Choi Ki-chan, Geumcheon-gu Mayoral Candidate: "I Will Solve Piled-Up Transportation and Education Issues as a Mayor for Everyday Life"

"Extension of Geumcheon-gu Office Station on the Nangok Light Rail Line Is Essential"

"First Official Approval Will Be Institutional Reform on Data Center Issues"

[Interview] Choi Ki-chan, Democratic Party Candidate for Geumcheon-gu Mayor

"The most urgent issue in Geumcheon-gu is transportation. The interval between local village buses is too long, so it takes a considerable amount of time just to get from home to the subway station. There is also a severe shortage of bus drivers. Extending the Geumcheon-gu Office Station on the Nangok Line of the light rail is absolutely essential."

Choi Ki-chan, candidate for mayor of Geumcheon-gu from the Democratic Party of Korea, whom we met at his campaign office in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, has lived in Geumcheon for 60 years. After working as a civic activist, he entered politics and served as a member of the 10th and 11th Seoul Metropolitan Council, chairing the Education Committee in the latter half of the 10th council and serving on the Health, Welfare, and Housing Committee in the 11th council.

He said, "For eight years as a city councilor, I directly tackled education, welfare, and housing issues in Geumcheon. Hearing residents say, 'I want to leave because of education,' 'Traffic congestion makes it hard to breathe,' and 'The neighborhood never changes,' made me realize I should become a 'mayor for everyday life' who changes the lives of local residents." We met with candidate Choi on the afternoon of the 18th. The following is a Q&A.

Ki-chan Choi, candidate for mayor of Geumcheon District, explained his main campaign promises in an interview with The Asia Business Daily on the 18th. Provided by the election office.

-Is the transportation issue really that serious?

Geumcheon-gu is the most peripheral district of Seoul, based on Seoul City Hall. Commuting to Gwanghwamun takes about 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes. Because many routes pass through hilly areas, when the village bus applies the brakes, the vehicle sometimes rolls backward. After an accident, a driver cannot be transferred to a feeder bus, so the Geumcheon routes are even less desirable, intensifying the recruitment shortage.

During my time as a city councilor, I requested the Seoul Metropolitan Government to deploy 8 to 9 electric buses on a priority basis. I plan to expand this matching program to improve working conditions for village bus drivers, and also introduce a 'public circulation companion bus' service during commuting hours. We must establish a rapid transit system to give back 'time' to ordinary citizens. This is the most urgent task in Geumcheon.

-Is that why you have so many transportation pledges?

Extending the Geumcheon-gu Office Station on the Nangok Line of the light rail is absolutely necessary. This project will add just over 4 kilometers, connecting Nanhyang Elementary School in Gwanak-gu to Geumcheon-gu Office Station. The budget is estimated at around 400 billion won. Once completed, it will allow transfers to Line 1 and the Shinansan Line. It will also connect to Sindaebang Station on Line 2, so commuters heading toward Gangnam won't have to go through Sindorim Station. It will create a new major transfer hub.

In addition, residents of the Nangok area in Gwanak-gu traveling toward Anyang or Suwon will be able to transfer directly at Geumcheon-gu Office Station without passing through Sindorim. This will save 20 minutes on a round trip and reduce congestion at Sindorim. Previously, the extension project was halted when the cost-benefit (BC) analysis of the main Nangok Line was unfavorable. If the next Seoul city government resumes the project, there will be an opportunity to extend the line into Geumcheon as well.

-Your top pledge is to develop the site of the Siheung Homeplus into a complex cultural hub. Why?

Geumcheon-gu lacks performance halls, family leisure spaces, and wedding venues. People even have to go to other districts to hold weddings. Some residents even jokingly call it a 'cultural wasteland.' By purchasing the building and land of the Siheung Homeplus store, which closed last year, and remodeling the interior, we can create, all at once, a cultural and sports center, an indoor gym including a swimming pool, wedding and community spaces, welfare facilities for seniors and vulnerable groups, and a large parking facility. This will save both time and costs significantly.

There is ample room for negotiation. Even if not all facilities can be built at once, we can consider a phased remodeling approach, starting with essential functions. Long-awaited facilities for residents, such as a soccer field, sauna, and park golf course, can also be addressed through the acquisition of this site. I am not advocating that the district office borrow money to do this. Instead, I want to pursue this as a fiscally responsible project in partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to redraw the map of Geumcheon.

-If elected, what will be your first official approval?

On the very first day of my term, I will bundle together and sign off on institutional reforms related to the establishment of a data center and the creation of a permanent resident participation body. The data center issue is not just about a single facility; I see it as a symbolic event that has undermined administrative trust. I want to make this not the end of past conflicts, but the starting point for preventing future conflicts.

I will establish measures to strengthen advance information disclosure and impact assessment systems for large-scale development projects such as data centers. I will also create a permanent resident participation body that allows residents to be involved from the early stages of site selection through to environmental, safety, and transportation impact reviews. For ongoing projects, I will release as much information as possible within legal limits and establish practical channels for residents to express their opinions.

I acknowledge that data centers are necessary in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). However, it is not fair for the negative impacts to be concentrated in one area, affecting only the local residents. Through my first official approval on my first day in office, I will clearly show that 'Geumcheon's administration is now starting anew.'

-What do you see as the most urgent issue?

The most urgent issue in Geumcheon is breaking the perception that it is a 'stagnant city where people don't want to stay.' In education, I will focus on guaranteeing basic academic achievement and strengthening career and college support, centered on the 'Geumcheon Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center.' In transportation, I will expand the metropolitan transit network and create a '10-minute walk-to-station zone in front of every home' to genuinely ease the commuting burden. In housing, I will systematically pursue redevelopment, reconstruction, and the 'Moatown' projects.

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