Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, Seoul: "We will make Myeongdong comparable to New York's Times Square"

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Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, Seoul, said in an interview with reporters on the 19th, "In the second half of my term, I will focus on policies that residents can feel." Provided by Jung-gu.

“Recently, I asked the residents what they liked most among the various things the district mayor has done since taking office. They said the best was the deck installed along the Namsan foothill forest trail, making it a very pleasant walking path. Since the relaxation of the Namsan height restriction was a long-standing local demand, I thought they would mention that. Our district officials also self-assessed that the relaxation of the Namsan height restriction was overwhelmingly the greatest achievement.”

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, Seoul, introduced this case and said it is important to carefully consider the residents’ perception of the current scene and the future vision. As the Namsan foothill forest trail was improved into a very walkable path, residents were immediately surprised when they visited, and it left a strong impression because it directly affected their daily lives. He added, “In the first half of my term, I drew a picture of Jung-gu’s future, so in the second half, I will focus on policies that residents can feel.”

Mayor Kim explained, “We plan to accurately investigate which people live in each neighborhood and what residents desire most, then establish policies tailored to those needs. Through such surveys, we are working on policies that closely approach residents’ daily lives, and our officials have been making efforts for several months.”

Mayor Kim also said he plans to transform Myeongdong into a street on par with New York’s Times Square. Over the next ten years, the project will be carried out in phases, installing 16 LED billboards and 76 street media displays on large buildings such as corporate headquarters in Myeongdong, and applying new K-content to them.

The two-year anniversary interview with Mayor Kim was held on the afternoon of the 19th at Lavidus in Pildong 3-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul. This venue, which has a house wedding hall, also benefited from the relaxation of the Namsan height restriction.

- You mentioned making Myeongdong a street on par with New York’s Times Square.

▲The outdoor advertisements in Myeongdong will lead tourism culture and industry as new K-content. The ‘Myeongdong Outdoor Advertisement Free Display Zone Public-Private Joint Council,’ launched last month, will systematically manage Myeongdong’s billboards and lead a new tourism culture in Myeongdong. The free display zone named ‘Myeongdong Square’ will provide new K-content.

In the U.S., billboards in Times Square operate as unique content. Tourists flock to see the flashy and gigantic billboards, fostering new culture and industry. What Jung-gu aims to do is not just to put one or two outdoor advertisements on large buildings. It intends to develop billboards into a new ‘medium.’

Imagine 16 large billboards simultaneously showing the same video or 16 videos coming together to form one picture. The entire Myeongdong street will be filled with immersion and overwhelming presence. Giant notice boards, street cinemas, media art exhibitions, K-pop music videos, year-end countdowns?whatever you imagine, even more is possible.

*Myeongdong Square ? means Myeongdong embracing four plazas that will illuminate South Korea. As outdoor media gather here one by one and plazas emitting four kinds of light are established, Myeongdong will become a brighter and more vibrant place full of energy.

- Foreign tourists in the city center are rapidly increasing. This must have a big impact on the local economy. What about policies to expand cultural content and revitalize tourism?

▲We are considering how to create content that promotes Myeongdong, Seoul, and South Korea. Myeongdong Square is not just a space for advertisements. Twenty percent of the content has a public interest nature. Part of the profits is being expanded into a fund. We are striving to create content that introduces Korean culture and to make it a global space where global companies also promote themselves.

When new K-culture is born in Myeongdong, the ‘needs’ of tourists visiting Myeongdong will also change to a different level. The ‘Myeongdong Outdoor Advertisement Free Display Zone Public-Private Joint Council’ was launched last month. It will serve as the control tower of Myeongdong Square.

I plan to visit New York’s Times Square directly in the second half of this year. I want to observe and learn how they control and operate outdoor billboards and how they link that to tourism revitalization.

- Two years have passed in your four-year term as district mayor. You said you will focus on policies that residents can feel in the second half.

▲If I focused on drawing the big picture of the city in the first half, from now on I want to bring small happinesses to daily life. The slogan ‘Always a reliable ally, Jung-gu’ means implementing detailed administration that residents can feel in their daily lives.

We will develop Jung-gu as a ‘forest zone’ so that people can enjoy the pleasure of walking every day, and support resolving conflicts among neighbors so they can live comfortably. Recently, we created a barrier-free forest trail that allows comfortable walking all the way to Namsan. Residents said, “Jung-gu has become a forest zone,” and were very pleased. I thought, ‘When small satisfactions in daily life accumulate, that becomes a life with a sense of efficacy.’

Like the ‘15-minute city’ concept in Paris, France, we will create access routes to the Namsan foothill forest trail within 15 minutes from anywhere in Jung-gu by neighborhood and produce and distribute maps.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, Seoul. Provided by Jung-gu.

- Jung-gu’s population is 120,000, the smallest in Seoul.

▲The biggest concern for people living in the city center is education. Therefore, Jung-gu invests heavily in education. This year, the subsidy per student for educational institutions in Jung-gu is 820,000 won, the highest level in Seoul. Jung-gu’s elementary after-school care policy is also operated as a model. It supports labor costs, program operation costs, snacks, and dinner, resulting in high satisfaction.

However, the more fundamental problem is the living environment. Even if people want to move to Jung-gu, there are not many livable houses in the current environment, limiting population growth. To revitalize the aging city center and attract population, large-scale apartment complexes must be built. However, due to various regulations because it is in the city center, the area has only become more deteriorated. That is why we have focused on relaxing the Namsan height restriction and urban redevelopment.

When 1,423 households move into Sindang 10 District, 791 households into Jungnim-dong 398, and 1,213 households into Sindang 8 District, Jung-gu will become more vibrant. When the living environment improves, people will return. Good schools and educational infrastructure like academies will naturally follow.

- You emphasize direct communication. What difficulties do you face when meeting residents, and how do you resolve them?

▲When residents meet the district mayor, they usually have a lot to say but often just shake hands and leave. This does not satisfy residents’ thirst for communication. So, I often hold small group meetings. Having been mayor for two years, I believe I know most complaints, but unexpected opinions often arise on site. Even very trivial stories serve as an opportunity to clearly understand what residents find inconvenient and prefer.

Residents tend to focus on their own environment, so it is easy to lose balance in conversations. Still, I listen first. When the district mayor sincerely listens attentively until the end and then honestly explains the difficulties of running the district, residents also show willingness to understand. I have experienced this many times on site.

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