Promotion of Designating Myeonmok Station Plaza in Jungnang-gu as No Alcohol Zone No. 1

Last Year’s Ordinance Amendment Paved the Way for ‘Designating No-Drinking Zones’

Resident Opinions to Be Collected Until June, Full-Scale Promotion of No-Drinking Zone Designation at Myeonmok Station Plaza

Myeonmok Station Plaza to Be Transformed into a Pleasant Rest, Culture, and Arts Space through Future Redevelopment

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) is preparing to introduce the district’s first ‘No-Drinking Zone’ at Myeonmok Station Plaza.

According to the district, the no-drinking zone is being promoted at Myeonmok Station Plaza to alleviate local residents’ anxiety caused by public intoxication disturbances and to create a pleasant plaza.

First established in 2006, Myeonmok Station Plaza is a representative plaza near the subway station in Jungnang-gu and a complex cultural space. However, it has frequently faced complaints due to chronic issues such as drinking, noise, and disturbances.

In this situation, the district amended the ‘Ordinance on the Creation and Support of a Healthy Drinking Culture Environment in Jungnang-gu, Seoul’ last November. Until June, the district plans to actively collect diverse opinions from local residents and proceed with the designation of the no-drinking zone.

On the 14th, the Jungnang-gu Public Health Center, Jungnang Police Station, Jungnang-gu Mental Health Welfare Center, Catholic University Industry Cooperation Group, private abstinence organizations, and smoking cessation enforcement officers and guides gathered at Myeonmok Station Plaza to conduct a no-smoking and no-drinking campaign in public places and collect residents’ opinions on the no-drinking zone designation.

Once designated as a no-drinking zone, a guidance period of more than six months will be provided before alcohol enforcement is carried out. If drinking occurs in the designated area, a fine of 50,000 KRW will be imposed.

The district plans to actively promote the no-drinking zone through various channels before enforcement.

Moreover, the district will transform Myeonmok Station Plaza into a rest, culture, and arts space for residents. It plans to improve the plaza into a resident-friendly space through structural improvements, renovation of aging facilities, and installation of lighting facilities.

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “Even if it takes a long time, we will do our best to create a healthy and safe drinking culture so that all residents can safely and happily enjoy public places in Jungnang-gu and practice moderation in daily life.”

Since 2021, the district has been continuously striving to improve the local drinking culture by promoting the ‘High-Risk Drinking and Alcohol Harm Prevention Contest Project’ with the Catholic University Industry Cooperation Group and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and by forming the nation’s first public-private consultative body for alcohol harm prevention in Jungnang-gu.

Gwangjin-gu Creates 187 Temporary Public Parking Spaces on KEPCO Site, Bringing Relief to Junggok-dong’s Parking Shortage

Temporary Parking Lot of 7,290㎡ to Be Available from the 5th Until December Next Year

Operated with Resident Priority Parking and Hourly Parking

Managed by Gwangjin-gu Facilities Management Corporation, Use Extended Until KEPCO Site Development Project

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Gyeong-ho) has started operating the ‘KEPCO Site Temporary Public Parking Lot’ located in Junggok 3-dong, bringing good news to relieve parking difficulties in the Junggok-dong area.

The temporary public parking lot, opened from the 5th, covers an area of 7,290㎡ and is located at Junggok 3-dong 168-2.

The parking lot has a total of 187 spaces. Construction began in February and was completed last month. The parking spaces include 150 resident-priority parking spaces for general vehicles, 23 hourly parking spaces, and 14 spaces for large vehicles.

For safe parking, security CCTV and security lights have also been installed.

Resident-priority parking is selected from applicants among residents waiting for resident-priority parking in Junggok 3 and 4-dong, applying a scoring system based on residency period and special bonus points.

The parking lot is entrusted and operated by the Gwangjin-gu Facilities Management Corporation, and the number of parking spaces will be flexibly adjusted according to usage trends in the future.

In November last year, the district signed an agreement with the landowner, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) Seoul Headquarters, to utilize some idle land within the entire site to create a large-scale public parking space.

The operation period is from the 5th of this month until the end of December next year, with an agreement allowing extension of use until the KEPCO site development project begins.

Junggok-dong, densely populated with multi-family houses and villas, suffers from a severe shortage of parking facilities, making the construction of parking lots urgently needed. Accordingly, the district proposed and persuaded KEPCO to create a temporary public parking lot on the idle land owned by KEPCO for residents struggling with parking difficulties in Junggok-dong.

As a result, a much-needed parking space was secured for residents, achieving a twofold effect by also improving the urban landscape.

