height up to 84~120 meters, enabling large-scale development.

Among semi-industrial areas in Seoul, the Seongsu IT Industry and Distribution Development Promotion District is the only area where the maximum relaxation of floor area ratio and building height has been applied to this extent.

Additionally, convenience facilities for workers such as hospitals, clinics, sports facilities, and restaurants, which are insufficient compared to the number of workers in the area, are recommended for activation on the lower floors along the streets. For office facilities, factories, and automobile-related facilities, the provision of attached parking lots is secured at 120~150% of the legally required parking spaces. A plan for creating front open spaces has been established to improve the pedestrian environment along with measures to enhance the industrial living environment.

An official from the district explained, “The floor area ratio relaxation under the Building Act for semi-industrial areas and the Green Building Creation Support Act was limited to a maximum of 480%, but through this district unit plan for the Seongsu IT area, with the securing of recommended industries, installation of open spaces, and donation of public facilities, the floor area ratio can be applied up to 800%. This effectively attracts advanced industries, promotes regeneration of aging industrial facilities and large-scale development, and through the creation of various open spaces and introduction of convenience facilities for industrial workers, it can grow as a new growth hub area alongside the existing Seongsu area.”

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Through this district unit plan, Seongsu-dong will be reborn as a new growth center of the 4th industrial revolution based on information and communication technology. We will continue to do our best to create an economic special zone favorable for businesses.”

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) held the 7th meeting of the Cultural City Promotion Committee on the 7th to discuss the cultural city specialization strategy and governance development direction of Gwanak-gu.

The designation of a cultural city is a public contest project led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to effectively utilize distinctive cultural resources by region, strengthen cultural creativity, and promote sustainable regional development and the cultural life of local residents through culture.

The district submitted a cultural city creation plan (draft) to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in June under the vision of ‘Gwanak, a special youth city that nurtures and achieves dreams together,’ and is making every effort to be designated as a legal cultural city through written and on-site evaluations and project plan supplementation.

At the Cultural City Promotion Committee meeting, it was deliberated and resolved to promote the specialization strategy of ‘Exciting Youth Special Zone,’ where all residents joyfully nurture dreams with a youthful spirit, leveraging the regional characteristic of having the highest proportion of young population nationwide.

Based on the written review and on-site inspection opinions from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Regional Culture Promotion Agency), proposals were made to advance the governance system of the cultural city, including the establishment of a cultural city center and the installation and operation of a cultural city creation fund.

To be designated as a cultural city, the district enacted the ‘Gwanak-gu Cultural City Creation and Support Ordinance’ in December last year, formed a cultural city TF team and the Cultural City Promotion Committee in February, and established six strategic directions and 24 tasks to strive for the creation of a special youth city, Gwanak.

An official from the district expressed strong determination for cultural city creation, saying, “We will actively reflect the opinions of the promotion committee, cooperate with the council to promptly establish the cultural city center and cultural city creation fund, and do our best to secure the budget for cultural city projects.”

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that from the 14th, it will significantly strengthen enforcement against quarantine violations in the ‘Hongdae area,’ a foreigner-dense area during late-night hours, shifting from the existing campaign method.

Since September 30th, the district has formed a joint special quarantine task force of civilians, government, and police, conducting large-scale nighttime special quarantine in the Hongdae area with high floating population until October 31st. During this period, about 130 people per day, including 50 Mapo-gu employees, 50 police officers, and the Mapo Autonomous Crime Prevention Citizen Patrol, have been deployed to conduct a ‘two-track’ approach of campaigns encouraging compliance with quarantine rules and enforcement against violations from Thursday to Sunday every week.

Judging that a sufficient atmosphere of social distancing and compliance with quarantine rules has been created among general citizens and foreigners through the past two weeks of nighttime special quarantine, the district decided to expand enforcement for more effective quarantine activities.

According to the revised measures, the quarantine task force composed of the district, Mapo Police Station, and Mapo Autonomous Crime Prevention Citizen Patrol will form a total of 16 teams (4~8 people per team) and conduct joint nighttime enforcement from 9:45 p.m. for one hour, patrolling the side streets of the Hongdae area on foot to enforce social distancing violations and mask-wearing.

