[Interview] Mun Heon-il, Guro District Mayor, "I Will Elevate Guro District's Prestige"

Walking Warmly with Residents through Detailed and Careful Policies

Expanding Support for Pregnancy and Childbirth in Preparation for Low Birthrate and Super-Aged Society... Leading Senior Welfare

"Guro-gu will proactively prepare for the low birthrate and super-aged society and show a new transformation."

Moon Heon-il, the mayor of Guro-gu, devoted most of the interview to introducing his vision for changing and developing Guro-gu.

He especially emphasized that the philosophy guiding the 8th term of the local government is ‘Warm Companionship’ and expressed his determination to implement various policies to achieve this.

Since taking office, Mayor Moon has been working tirelessly with residents for the past 10 months. He is known to have visited sites frequently to communicate with residents and find solutions.

Mayor Moon said, “After becoming mayor, I made ‘field visits’ one of my most important principles and personally visited all 16 neighborhoods and civil complaint sites to verify conditions. I will resolve long-standing resident demands and raise the value of Guro-gu, which has been undervalued compared to its potential, to enhance the district’s dignity.”

Recently, Guro-gu has been focusing on solving issues related to low birthrate and aging. As of the end of 2022, the population aged 65 and over in Guro-gu was 75,041, accounting for 19.1% of the total population. This is a 3% increase compared to 2019, and it is expected to enter a super-aged society by 2025.

Mayor Moon emphasized, “As people age, many seniors suffer from more health problems and fewer opportunities to work, leading to economic difficulties. Careful consideration is needed so that seniors who have devoted their lives to community development can enjoy a healthy and joyful old age.”

Starting this year, Guro-gu became the first autonomous district in Seoul to provide hearing aid purchase support for seniors with hearing loss. For seniors who do not qualify for support under other laws or criteria, any resident aged 65 or older who has lived in Guro-gu for more than one year and has been diagnosed with hearing loss by an otolaryngology specialist within the past year is eligible for support.

He also expressed strong agreement with the idea that jobs are the best welfare, explaining that guaranteeing senior jobs helps alleviate poverty among low-income elderly and reduces emotional isolation, minimizing welfare blind spots.

Mayor Moon said, “This year, the senior job project in Guro-gu has slightly increased from last year’s 3,596 participants to a total of 3,631, including 2,886 in public activity type, 344 in social service type, 289 in market type, and 112 in employment referral type. Along with this, we will develop various jobs that utilize seniors’ social experience and knowledge, such as operating the Senior Club, a dedicated institution for senior jobs, and create conditions for participation.”

He also promised to actively support dementia patients and their families, which are increasing due to aging. According to Guro-gu population statistics and the Central Dementia Center data, the dementia prevalence rate in Guro-gu was 9.21% in 2022, slightly lower than the Seoul average of 9.73%, but showing an increasing trend.

Mayor Moon stated, “We are proactively responding by conducting visiting early dementia screenings to identify high-risk groups early, operating customized case management and dementia prevention programs, and providing treatment cost support for dementia patients. In April, we opened a branch of the Guro-gu Dementia Safety Center in Oryu 1-dong, where many seniors live, to provide integrated services such as counseling, diagnosis, prevention activities, and case management by professionals.”

Guro-gu has designated and operates three Dementia Safety Villages in Gocheok 2-dong, Sugung-dong, and Oryu 2-dong. In these villages, the ‘Memory Strong Park’ was created to provide dementia-related information and program experiences to park visitors, while continuously promoting awareness improvement and publicity activities.

He added, “We will steadily promote the construction of nursing homes and community-based senior welfare centers (small-scale senior welfare centers) and continue supporting senior centers frequently used by the elderly.”

Along with senior welfare, he pledged to meticulously support pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing. Starting this year, Guro-gu increased postpartum care expenses from 300,000 KRW to 500,000 KRW per person. The support is provided in cash regardless of income, and usage is not restricted to expand mothers’ choices, receiving great positive feedback.

Mayor Moon said, “From the second half of this year, we plan to increase postpartum care expenses to 1,000,000 KRW for all mothers by matching city and district funds 1:1. Although there are financial challenges in implementing district-led projects, the low birthrate and aging issues require joint efforts. We will seek new solutions with flexibility and diversity, moving away from conventional or formal administrative cultures.”

He also added that the top priority of the 8th term in Guro-gu is the ‘swift promotion of redevelopment and reconstruction projects,’ which he is determined to resolve firmly.

He said, “We are actively participating in Seoul city public projects such as the Rapid Integrated Planning and Moa Town with residents, and there has been progress with places like Guro Woosung Apartment, Miseong Apartment, and Gung-dong Villa recently passing safety inspections. Leading a ‘Redevelopment and Reconstruction Project Promotion Support Group’ composed of private experts in urban planning and architecture, we will resolve resident conflicts and unite minds to enhance execution power.”

Mayor Moon Heon-il said, “I am committed with the determination that nothing is impossible in this world. I will do my best without losing my initial intention so that residents can feel ‘my life has definitely changed.’”

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