[Column] Joo Nak-young, Mayor of Gyeongju: "Jungbu and Hwango, A New Beginning Under One Unified Name"

In the original downtown area of Gyeongju, there are two neighborhoods that have shared a long history together: Jungbu-dong and Hwangodong.

These are living spaces that evoke memories for citizens by name alone, and they are symbols of this ancient capital.

Nakyoung Joo, Mayor of Gyeongju

Jungbu means "the center of the city," while Hwangodong refers to a core area of the royal capital adjacent to the Silla royal palace.

Their names carry the patterns of hundreds of years of life and history, going beyond mere administrative districts.

The sounds of bargaining at the marketplace, childhood memories lingering in the alleys near schools, and the evening conversations exchanged at Bonghwangdae Square-all these scenes have accumulated in the hearts of citizens along with the names of these two neighborhoods.

However, memories alone were not enough to sustain reality.

The cramped and aging government offices struggled to keep up with the growing administrative demands, and despite the unity of residents' lives, the contradiction of divided administrative districts persisted.

The inefficiency of operating two separate offices was also an obstacle to improving citizen services.

It was not the administration but the residents themselves who first pointed out this contradiction.

In 2019, during a conversation with Jungbu-dong citizens, the call to "merge the two neighborhoods into one" resonated with residents and led to the formation of the Integration Promotion Committee.

Residents participated directly in selecting the site and finalizing the name, ultimately deciding on "Hwangodong."

This was a consensus created not by the administration, but by the community together.

And now, the result is just ahead. Starting September 1, the unified Hwangodong will be launched.

The Hwangodong Administrative Welfare Center, built on the site of the former Gyeongju Girls' Middle School, is not just a government office, but a new space that will connect residents' daily lives and their future.

Housing both the Administrative Welfare Center and the Residents' Self-Governance Center, this place will serve as a community hub where residents meet each other and as a new focal point for life in the original downtown.

This integration is not merely a combination of administrative procedures.

It is a process of reconnecting fragmented daily lives.

While the Jungbu-dong and Hwangodong government offices will remain as traces in history, the unified Hwangodong office will become a symbol of a new future.

Now, residents will be able to conveniently access civil, welfare, and cultural services all under one roof.

The sports and cultural spaces of the Residents' Self-Governance Center will become the heart of the community, and the laughter and footsteps gathered here will breathe new life into the downtown commercial district.

The most valuable achievement is that the original downtown of Gyeongju has regained its beating heart.

Above all, I offer my heartfelt applause for the mature civic spirit that led this change, came together in unity, and created a new name through collective will.

This integration will be remembered not only for administrative efficiency, but as a symbolic example of citizen-led efforts to preserve community memory and move toward the future.

In Gyeongju, the capital of a thousand years, at its very center, Jungbu and Hwango are coming together under the name of unified Hwangodong to write a new future. More than anything, I wish to share this moment with all of you, the citizens.

I sincerely hope that this integration, initiated by residents and completed by citizens, will lead to better daily lives and a brighter future for everyone.

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