The joint quarantine task force will educate on compliance with quarantine rules such as prohibition of private gatherings of three or more people and mask-wearing, and impose fines if violations occur.

Alongside this, active enforcement against violators of the Minor Offenses Act (public drunkenness) and the Immigration Control Act (passport non-possession, illegal stay) by the police will be conducted to raise awareness that gathering in Hongdae may lead to punishment.

The Hongik Police Substation and two joint inspection teams of the district will continue to focus on inspecting violations of quarantine rules and basic order on streets and parks after 10 p.m., when business operations such as restaurants are restricted, during the nighttime intensive quarantine period in the Hongdae area.

Also, during the special quarantine period (Thursday to Sunday weekly), restrictions on the use of restrooms in Hongik Cultural Park from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day, as well as garbage cleaning and road washing around the park, will continue. However, if the new social distancing adjustment plan announced on the 18th is implemented, the nighttime intensive special quarantine measures will be adjusted accordingly.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Now is a critical time when the cooperation of citizens is desperately needed to prevent community spread. We will join forces with Mapo Police Station and Mapo Autonomous Crime Prevention Citizen Patrol to create a safe community from COVID-19.”

In September 2019, Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, presided over the AFHC meeting as the chairperson.

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) will hold the ‘26th AFHC (Alliance for Healthy Cities in the Western Pacific Region) Steering Committee Meeting’ online on October 15th.

The AFHC Steering Committee is the policy-making body of the Alliance for Healthy Cities, holding one to two meetings annually. Since 2018, Gangdong-gu has been elected as the chair city of the steering committee, leading Western Pacific regional healthy city policies as Korea’s representative.

This upcoming online meeting will be chaired by Gangdong-gu as the chair city of the AFHC Steering Committee, with participation from steering committee members from Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, WHO WPRO (World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office), and the AFHC Secretariat. Discussions and resolutions on major agenda items of the Alliance for Healthy Cities will be conducted.

Main agenda items include the progress of the ‘9th AFHC Global Conference’ scheduled to be held online in Hong Kong from November 3rd to 5th, the next AFHC General Assembly host city and chair city, AFHC Academic Committee plans, the Mayors’ Forum, and amendments to AFHC bylaws.

Lee Jung-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “As the chair city of AFHC, Gangdong-gu will prepare thoroughly for the steering committee meeting to induce active participation from member cities and institutions in the Western Pacific region, and to deeply discuss agenda processing and information exchange.”

Meanwhile, AFHC includes 244 cities and institutions from 11 countries, sharing healthy city project experiences among member cities and striving for the development of healthy cities in the Western Pacific region through mutual cooperation via international networks.

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) will deploy ‘Safe Village Security Guards’ in areas densely populated by single-person households and begin pilot operation.

The Safe Village Security Guard project was initiated to address the increasing safety concerns felt by the growing number of single-person households annually, prevent residential intrusion crimes in advance, and create a safe living environment.

The pilot operation target area is Myeonmokbon-dong, which has a dense residential area near Myeonmok Station and a high proportion of single-person households, designated as a residential safety zone.

A Safe Village Security Guard post will be installed within the target area, and after training begins on the 18th, the pilot operation will continue until the end of this year.

A total of four Safe Village Security Guards will work in pairs, five days a week, patrolling the security area, conducting crime prevention activities, and responding to various daily safety issues.

They will focus on patrolling alleys and secluded areas with little foot traffic where vehicle movement is difficult during late-night hours, using the Ansim-i app for crime prevention activities. Joint patrols with police and residents will be conducted as needed.

Additionally, during late-night hours, they will inspect and report daily hazards such as road damage, unlit security lights, clogged rainwater drains, and illegal road deposits within the area to prevent potential risks in advance.

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “I hope the operation of Safe Village Security Guards will alleviate the safety concerns felt by single-person households in the area. We will continue to spare no effort to create a living environment where local residents can feel safe.”

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) selected the recipients of the ‘26th Geumcheon Citizen Award’ to recognize unsung heroes who have dedicated and served to create a bright and wholesome local community.

