Park Hee-young, Yongsan District Mayor, Strengthens Public Welfare Initiatives

Published 14 Sep.2023 07:00(KST)

Efforts to Ensure Resident Safety Through Civil Joint Patrol Participation on the Evening of the 12th... Participation in Early Removal of Ginkgo Nuts Around Noksapyeong Station Plaza on the 11th...

Park Hee-young, Yongsan District Mayor, participating in the joint patrol

Park Hee-young, the mayor of Yongsan District, is showing efforts to strengthen contact with residents.

After experiencing difficulties such as being imprisoned due to the Itaewon tragedy and later being released, Mayor Park faced strong resistance from the bereaved families on the day he returned to work.

However, as he gradually stabilizes, he has recently been seen meeting frequently with residents.

On the morning of the 13th, Mayor Park attended the Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors meeting held in Seoul for the first time, indicating that he is resuming his duties normally.

In particular, by participating in ginkgo nut collection and joint civilian patrols, the atmosphere is that he is regaining his role as district mayor.

On the evening of the 12th, Mayor Park conducted a ‘civil-government-police joint patrol’ for one hour from 9 PM around Wonhyo-ro 1(il)-dong and Cheongpa-dong areas to prevent violent crimes and alleviate residents' anxiety.

The joint patrol involved 40 participants, including the Wonhyo-ro 1(il)-dong and Cheongpa-dong autonomous crime prevention squads, officials from the district office and community service centers, police officers from Yongsan Police Station and Wonhyo Police Substation, and the Safe Return Home Scouts. They focused on patrolling residential alleys including the area around Singye History Park and the safe return home paths at Sookmyung Women’s University, while also checking emergency bells and their connection to the control center.

Mayor Park Hee-young, who participated in the patrol, stated, “I came out to observe the actual effects on the ground of the physical and social infrastructure expansion for crime prevention that the district is promoting,” and added, “We will do our best to address vulnerable nighttime areas and prevent crimes motivated by abnormal reasons.”

First, the district strengthened patrols focusing on crime-vulnerable areas such as parks, walking trails, and residential alleys. The patrols are conducted jointly with autonomous crime prevention squads composed of local residents and Yongsan Police Station.

By early November, a total of 213 closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) will be additionally installed at 85 locations, including 19 locations (150 units) for crime prevention and 16 locations (63 units) for safety management. The 800 ‘crime prevention CCTVs’ will be replaced with ‘intelligent CCTVs’ over three years. A Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) implementation plan will be established and applied to environmental improvements such as public restrooms and safe return home paths.

Support for crime-vulnerable groups will be expanded. Key measures include 3 Safe Return Home Scout teams (7 members), 22 Safe Keeper convenience stores, 17 safe return home path sections, and support for safety equipment (for single-person households and stalking crime victims).

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan District, removing ginkgo fruits

On the 11th, Mayor Park participated in the ‘early removal of ginkgo nuts’ work around Noksapyeong Station Plaza at 4 PM. The ginkgo nut removal was carried out for about an hour with one aerial work vehicle, one 1-ton truck, and six members of the mobile team.

Mayor Park collected ginkgo nuts together with three workers. He explained the reason for his participation by saying, “The ginkgo nut collection nets piloted last year cost 1.2 million won per tree for installation, with additional removal costs, so we judged that the cost-effectiveness was low,” and added, “I came out to directly check the intensity and risk of the mobile team’s work in handling the nuts.”