Yangcheon District Mayor Candidate Lee Gijae: "Focusing on T-Shaped Redesign of Mokdong Line and Expansion of Urban Railway Network"

"Expanding Practical Support for Residents Affected by Airport Noise"
"Speed and Continuity Are What Yangcheon Needs Most"
[Interview] Lee Gijae, People Power Party Candidate for Yangcheon District Mayor

"If the past four years were a period in which Yangcheon restarted its stalled transformation, now is the time to turn that transformation into tangible results."

Lee Gijae, candidate for re-election as Yangcheon District Mayor in the June 3 local elections, made this statement in a written interview with The Asia Business Daily. Candidate Lee repeatedly emphasized the 'completion' of projects he has pursued over the past four years, including reconstruction and redevelopment, urban railway projects, and airport noise countermeasures.

Lee Kijae, candidate for Yangcheon District Mayor, is explaining his key pledges. Photo provided by the election office.

Although his interview responses were composed, his tone became firm when he stated, "The person who designed the direction of these projects and laid the administrative foundation must see them through to the end so that residents can truly feel the change."

The area Candidate Lee most thoroughly explained was the expansion of the urban railway network. He diagnosed, "Yangcheon-gu boasts excellent educational and residential environments, but the lack of urban railway infrastructure has limited its development." He recalled, "When the 8th popularly elected administration began in July 2022, both the Mokdong Line and the Gangbuk Cross-City Line were unlikely to pass the preliminary feasibility study due to insufficient economic viability."

His solution was a redesign of the routes. For the Mokdong Line, he improved the project's viability by converting the previous L-shaped route into a T-shaped route connecting Magok and Guro Digital Complex. For the Gangbuk Cross-City Line, he explained that the plan was refined to reflect metropolitan demand from Incheon and Siheung areas by linking it to the Southwestern Metropolitan Area Line and Mokdong Station.

To address transportation isolation in Sinwol-dong, he stated that he has been working with Seoul City and Gimpo City through a joint study to extend the Sinjeong branch of Subway Line 2 to Gimpo and to establish a new Sinwol Sageori Station. He added, "I will take responsibility for ensuring these projects are included in the 5th National Urban Railway Network Construction Plan and successfully pass the preliminary feasibility study."

Candidate Lee said, "Urban railway projects cannot be implemented simply because they are 'needed'," and added, "It is a highly specialized field that requires actually passing through complex administrative procedures such as the national railway network plan, preliminary feasibility studies, and Seoul City investment reviews."

He highlighted his academic background in civil engineering, urban planning, and urban engineering, his professional qualification as a civil engineering construction engineer, and his experience participating on-site from groundbreaking to completion in the construction of Subway Line 7. He stated, "Beyond policy proposals or legislative experience, my strength lies in having hands-on experience with how railway projects are actually promoted and realized." As visible achievements within his term, he presented securing a foundation for the start of construction through the redesign of the Mokdong Line to a T-shaped route and restoring momentum for advancing the Gangbuk Cross-City Line project.

Another major focus is expanding practical support for residents affected by airport noise. Candidate Lee said, "Following the reduction in the municipal portion of the property tax—the first such measure by a local government in Korea—I will also pursue up to a 60% reduction in the local portion of the tax." He also pointed out that, although many air conditioners installed in the airport noise countermeasure area are more than 10 years old, replacements and repairs have not been properly carried out. He stated, "Yangcheon-gu will prioritize addressing this issue."

He pledged to extend the summer electricity bill support, which was previously provided for four months (June to September), by one additional month to a total of five months. He also announced plans to continue pursuing a reduction in late-night flight hours at Gimpo Airport, shortening the current operating hours from 6 a.m.–11 p.m. to 6 a.m.–10 p.m., a reduction of one hour.

In the field of reconstruction and redevelopment, Candidate Lee put forth an 'uninterrupted fast-track' as a core pledge. He said, "What Yangcheon needs most right now is speed and continuity," and explained, "The longer reconstruction is delayed, the greater the financial and construction cost burden on residents becomes." His achievements during the 8th administration include 100% completion of designating Mokdong Apartment Complexes 1–14 and Sinwol Siyeong Apartment as maintenance zones, establishing a system for 66 urban renewal projects (about 89,000 households), and, for the first time in the country, introducing a 24-hour emergency overnight childcare system for infants and elementary school students.

For the 9th administration, he proposed establishing a 'one-stop administrative support system,' expanding dedicated personnel in the district office for faster permit processing, pre-planning and design of infrastructure linked to urban renewal projects to eliminate delays, and applying the maximum adjustment coefficient in areas with weak profitability.

Candidate Lee Gijae for Yangcheon District Mayor is explaining the tasks planned for the 9th local government term. Provided by the campaign office.

Attracting businesses and revitalizing the local economy were also identified as key tasks for the 9th term. Candidate Lee noted, "Yangcheon-gu has the second highest population density in Seoul, but due to its residential-centric structure, its self-sufficiency and tax revenue base are relatively weak." He plans to develop the Mokdong Sports Complex and retention basin area into the Mokdong MICE Cluster, nurturing it as a key hub in southwestern Seoul with luxury hotels, convention centers, business facilities, and sports parks. He also plans to attract future-oriented growth companies to the Homeplus site and other public contribution sites. In the long term, he intends to redevelop the former Sinjeong vehicle depot into a mixed-use business and commercial district to create a city structure with close proximity between work and residence.

Candidate Lee cited a 96.5% pledge fulfillment rate over the past four years, receiving the highest grade for three consecutive years in the pledge implementation evaluation by the Korea Manifesto Center, and ranking second nationwide in an innovation evaluation. He also mentioned achievements in practical, resident-focused policies, such as property tax reductions in airport noise-affected areas, support for hearing tests and hearing aid purchases, and expanding parking spaces by utilizing apartment complexes and unused spaces.

He emphasized, "A district mayor is not judged by words but by results," and added, "Taking full responsibility for and completing promised tasks to the end is the most important starting point for building trust with residents."

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