The ‘Geumcheon Citizen Award’ is given to citizens and organizations who have devoted themselves to community development with exceptional passion in five categories: community service, good customs and morals, education, culture, and sports.

From August 2nd to September 3rd, the district received candidate recommendations from various sectors. This year, with no recommendations in the education category, after public merit evaluation among 18 candidates in the other four categories, three individuals and two organizations were finally selected as awardees.

In the community service category, the Saemaul Movement Geumcheon Branch (organization) and resident Oh Hoe-ok were jointly selected; in the good customs and morals category, resident Park Sang-pil; in the culture category, the Wisdom Forest Small Library (organization); and in the sports category, resident Won Taek-yong were honored as awardees.

The Saemaul Movement Geumcheon Branch, selected in the community service category, has practiced warm sharing through various volunteer activities such as repairing homes for disabled families and elderly living alone, and distributing hope pouches annually. They also contributed to community development by conducting weekly quarantine activities to prevent COVID-19 spread and nighttime park crime prevention activities.

Co-awardee Oh Hoe-ok, as the representative of the Geumha Village Residents’ Council, contributed to the designation of Geumha Village as a managed residential environment improvement area and selection for the urban regeneration New Deal project. He actively participated in realizing an energy self-reliant village and improving aging residential environments, leading efforts for harmony among local residents and village organizations.

Park Sang-pil, selected in the good customs and morals category, has practiced love for marginalized neighbors by conducting food sharing events for 10 years, free wedding volunteer services for multicultural families, and organizing ‘Filial Carnation Pinning’ events for elderly people in blind spots on Parents’ Day.

The Wisdom Forest Small Library, selected in the culture category, has operated a small library with local residents for 15 years, greatly contributing to the activation of reading culture through various programs such as ‘Book Friends,’ ‘Culture Day,’ and ‘Friend, Let’s Do It Together.’

Won Taek-yong, selected in the sports category, has served as vice president of the Geumcheon Sports Council, annually selecting Geumcheon scholarship students and supporting scholarships for the underprivileged, practicing steady volunteer activities, and playing a long-term role as a facilitator of community sports, contributing to the harmony of citizens and activation of community sports in Geumcheon-gu.

The award ceremony will be held online at 4 p.m. on October 15th at Geumnarae Art Hall during the ‘26th Geumcheon Citizens’ Day’ commemorative event. Attendance and family invitations will be minimized to prevent COVID-19 spread.

The ‘Geumcheon Citizen Award’ has been awarded since 1996 to exemplary contributors in various social fields, with 111 recipients honored over 25 years until last year.

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “I sincerely thank the recipients of the Geumcheon Citizen Award who have served and dedicated themselves to regional development. With the dedication and efforts of our citizens, we will continue to strive to create a happy city, Geumcheon, in every neighborhood.”

Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) will participate in the ‘2021 Korea Job Expo’ starting October 14th. The 4th ‘2021 Korea Job Expo’ will be held from the 14th to the 16th at the aT Center in Yangjae-dong.

The ‘2021 Korea Job Expo’ is themed ‘Future Jobs, Led by Local Communities,’ introducing excellent job policies of local governments and serving as a communication space to discuss future jobs such as AI, IoT, and big data.

Through this expo, Dobong-gu will introduce ▲the creation of startup incubating spaces as part of youth job policy based on the creation of the Changdong New Economic Center ▲support for creative activities and music ecosystem creation ▲operation of the ‘Korean New Deal Dobong Employment Academy’ through the nation’s first ‘Job Fund’ ▲(online-offline) job fairs ▲job idea contests ▲public job creation and financial support projects for small business owners in response to COVID-19.

More detailed information about the expo can be found on the official website.

Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “To overcome the COVID-19 economic crisis, Dobong-gu is actively promoting public job creation and financial support policies for small business owners. Through participation in this job expo, we will provide good job information to local residents and strive to create new jobs.”

Perspective view of the smart bus stop planned to be installed at Namseong Station and other locations

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) will actively promote the ‘Smart City Solution Expansion Project’ applying smart technology to create a safe traffic environment.

This project was selected in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s ‘Smart City Solution Expansion Project’ contest, securing a budget of about 3.7 billion KRW.

