[Interview] Park Seong-su, Songpa District Mayor: "There Should Be No Difference in Residents' Quality of Life... Committed to Regional Balanced Development to Increase Happiness Index"

Geoyeom·Macheon Area to Implement Comprehensive Development Plan Equivalent to New Town Creation... Finding Ways for Resident and Cultural Coexistence through Urban Regeneration Project around Pungnap-dong Earthen Fortress... Establishing Regional Development Foundations Including Jamsil MICE Complex, ICT Security Cluster, and Youth Hub Building

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “We will focus on areas that have relatively received fewer development benefits and evenly develop the entire Songpa-gu district.”

Park Seong-su, the mayor of Songpa-gu, expressed his aspirations for balanced regional development in an interview with this publication. He emphasized the importance of balanced development, stating, “There should be no difference in residents’ quality of life and happiness index depending on where they live.”

Songpa-gu is part of the area known as the ‘Gangnam 3 districts,’ but some areas have long been excluded from development benefits. The Geoyeomacheon area (hereinafter Geoma area) and Pungnap-dong are representative examples. Currently, mid- to long-term development plans are being actively pursued in these two areas.

In particular, the comprehensive development plan underway in the Geoma area was initiated by Mayor Park’s strong will. After 738,426㎡ of the Geoma area was designated as the 3rd New Town in December 2005, the need for development has been strongly raised in recent years due to large-scale land development projects nearby, such as Wirye New Town and Hanam Gam-il District.

Accordingly, Mayor Park has embarked on a large-scale development plan at the level of new town creation, keeping pace with changes in the surrounding environment. In December 2020, the ‘Geoma Area Mid- to Long-term Urban Development Basic Plan’ was established and is being promoted as a priority project.

Mayor Park stated, “The comprehensive development plan for the Geoma area envisions a ‘new premium city where people, culture, and nature harmonize,’” adding, “We have also established four main strategies: creating premium residential complexes, turning river parks into ecological and environmental landmarks, expanding road and transportation systems, and diversifying welfare and cultural facilities.”

On the 18th of last month, Mayor Park personally toured the area where the development plan will be focused, reaffirming his strong determination to push the project forward. The area in question is Geoye 2-1 District, where a large apartment complex with 1,945 households has recently been built, and an education and cultural complex center and a community rest area are planned for the future donation site.

Mayor Park said, “Considering the lack of cultural facilities in the area, we are promoting the construction of a complex facility that can be used by all age groups as a core project,” adding, “Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025, but until then, the site will be operated as a ‘resident coexisting parking lot.’”

Additionally, efforts are underway to create a community rest area for local residents. Convenience facilities will be installed within the first half of the year, and trees and other plants will be planted to complete the rest area. For transportation convenience, north-south connecting roads and Machun-ro are also being constructed.

Mayor Park said, “Within 10 years, the Geoma area will grow into a premium residential area comparable to Jamsil,” and added, “By fully implementing the Geoma area comprehensive development plan, we will realize the value of balanced development across the entire Songpa-gu, moving beyond urban redevelopment.”

In the area around the Pungnap-dong earthen fortress, an urban regeneration project is underway. The Pungnap-dong earthen fortress was designated as a historic site in 1963 after numerous relics from the Hanseong Baekje capital were discovered during the 1925 Eulchuk Year Great Flood. In 1997, during excavation for apartment construction, over 30,000 relics and Baekje residential sites were found, restricting development and leading to prolonged cultural heritage excavation projects, which caused population decline and regional deterioration.

In response, Mayor Park, together with residents, challenged the urban regeneration project led by Seoul City, and in November 2019, the area was finally selected as an urban regeneration activation zone?the first among the Gangnam 3 districts. Using Seoul City’s seed budget of 20 billion won, detailed projects will be carried out until 2025.

The vision for Pungnap-dong urban regeneration is “Pungnap where residents are the owners, a museum village without roofs.” The goals are to create a global historical and cultural central city where Baekje and Seoul coexist and to introduce and expand a resident-centered local self-sustaining economic base. Currently, the project is in the stage of establishing a strategic execution plan. The ‘Urban Regeneration Activation Plan’ consultancy is underway until April this year. A ‘Urban Regeneration Field Support Center’ is also operating to collect residents’ opinions, strengthen residents’ capabilities, and support community activities.

Mayor Park said, “Pungnap-dong has extensive buried cultural assets, which have long restricted housing maintenance, and many parts require consultation with cultural heritage-related laws and institutions, limiting the variety of projects residents want to pursue,” adding, “Through urban regeneration, residents strongly desire to transform the area into a more livable village.”

He continued, “However, Seoul City’s urban regeneration restructuring policy has cut the budget in the first half of this year, causing difficulties,” raising his voice. “After the activation plan is announced in April and the full execution phase begins, funds for creating base facilities will be needed, but delays in the project are expected to cause many difficulties in smoothly advancing the Pungnap-dong urban regeneration project.”

Mayor Park said, “We are actively communicating with Seoul City about the reasons why related projects must continue and the need to expand the budget. We are also exploring various countermeasures such as extending the project period or reflecting it in supplementary budgets.”

In addition, large-scale development projects that accelerate balanced development throughout Songpa are underway in various parts of the region. An international exchange complex MICE district is being created around Jamsil Sports Complex, and an ICT security cluster will be established on the site of the Garak-dong Central Radio Management Office. The Wirye Line (tram) and Wirye Sinsa Line are also accelerating toward their respective opening goals in 2025 and 2028. The old public office building in Bangi 2-dong is being transformed into a ‘Youth Hub Building,’ and old community centers in Jamsilbon-dong, Jangji-dong, Pungnap 2-dong, and Macheon 1-dong are being converted into complex cultural spaces for residents.

During the project promotion process, Mayor Park Seong-su stated, “Residents’ opinions are our top priority,” and added, “To uphold this, I strive to keep promises with residents and maintain administrative trust.” Recently, Mayor Park published a book titled ‘The Weight of Promises,’ candidly sharing his experiences in politics and administration. He said, “I feel that taking responsibility for one’s words is most important,” and added, “Even very small promises must be kept to earn residents’ trust as a politician.”

Finally, Mayor Park Seong-su said, “I will continue to take promises with residents seriously and communicate more actively with Seoul City and related departments to solidify balanced development projects throughout Songpa-gu. We will expand Songpa-gu’s latent potential to improve residents’ quality of life and the value of the city.”

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