Choi Hogwon, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor, Resolves 7-Year Longstanding Issue in 100 Days: Where Does the Determination Come From?

Choi Hogwon, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor, Resolves Public Transport Issues in Singil New Town with New Route for Bus No. 6713 & Test Ride Held on 17th Afternoon with About 30 Residents Attending & Mayor Choi: "We Will Listen to Residents' Voices and Strive to Solve Inconveniences and Fulfill Their Wishes"

Choi Ho-gwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District Office, took a commemorative photo in front of the test-drive bus.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] On the afternoon of the 17th, at the bus stop in front of Singil Boramae SK View Apartment. Along the wide road with 8 lanes in both directions in front of the newly built apartment complex stretching long and straight, newly installed traffic lights and street lamps stood in a row. The bus stop sign also displayed a deep green color, clearly indicating that it was recently installed.

Starting from 1:30 PM, residents began gathering in small groups in front of the newly built bus stop. They had come to celebrate the inaugural ride of the newly established bus route 6713 passing through Singil New Town. Although the weather was clear, it was the coldest temperature of this fall so far with strong winds, but the excitement of riding the new city bus route kept everyone from showing signs of cold.

The green bus for the inaugural ride had arrived early and was waiting to pick up residents. After a brief explanation from a Yeongdeungpo District Office official, the electric bus carrying about 30 residents smoothly departed.

On this day, bus number 6713 operated a 7.5 km round trip route starting from the Singil Boramae SK View Apartment stop, passing through Saetgang Station, Yeouido Station, and National Assembly Station, and returning to the stop in front of Singil Hanseong Apartment across from the starting point.

Inside the bus, applause and laughter continued throughout the ride. There were words of encouragement for Choi Ho-kwon, the district mayor, and the officials who worked hard to establish the new bus route, as well as praise for the bus company. Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon also shared behind-the-scenes stories related to the new bus route and communicated with the residents.

The starting point of the inaugural ride, Singil Boramae SK View Apartment, is a large newly built complex with a total of 1,546 households located in the northern part of Singil New Town.

Singil New Town, where Singil Boramae SK View Apartment is located, was designated as a New Town district on December 16, 2005. It is a mini new city-scale redevelopment promotion project that renovates old houses in the Singil-dong area and constructs about 10,000 apartment units. It is adjacent to Subway Line 7 and the Sillim Light Rail Transit, and serves as a residential area supporting the Yeouido business district, with 7 out of 10 zones and 7,954 households already occupied.

However, the approximately 1 km section from the Singil Gamasan-ro intersection surrounding the northern part of Singil New Town to the front of the Seoul Naval Hotel is a major road with 4 to 8 lanes in both directions but lacked any city bus routes, making it a public transportation desert and causing significant inconvenience to residents.

Residents had to take village buses or walk to Yeouidaebang-ro to go toward Yeouido. As the new town was completed, the demand for a direct bus route grew louder among residents, including busy commuters and elderly people with mobility difficulties.

Yeongdeungpo District had repeatedly requested the Seoul Metropolitan Government to establish new city bus routes to alleviate residents' inconvenience, but the city expressed reluctance due to the bus total volume system and other reasons.

Then, in May, with the opening of the Sillim Light Rail Transit, overlapping sections with the existing city bus route 6513 were identified, prompting a renewed request to the Seoul Metropolitan Government for bus route changes.

District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon also pledged to adjust public transportation routes in Singil New Town and made efforts such as proposing amendments to Seoul city ordinances to expand village bus operations at the Seoul City Mayors' Council on the 14th to establish new routes.

As a result, on the 5th, Seoul City notified the 'Passenger Car Transportation Business Improvement Order' to adjust city bus route 6513, which ran from Cheolsan-dong through Seoul National University and Yeouido, to the new city bus route 6713 passing through Singil New Town.

The newly operating city bus 6713 started its first run at 4:30 AM on the 17th, running a total of 39 km from Cheolsan-dong through Sindorim Station, Sinpung Station, Singil-ro, Singil New Town, Yeouido, and Hongdae Entrance Station.

Boarding the test drive bus, Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, communicates with residents

On weekdays, 20 buses pass 69 stops 106 times a day, with an average interval of 13 minutes. Two new stops, Singil Park Xi and Singil Boramae SK View, have been added in Singil New Town, greatly improving residents' access to public transportation.

Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon said, “After 7 years since the residents started moving into Singil New Town, a city bus route has been established, resolving the public transportation inconvenience for local residents. We will always listen to residents' voices and faithfully fulfill the fundamental mission of local governments to solve inconveniences and realize residents' wishes.”

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