Kim Gyeong-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “This temporary parking lot creation is the result of communication among residents, the district office, and related organizations utilizing idle land to solve the parking shortage in Junggok-dong,” adding, “We will consider various measures to alleviate parking difficulties and do our best to create parking lots.”

Seodaemun-gu Shares Yonsei University and Ewha Womans University Affiliated Parking Lots on Weekends and Holidays

Parking Tickets Purchased via Smartphone App from Midnight on Desired Day at Around 1,000 KRW per Hour

Reduces Parking Burden for Visitors to Sinchon and Ewha Commercial Areas, Boosts Commercial Vitality

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) announced on the 18th that following the implementation at Yonsei University earlier this year, it recently started a shared parking lot project with Ewha Womans University for affiliated parking lots on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

This initiative aims to reduce the parking burden for visitors to the Sinchon and Ewha areas and help revitalize the commercial districts. The district signed a shared parking lot agreement with Ewha Womans University at the end of last month.

Accordingly, anyone can purchase parking tickets in advance at an affordable rate of around 1,000 KRW per hour from midnight on the desired day (Saturdays, Sundays, holidays) through the smartphone app ‘Everyone’s Parking Lot’ and use the Yonsei University Baekyangnuri Parking Lot and Ewha Womans University ECC Parking Lot.

Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, stated, “We plan to expand this affiliated parking lot sharing project to revitalize local commercial districts.”

Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Sangil 2-dong Community Center in Gangdong-gu

Five Floors Above Ground and One Basement Floor, Offering Various Complex Public Services Including Kids Cafe and Community Lounge

- Expected to Serve as a Hub for Complex Living and Cultural Space in Godeok-Gangil District... Scheduled for Completion in December 2024

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) announced that it will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Sangil 2-dong Community Center building on the 21st.

Sangil 2-dong is a newly established area following administrative district adjustments in July 2021, as the Godeok and Gangil districts began full-scale development and residents started moving in. The necessary administrative procedures such as site acquisition and design competitions for the new community center have been completed, allowing construction to commence in earnest.

With a total investment of 17.4 billion KRW, the new Sangil 2-dong Community Center will be built with a total floor area of 2,408㎡, spanning from one basement floor to five floors above ground. The first floor will house a community lounge and shared yard; the second floor, a civil affairs office; the third floor, a kids cafe; the fourth floor, a community hall lecture room; and the fifth floor, a multipurpose auditorium. It will be utilized as a space providing complex public services beyond simple administrative functions.

Scheduled for completion in December 2024, the new Sangil 2-dong Community Center, to be built at San 77-27, Sangil-dong, is expected to provide diverse and convenient public services to residents of the Godeok and Gangil areas and play a significant role as a welfare and cultural living SOC.

Kim Hee-deok, Director of the Autonomous Administration Division, said, “The construction of the Sangil 2-dong Community Center is expected to become a new hub for the living area, meeting the increased administrative, welfare, and cultural demands following population inflow into Godeok-Gangil 3 District,” adding, “We will carefully oversee the construction to prioritize safety, ensuring no inconvenience to residents’ passage or children’s school commutes until the building is completed.”

Guro-gu Adds Smart Gardens to Two Local Schools

11 Species of Air-Purifying Plants Planted at Seoul Mirae Elementary School and Seoul Jeongjin School

Enjoyable Year-Round... Efficient Management with Automatic Watering Technology

Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) has created smart gardens at local schools.

The district announced on the 17th, “Two sites in the district were selected for the 2023 Smart Garden Creation Project hosted by the Korea Forest Service and Seoul City. We secured 60 million KRW in national and city funds to create vertical wall gardens in idle spaces within the sites.”

A ‘Smart Garden’ is a small-scale vertical garden suitable for indoor spaces, where air-purifying plants are planted and systems controlling watering and lighting enable automatic management.

The garden can be enjoyed regardless of the season and improves air quality to provide a pleasant environment. Smart technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), public Wi-Fi, and wired and wireless communication networks are applied, making maintenance efficient.

Over the past month, the district established smart gardens in the libraries of Seoul Mirae Elementary School and Seoul Jeongjin School.

Seoul Mirae Elementary School has three smart gardens covering a total greening area of 12㎡, and Seoul Jeongjin School has one garden covering 11㎡. Eleven indoor plant species, including rubber trees, marianne, pothos, anthuriums, and table palms, were planted, and an automatic watering system was installed.

The district previously created smart gardens at the Guro-gu Dementia Safety Center and Guro Fire Station in 2021, and at Kolon Digital Tower Villant 2nd in 2022.

A Guro-gu official said, “Smart gardens not only heal the body and mind but also improve indoor aesthetics,” adding, “We will continue to expand spaces that can serve as resting places for residents.”

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