Three solutions to solve traffic safety issues will be installed: 40 smart poles, 27 smart crosswalks, and 5 smart bus stops.

The project section is a 5.1 km arterial road from Sadang-ro (Namseong Station) to Sangdo-ro (Sindaebang Samgeori Station), a commercial area densely populated with universities, apartments, and shops, with high movement of students and residents, and frequent pedestrian accidents involving elderly and jaywalking.

First, 40 smart poles will be installed at crosswalks near subway stations. A ‘smart pole’ integrates urban infrastructure such as streetlights and traffic signals into one, equipped with IT technologies like public Wi-Fi, intelligent CCTV, and illegal parking sensors, enhancing pedestrian safety and convenience while improving urban aesthetics.

The ‘smart crosswalk’ is equipped with LED floor signals and sensors recognizing crosswalk objects (people and vehicles). When jaywalking pedestrians appear, LED display boards warn drivers, and voice guidance warns jaywalkers to prevent traffic accidents.

Additionally, smart bus stops will be installed at five locations with high bus usage ? Namseong Station, Soongsil University Entrance Station, Sangdo Nobility Apartments, Seongdae Market, and Sindaebang Samgeori Station ? protecting residents from heatwaves, cold waves, and fine dust, and providing small urban rest areas with features like wireless phone charging and public Wi-Fi.

Furthermore, the installed smart city solutions will be linked with Dongjak-gu’s smart city integrated platform to utilize collected video and data for customized traffic policies and improve traffic conditions.

Lee Chang-woo, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, said, “Once the smart city solution infrastructure is completed, it will contribute to enhancing residents’ perception of smart cities, including traffic safety. We will provide various services using advanced smart technology to improve residents’ quality of life.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Sun-gap) will operate a ‘Visiting COVID-19 Vaccination Center’ targeting foreigners, including undocumented immigrants, to increase vaccination rates among foreign residents.

The vaccination site is the Jayang Public Healing Center in Jayang-dong, where the largest foreign-registered population resides. Vaccinations will be available on October 15th, 16th, 22nd, and 23rd from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for foreigners aged 30 and above, regardless of address. Short-term stays (90 days or less) for travel purposes are excluded.

The Janssen vaccine, which requires only one visit for completion, will be administered. The center will also operate on Saturdays to accommodate foreigners who find it difficult to get vaccinated during working hours.

Undocumented status does not matter. Even without a foreigner registration number, a temporary management number can be issued using a passport for immediate vaccination. If no passport is available, identity documents issued by Korean diplomatic missions (with photo), expired passports, or foreigner registration cards can be presented. Workers managed by workplaces can also be issued management numbers and vaccinated.

Even if identified as undocumented, personal information will not be reported to the Ministry of Justice, and medical expenses will be supported through the ‘Foreign Worker Medical Support Project’ for foreigners residing over 90 days, their spouses and children, and foreigners and their children before naturalization in case of vaccination side effects. The Ministry of Justice will exempt fines for undocumented foreigners who voluntarily leave Korea after completing COVID-19 vaccination by the end of the year.

Kim Sun-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “To prevent cluster infections and the spread of COVID-19 among foreigners in blind spots, we decided to operate a visiting vaccination center. Undocumented foreigners will not face disadvantages, so I urge everyone to get vaccinated for their own and their community’s safety.”

Mapo-gu Promotion Booth

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) will participate in the ‘2021 Korea Job Expo’ to promote the district’s excellent job projects and local job institutions.

The 4th ‘2021 Korea Job Expo’ will be held from the 14th to the 16th at the 1st and 2nd exhibition halls of the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. Hosted jointly by the Presidential Committee on Jobs, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Korea Daily, the theme is ‘Future Jobs, Led by Local Communities.’

This year, 96 local governments and public institutions will participate to introduce excellent job projects and policies of regions and institutions and explore future-oriented job policies for the post-COVID-19 era. Mapo-gu is participating for the first time to benchmark excellent job policies from other regions and institutions and collaborate with various organizations for job creation.

