[Interview] Yuseonghun, Geumcheon District Mayor, "Doing Our Best to Leap into an Advanced City with an Innovative Brand"

Development Direction of Geumcheon in the 8th Elected Term... Improving Transportation Conditions for Balanced East-West Development in Geumcheon-gu, Operating a Dedicated Organization for Housing Renovation Projects, and Fully Launching Regional Development Projects such as Redevelopment of Siheung Distribution Market to Shed the Image of an Old Satellite City and Open the Era of a Forward-Looking, Proud Geumcheon

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Geumcheon-gu will do its utmost to leap beyond its outdated image as an outer suburb of Seoul and become a leading advanced gateway city of Seoul.”

In an interview, Yuseonghun, the mayor of Geumcheon-gu, explained the development direction of Geumcheon in the 8th local government administration, stating, “We will fully launch regional development projects such as improving transportation conditions for balanced development between the east and west of Geumcheon-gu, operating a dedicated organization for housing maintenance projects, and redeveloping the Siheung Distribution Market to shed the image of an old satellite city and open a new era of ‘Forward-moving Geumcheon, Proud Geumcheon.’”

Currently, the urban form of Geumcheon-gu was formed through the establishment of national industrial complexes and the Siheung district land readjustment project carried out in the 1970s and 1980s. After more than 30 years, the aging of low-rise residential areas has accelerated.

Also, unlike the west side of Siheung-daero where large-scale high-rise apartment complexes and major development projects are underway, the low-rise residential areas on the east side of Siheung-daero have seen relatively little change and improvement, increasing the residents’ sense of relative deprivation.

In response, the district actively responded to government and city policies by selecting three candidate sites for small-scale housing management areas, one site for the Gasan-dong station area public housing complex project, and one site for the city’s public redevelopment contest in March.

Furthermore, to improve and revitalize the residential environment in the low-rise residential areas on the east side of Siheung-daero, the district established a Residential Environment Improvement Support Center. The center actively responds to the rapidly changing housing maintenance project environment and directly supports residents by matching them one-on-one with experts in architecture, law, and maintenance projects for procedures such as establishing associations and project reviews. The district plans to expand related projects such as resident briefings in the future.

Improving transportation conditions is also important for balanced development between the east and west of Geumcheon-gu. The Sinansan Line, scheduled to open in 2025, is progressing smoothly. The district plans to improve the road and transportation system necessary for regional development, including future east-west road construction, extension of the light rail Nangok Line (Geumgwang Line) connecting Geumcheon-gu and Gwangmyeong City, and extension feasibility studies for Incheon Subway Line 2.

Additionally, to establish Geumcheon-gu’s status as a southwestern gateway city rather than a peripheral area of Seoul, the district will redevelop the Siheung Distribution Market area. The Siheung Distribution Market covers approximately 156,000 square meters and houses about 3,717 stores. The district plans to unify project stakeholders through resident briefings and develop the Siheung Distribution Market area into an advanced logistics complex befitting a gateway city of Seoul.

Moreover, during the 8th local government administration, the district will promote projects such as the complex station development of Geumcheon-gu Office, relocation of the Air Force base, completion of the long-standing 3+1 projects, and complex development of the Siheung 4-dong Southern Women’s Development Center. Through regional development that upgrades Geumcheon’s basic transportation and living infrastructure, the district plans to advance together with residents and create a forward-moving Geumcheon.

Mayor Yuseonghun said, “Geumcheon-gu has very high growth potential as an industrial city and gateway city of Seoul. As the 8th local government administration marks the 30th anniversary of the district’s establishment, we will do our best to leap forward as an advanced city with a young and innovative brand.”

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