[Interview] Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, "Yongsan, a Smart City Shining Amid COVID-19"

Special Employment Lecture on the Metaverse with Current Industry Professionals... Yongsan Tourism via QR Map Featuring Exploration Routes and Attractions... Establishment of Digital Bulletin Boards and Smart Civil Complaint Waiting System

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Terms such as Sangsang Corona, Corona Blue (COVID-19 depression), Ontact (online + untact, online communication method), and Isiguk Travel have emerged as COVID-19 has prolonged.

Words like Metaverse (meta + universe), an online space that goes beyond virtual reality to include social and economic activities, have also become familiar.

Seong Jong-hyun, mayor of Yongsan-gu, emphasized in an interview with this publication, “Along with social distancing, new quarantine activities have been introduced to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and many things in our society have changed,” adding, “To minimize inconvenience to residents and increase satisfaction, administration must also change according to the evolving environment.”

Yongsan-gu’s use of a metaverse platform last December to conduct non-face-to-face employment lectures for young job seekers is part of such efforts. Mentors included employees from a non-face-to-face electronic approval company, a corporate cloud service provider, and a global consulting firm. Based on their direct experience in their current positions, the mentors provided company introductions, job analyses, necessary competencies, and employment information. Mayor Seong explained, “Various meetings are also being held through the video conferencing platform (ZOOM),” and added, “In response to the rapidly changing employment environment due to COVID-19, we held metaverse employment lectures, where real-time Q&A with mentors added a sense of presence.”

It is not only in the employment field. As a tourist city, Yongsan-gu created and distributed QR code maps to attract tourists during a time when travel is burdensome due to the spread of COVID-19. This project is notably one of the 2021 cooperative governance achievements where the public and private sectors worked together to solve local issues.

The map is titled “Yongsan-gu Story Street.” It includes four exploration routes: Independence Will Road, Walking Together on Newtro, MZ Generation’s Food and Style Exploration Route, and Walking with Family. Mayor Seong explained, “Beyond simply providing information such as exploration time and landmark introductions, we included QR codes so that people can vividly preview the scenes in 3D.”

Starting from Hyochang Park Station, the “Independence Will Road” connects to the Lee Bong-chang Historical Sound Hall, Hyochang Park’s Uiyeolsa Shrine, and the Colonial History Museum, offering a course to learn about Japanese imperialist invasion and anti-Japanese resistance history. Through “Walking Together on Newtro,” visitors are introduced to Baekbin Alley, a retro-style alley gaining popularity, Yongsan-dangil, and the Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Hall. The “Walking with Family” route provides information on landmarks suitable for children’s experiences and education, such as the Yongsan Craft Center, War Memorial, and Yongsan Family Park.

The smart city aspect of Yongsan also shone in administration. A smart civil complaint waiting system was established to enhance convenience for visitors. By providing real-time notifications of waiting status at district office civil service counters for issuing various certificates through the district website, congestion can be dispersed. Mayor Seong stated, “The government predicted that confirmed cases would peak at up to 270,000 in March. Afterward, an endemic era will come,” and emphasized, “Yongsan-gu will thoroughly prepare for the increasing demand for administrative services after COVID-19 while ensuring thorough quarantine.”

Prior to this, the district installed digital bulletin boards for official announcements and promotions at three locations with high foot traffic: the district office building, Yongsan Station Plaza, and Yongsan 2-ga-dong Community Service Center, and began full operation in February. Through the touchscreens installed on the boards, users can enlarge announcements or have them read aloud. Mayor Seong said, “By utilizing fast and convenient digital technology, we can easily deliver various district news and living information to residents,” adding, “We will continue to promote administrative innovation incorporating digital technology.”

The district has continuously made efforts to become a smart city. In 2017, it was the first autonomous district in Seoul to introduce 3D Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to conduct underground cavity surveys throughout the city, detecting sinkhole occurrences in advance. In the same year, Yongsan-gu’s proposal for the “Itaewon Tourist District IoT Construction Project” won first place in the Seoul city IoT service demonstration area contest, securing a project budget of 200 million KRW. Through this project, smart electronic signboards and smart warning boards against illegal dumping were installed in the Itaewon Tourist District area.

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