[Interview] Jeong Munheon, Mayor of Jongno-gu, "We Will Firmly Establish Jongno as the No.1 Cultural Hub"

Jeong Munheon, Mayor of Jongno-gu, Busy Advancing Key Promises Including Changsin Future City Development, Future Education Platform, and Cultural Tourism Belt to Secure Status as Cultural Hub

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jeong Munheon, the mayor of Jongno-gu, has presented a new vision of "Jongno as the cradle of future culture and the origin of the world," and since taking office, he has been busy establishing the framework of major policies and communicating with residents and staff.

In particular, Mayor Jeong is actively working not only to engage in dialogue with residents but also to strengthen communication with employees, focusing on his key pledges such as the development of Changsin Future City, the establishment of a future education platform, and the creation of a cultural tourism belt.

After taking office, Mayor Jeong toured all 17 neighborhoods of Jongno-gu to hold dialogue sessions with residents. He is also actively participating in resident-led groups such as resident councils to enhance communication with the community.

Recently, he has been using Zoom to regularly meet online with elderly residents living alone in the area, checking on their well-being and providing companionship through conversation.

For complex and ongoing civil complaints, he operates non-face-to-face video meetings through Zoom to directly listen to residents’ concerns in the Civil Communication Office, playing a significant role in eliminating welfare and civil complaint blind spots. He plans to continue enhancing trust in district administration by communicating with residents through various methods.

At the same time, he is making efforts to communicate with all district office employees, including frontline administrative staff. Breaking away from the traditional meeting format attended only by the mayor and executives, he runs meetings where all employees communicate online. This aims to blend the seasoned expertise of executives with the flexible and creative thinking of junior staff to invigorate administration and provide better administrative services.

He also held sessions to hear candid thoughts, difficulties, and demands from MZ generation public officials regarding civil service. Unnecessary meeting attendance and document submissions, which many employees identified as burdensome, are being discouraged.

Going forward, he plans to resolve employee difficulties and create a better working environment through labor-management meetings and communication meetings by job series, maintaining continuous dialogue.

In particular, Mayor Jeong is striving for the integrated development of Changsin-dong, one of his key pledges.

On the southern side of Changsin-dong, there is a commercial redevelopment district planned for about 33,000 pyeong. Although divided into several redevelopment zones and lacking momentum, efforts are underway to integrate these into a single plan for effective implementation.

As it will be consolidated into a large-scale single development, the expected benefits are significant, and attracting new advanced industries is also possible. Together with the nearby redevelopment of Sewoon Shopping Center, the plan is to redraw Seoul’s skyline and establish a landmark for both South Korea and Seoul.

Additionally, a differentiated future education platform unique to Jongno-gu is being established for residents. Improving educational conditions is a fundamental element in enhancing the quality of life in Jongno-gu and an essential requirement for making "Jongno a place where people return."

Based on rapidly advancing non-face-to-face technology, the future education platform in Jongno-gu will enable local youth to achieve remarkable learning improvements without needing to attend academies in other areas. Centered on Jongno Seodang, the future education model of Jongno, plans include specialized English education and character education to make Jongno a model of world-class education.

Regarding the establishment of a cultural tourism belt, following the opening of the Blue House, the reopening of Gwanghwamun Square, and the reconnection of the path linking Changgyeonggung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine after 90 years, Jongno is attracting significant attention amid a greatly changed environment.

A vast cultural belt has been formed, connecting Pyeongchang-dong, Gyeongbokgung Palace, the Blue House, Insadong, Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine, and the Daehak-ro performing arts street.

Utilizing hiking trails extending from the Blue House to Bukaksan Mountain, the project’s core is to properly establish a pedestrian-centered cultural tourism belt that allows tourists to explore Jongno on foot, thereby creating new added value for the local economy.

Jongno-gu plans to encourage active private sector participation in this project to organically combine local resources, aiming to ▲discover tourism hubs ▲develop themed tourism courses considering connectivity between hubs ▲commercialize content into tourism products, thereby creating jobs and revitalizing the local economy for mutual growth.

Furthermore, to reduce unnecessary consumption by residents and solve urban problems such as parking shortages, the "Public Resource Sharing Service" is being expanded. Idle spaces in community centers are shared as meeting places for residents, and play spaces for parents and children are also shared. Priority parking lots for residents are shared to alleviate parking difficulties. Notably, through a business agreement with Socar, eco-friendly electric vehicles are used by public officials during work hours and shared with residents during weekends and other times.

This promotes the sharing economy, expands residents’ mobility rights, and distributes eco-friendly vehicles, greatly benefiting Jongno-gu residents who face inconveniences such as parking shortages and traffic congestion.

Mayor Jeong Munheon emphasized, "There is nothing more meaningful in performing my duties than meeting residents directly and listening to their voices. I will continue to maintain closer dialogue with residents and enhance their trust in district administration." He added, "When my term ends, I want to be remembered as the mayor who firmly established Jongno’s status as the cultural number one district."

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