At the expo, the district will introduce the ‘Mapo-type Youth Job Project’ and ‘Mapo-type Youth Employment Internship Project’ aimed at supporting youth and businesses struggling due to COVID-19.

The Mapo-type Youth Job Project, which began in 2019 with the ‘Font Development Project’ linking font development and youth jobs, provides unemployed youth with opportunities to strengthen job skills in their areas of interest and jobs simultaneously, nurturing them as professionals to support future employment and entrepreneurship. It is a representative job project of the district.

Additionally, the district plans to promote unique job projects such as the ‘Mapo-type Neighborhood Management Company’ and ‘Mapo-type Care Model,’ new job models linked with local resources.

Representatives of Mapo’s job institutions will also participate under the slogan ‘With Mapo, Dreaming Today! Shining Tomorrow!’ including Mapo Youth Naru, Mapo Employment Welfare Support Center, Mapo Social Economy Integrated Support Center, Mapo Front One (the largest startup residence and support institution in Korea), DMC Conet (private company job council in Sangam DMC, IT Mecca), Mapo Craft Center (hub of Mapo craft industry), and Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center (leading Mapo publishing culture).

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “To overcome the employment crisis caused by COVID-19 and revitalize the local economy, local governments and job-related institutions must join forces and make the best efforts. I hope this expo, which discovers and shares excellent local job cases, will be a good opportunity to overcome the current crisis.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) has built an ‘IoT-based Disabled Parking Zone Control System’ to improve parking convenience and mobility rights for the disabled, and began operation on the 14th.

The system is installed at 10 disabled parking spaces across seven locations, including Seodaemun Natural History Museum, Lee Jin-ah Memorial Library, Bukahyeon Culture and Sports Center, and Sinchon Blue Whale.

The district prioritized locations with many complaints related to violations of disabled parking zones and plans to expand the system based on operational results.

The disabled parking zone control system automatically operates from vehicle number recognition to fine imposition.

When a vehicle enters the parking space, a yellow pillar-shaped reader installed on-site recognizes the vehicle number and automatically determines violation status through the ‘Administrative Information Sharing Network.’

If the vehicle is not a disabled vehicle, an immediate recorded announcement and flashing light operate to inform the violation and request moving the vehicle.

If the vehicle is not moved, enforcement and fine imposition are conducted in a one-stop process. Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “To improve residents’ living environment and quality of life, we will actively introduce smart services using the latest ICT technology like this disabled parking zone control system into administration.”

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) and Seongbuk Cultural Center held the 1st Seongbuk-gu Private Records Collection Contest titled ‘Our Memories, Seongbuk’s Records’ from April 19 to August 20, 2021, to preserve Seongbuk’s recorded heritage and encourage voluntary citizen participation.

Through this contest, 198 cases and 360 private records were submitted. The Private Records Advisory Committee conducted preliminary screening and thoroughly evaluated the finalists, selecting one grand prize winner, two excellence awardees, three merit awardees, and four encouragement awardees.

The grand prize was awarded to 1940s stone flower shoes, hanbok, and a four-panel folding screen, which were evaluated as historically valuable records in good preservation condition and examples of everyday items becoming precious cultural resources of the region.

The excellence awards went to hair irons and heaters used in beauty salons operating in Seokgwan-dong and Seongbuk-dong since the 1980s, and eight school-related records including the 1971 Seongbuk Elementary School life report card. The hair irons, heaters, and 1970s life report cards were noted as valuable everyday archiving cases. Other awardees included various private records such as a video of a 1980s 70th birthday party held at Jeongneung Cheongsu Pavilion.

The Seongbuk-gu Private Records Advisory Committee commented, “As the first contest held in Seongbuk-gu, the diverse submissions of everyday historical materials and literature were particularly impressive. We expect future development in the collection and utilization of private records in Seongbuk-gu.”

The collected records will be exhibited to residents from October 29 at the Seoul Seongbuk Media Culture Maru located in Gireum-dong, Seongbuk-gu, and will later be made public at the Seongbuk Village Archive.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “We plan to continue collecting records that show various daily lives and social aspects of citizens to fill the blanks in Seongbuk’s history. We ask for the interest and participation of our citizens.”

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