Instead of Selling the Current Gangseo-gu Office Building, Utilize It as a Public Complex Cultural Facility?

[Seoul District News] Gangseo-gu Begins Service to Utilize Current District Office as Public Complex Cultural Facility & Kim Tae-woo, District Mayor, "Will Return to Residents as a Cultural Facility Revitalizing the Old Downtown"... Supporting Low-Income Residents' Independence with Seodaemun Regional Self-Sufficiency Center and GS Retail

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The first step has been taken to transform the current Gangseo-gu Office building into a cultural and artistic hub.

Seoul’s Gangseo-gu (Mayor Kim Tae-woo) announced on the 25th that it will begin a basic plan establishment project to utilize the district office building as a public complex cultural facility.

The district office building located in Hwagok-dong had been under consideration for sale along with the Gayang-dong annex, health center, and district council building to secure funds for the construction of an integrated new office building.

However, following Mayor Kim Tae-woo’s 8th-term pledge to expand various cultural facilities for residents, it was decided to transform the district office building into a complex cultural facility and return it to the residents.

The district is planning to utilize the office building as a complex cultural facility equipped with exhibition halls, performance venues, libraries, and family complex community facilities.

This project will be carried out to find the optimal utilization plan by dividing the concept into short-term and long-term plans.

In the short term, immediately after moving to the new office building in 2026, the current building will be remodeled and used as a public complex cultural facility including family complex community centers and libraries, operating various cultural and sports programs.

Additionally, the facility management corporation and the residents’ hall will also be relocated together to further strengthen public functions and resident convenience, aiming to revitalize the original downtown areas such as Hwagok-dong.

In the long term, since new construction requires enormous capital, the goal is to minimize district financial input by attracting external capital to build a complex Gangseo cultural and arts center that combines performance halls, libraries, resident convenience facilities, cinemas, and sports facilities.

This project is one of the core initiatives to fulfill Mayor Kim’s pledge of “Hwagok becomes Magok” aimed at improving cultural, living, and residential environments, and is expected to create synergy effects for the development of the original downtown areas along with projects such as Moa Town and the Urban Public Housing Complex Project.

Preparations for the integrated new office building are also progressing smoothly. The integrated new office building, to be constructed on site 745-3 in Magok-dong with two basement floors and eight above-ground floors, will house the district office, district council, and health center in one place, creating a one-stop administrative space that maximizes resident convenience.

Moreover, cultural spaces and resident convenience facilities such as an open plaza, open library, and resident rest areas will be created together, transforming it into an open and cultural office building where leisure and relaxation are possible.

Mayor Kim Tae-woo said, “To achieve balanced regional development, cultural spaces for residents must be established in original downtown areas such as Hwagok-dong,” adding, “We will develop the integrated new office building and public complex cultural facility as cultural anchor facilities and growth axes for regional development in both new and original downtown areas, creating a high-quality balanced city full of culture and arts in Gangseo.” For detailed inquiries, please contact the Gangseo-gu New Office Building Promotion Team.

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) announced on the 25th that the ‘Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center Convenience Store Business Group’ recently launched a self-support enterprise called ‘GS25 Sinchon Myeongmul-gil Branch Cooperative’.

To support this, the Korea Self-Support Welfare Development Institute and Seoul Metropolitan Self-Support Center provided deposits and operating expenses, while GS Retail transferred convenience store distribution and management know-how.

In particular, GS Retail has been collaborating with the Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center since 2020 to create jobs for low-income groups, supporting the operation of four convenience stores from GS25 Sinchon Hyundai Branch in July 2020 to the current Sinchon Myeongmul-gil Branch.

Previously, four residents participating in Seodaemun-gu’s self-support labor projects gained experience working in three shifts, 24 hours a day, at the self-support center’s convenience store business group (GS25 Sinchon Hyundai Branch), and with a strong will to become independent, they established a cooperative last month.

They then received recognition as a self-support enterprise from Seodaemun-gu this month and opened the convenience store, marking a new leap forward.

On the 21st of this month, an opening ceremony was held on-site with about 40 attendees including Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, Lee Ji-sook, CEO of Happy Silver World, and Bae Wan-bok, Acting Director of the Korea Self-Support Welfare Development Institute.

Lee Se-jong, CEO of GS25 Sinchon Myeongmul-gil Branch Cooperative, expressed, “Like a tree outside a greenhouse, we will now leave the regional self-support center, endure the cold winter, and grow strong roots,” sharing his future aspirations.

Lee Hyun-sun, Director of the Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center, said, “We ask for much interest and support so that the ‘GS25 Sinchon Myeongmul-gil Branch Cooperative,’ a good convenience store practicing job sharing for low-income residents, can grow together with the community.”

Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, stated, “We will work harder with the Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center to help residents participating in self-support projects concretize their independence, as exemplified by this opening case.”

The Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center is a social welfare facility operated by Happy Silver World (CEO Lee Ji-sook), designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, supporting the operation of 11 ‘self-support business groups’ such as cafe business groups and 8 ‘self-support enterprises’ including Dasom Dosirak and Everclean. As of this month, 179 vulnerable residents are participating in self-support labor projects.

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