Seoul Northeast Area to Develop 'Biomedical Complex'... Dobong Driver's License Test Center Relocation

Agreement Signed on the 22nd for Support of Co-Growth and Mutual Development between Seoul City, Uijeongbu City, and Nowon-gu
Dobong Driver's License Test Center Relocates to Jangam-dong, Uijeongbu... 50 Billion KRW Support for Uijeongbu Local Resident Convenience Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The creation of a 'next-generation biomedical complex' to strengthen self-sufficiency functions and medical services in the northeastern metropolitan area, typically considered a bedroom community, and to create jobs is being actively promoted.

On the 22nd, Seoul City announced that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Uijeongbu Mayor Ahn Byung-yong, and Nowon District Mayor Oh Seung-rok signed the 'Agreement on Support for Co-growth and Mutual Development between Seoul Special City, Uijeongbu City, and Nowon District' at the Seoul City Hall video conference room.

This agreement is a follow-up pact in which the three local governments set support measures to specifically implement the 'Basic Agreement for Co-growth and Mutual Development' signed by the three institutions in March last year. The project will concretize the relocation of the Dobong Driver's License Test Center, the core anchor facility of the 'next-generation biomedical complex,' to Jangam-dong, Uijeongbu City (60,425㎡).

Seoul City is also promoting the relocation of the nearby Changdong Vehicle Depot to Namyangju by 2025, and it is expected that the project to develop the Changdong-Sanggye area into a new downtown that serves as a job and cultural hub in the northeastern region will gain further momentum.

Seoul City and the district aim to transform the northeastern area into a world-class biomedical complex with a bio-medical ecosystem by attracting large hospitals, world-leading pharmaceutical companies, and medical research institutions to the sites vacated by the 67,420㎡ Dobong Driver's License Test Center and the 197,400㎡ Changdong Vehicle Depot.

Seoul City and the district will support Uijeongbu City with 50 billion KRW to ensure that resident convenience facilities are established near Jangam-dong, Uijeongbu City, where the Dobong Driver's License Test Center will be relocated. Additionally, Seoul City will sell 60% of its shares in the Jangam Station transfer parking lot in Uijeongbu City to Uijeongbu City to cooperate in developing the transfer parking lot. They will also mutually cooperate to smoothly adjust the administrative districts of Surak River City 1 and 2 complexes according to relevant laws.

Starting with this agreement, Seoul City will actively proceed with administrative procedures such as changing the urban management plan for the relocation site of the Dobong Driver's License Test Center and begin support for the creation of resident convenience facilities in Uijeongbu City.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “In the past, the northeastern area could only function as a bedroom community because public convenience facilities and commercial areas were not evenly distributed during urban planning. Soon, available sites like the Changdong Vehicle Depot and Dobong Driver's License Test Center will be utilized to create a next-generation biomedical complex, which will generate jobs and provide various spaces to improve residents' quality of life. We will do our best to establish the 'next-generation biomedical complex' as a network-type healthy city testbed connecting Nowon District, Uijeongbu City, and the northeastern metropolitan area, where 4.8 million people reside.”

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