Yongsan-gu Starts Elevator Operation at Hannam Five-way Pedestrian Overpass... Seongdong-gu Installs Heated Chairs at 17 Bus Stops

[Seoul District News] Yongsan-gu Opens 2 New Elevators on the 8th and Improves Aesthetics with Pedestrian Overpass Landscape Lighting... Seodaemun-gu Promotes Regulation of Outdoor Advertisements along Sinchon-ro... Seocho-gu Prevents Construction Site Accidents with VR Experience

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) has completed the installation of mobility facilities at the Hannam Five-way Intersection pedestrian overpass (Hannam-dong 707-41) and will start operating the elevators on the 8th.

The Hannam Five-way Intersection pedestrian overpass, completed in 1991, is a 49-meter-long (4 meters wide) overpass crossing a 10-lane road (Hannam-daero) in both directions. Over time, the facilities became old and the stairs high, causing many complaints from vulnerable road users about inconvenience.

Accordingly, the district secured 1.61 billion KRW, including special grants, to improve the aging pedestrian overpass facilities and install elevators considerate of vulnerable road users, starting construction in June 2021. Two 15-passenger elevators were newly installed on both sides of the Hannam Five-way Intersection pedestrian overpass, along with pavement of the overpass, maintenance of surrounding sidewalks (1,021㎡), maintenance of side gutters (216m), and replacement of railings (196m), all completed by the end of last year. Elevator usage inspection approval was completed in January this year.

The district also installed 110 LED landscape lighting fixtures on the pedestrian overpass to improve aesthetics in harmony with the surrounding scenery.

A district official stated, "With the installation of landscape lighting on the pedestrian overpass, a night view belt extending from Namsan Tower to Saebitseom will be created," adding, "The old and worn overpass will be reborn as a structure responsible for safety, convenience, and urban aesthetics."

The district has established a maintenance plan for 29 elevators installed at 17 road facilities within the area, including the Hannam Five-way Intersection. Through contracts with specialized companies in each field, they will conduct regular inspections, emergency repairs, disinfection and cleaning, and operate security CCTV systems.

Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, "With this, all 10 pedestrian overpasses in the area where elevators could be installed now have elevators," and added, "We will do our utmost to manage the installed facilities to maintain a safe walking environment."

Seongdong-gu (District Mayor Jung Won-oh) has installed heated seats at 17 roadside bus stops to help residents using buses in winter avoid the cold.

The heated seats maintain a surface temperature of 36?38℃, allowing warm use during winter. They automatically power on when the outdoor temperature drops below 18℃, providing warmth in cold weather. Made of nano-tempered glass, they are highly durable and also offer a cooling effect in summer for comfortable use.

With an automatic power device to improve energy efficiency, the heated seats display the district’s symbolic logo and the slogan "I live in Seongdong," bringing bright warmth to the bus stops.

Operating from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. during winter from November to March, aligned with the first and last bus times, the seats provide a warm waiting space for vulnerable groups such as the elderly.

Due to space constraints for installing the ‘Seongdong-type Smart Shelter,’ the district piloted a compact version last month containing only essential functions. Where even the compact shelters cannot be installed, heated seats were installed to greatly enhance convenience for public transport users.

Currently, 28 ‘Seongdong-type Smart Shelters’ are installed among approximately 450 bus stops in the area. By April, 20 ‘compact smart shelters’ will be installed, and in the second half of the year, heated seats will be expanded comprehensively.

Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh said, "We installed heated seats so residents can use public transportation more conveniently and warmly," adding, "We will continue to ensure that no resident is excluded or discriminated against in daily life and that everyone can enjoy transportation welfare services."

Seodaemun-gu (District Mayor Moon Seok-jin) will carry out an ‘Outdoor Advertising Regularization Project’ from this month until December along a 2.3 km section of Sinchon-ro from Ewha Womans University Station to Seodaemun Station.

The project aims to incorporate outdoor advertisements that meet standards but were installed without notification or whose permit periods have expired into the formal system, enhancing safety through regular inspections and management.

The district will conduct a full survey of the target section from February to May to select advertisements for regularization, send notification letters to the advertisers, and officially start the project in July.

To encourage advertiser participation and convenience during this period, the district will simplify required documents and waive permit and notification fees.

Based on this year’s project results, the district plans to gradually expand the target section.

Seodaemun-gu Mayor Moon Seok-jin said, "We hope many advertisers will participate in this outdoor advertising regularization project to create a safer and more pleasant street environment."

VR Safety Training

Seocho-gu announced that starting from the 7th, it will begin ‘Construction Stakeholder VR Safety Training’ using Virtual Reality to prevent safety accidents at construction sites.

The district’s VR safety training simulates various safety accidents such as falls and dropped objects that can occur at actual construction sites. Construction stakeholders wear VR goggles to experience environments similar to accidents occurring on site.

This training is conducted by district employees who bring VR devices directly to construction sites targeting construction stakeholders. Additionally, a self-produced safety accident manual is provided.

The initiative aims to move beyond traditional theoretical education like PPT and video viewing, raising awareness of safety accidents through immersive virtual experiences.

The VR experience includes three types: ▲falling from height ▲falling rebar materials from tower cranes ▲welding fire, each lasting 3?4 minutes for a total of 10 minutes. Subtitles in English and Chinese are also prepared to assist foreign workers.

The district selected these three types because they are the most frequent safety accident types recently announced by the government and Seoul City. According to the 2020 industrial accident analysis by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the most common causes of death at construction sites were falls (1st, 51.5%), being struck by objects (2nd, 9.2%), and collisions (3rd, 8.3%). Seoul City’s construction site safety accident statistics (2016?2020) showed falls as the top cause and fires as second.

The VR content proceeds in the order of accident cause, accident experience, and safety measures.

For example, in the fall accident simulation, the user climbs an unsecured work platform several tens of meters high to install scaffolding. Suddenly, the platform collapses, and the user falls. A mechanical voice says, "You died due to a fall caused by not following safety rules," accompanied by subtitles. Then, the user returns to the platform to learn about safety measures such as wearing safety harnesses, installing safety nets, and checking platform fixation, concluding the training.

The district expects this training to increase immersion and help prevent safety accidents at construction sites.

In a pilot VR safety training conducted last month at a construction site in Seocho-dong, all participants showed high satisfaction. One participant said, "During the VR experience, I died three times: falling from a height, suffocating in a welding fire, and being crushed by heavy rebar materials. It felt really scary, and I realized I need to be more careful with safety rules."

The district plans to complete training at about 50 construction sites by the end of this year and analyze effectiveness to expand the training content further.

Seocho-gu Acting Mayor Cheon Jeong-wook said, "We will continue to prioritize citizen safety and do our best for proactive safety accident prevention."

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