Complete Cancellation of Dongjak-gu 40th Anniversary Event... Full Effort to Overcome COVID-19!

To Block COVID-19, Full Cancellation of April 1st 40th Anniversary Event and Implementation of Strict Social Distancing... Thorough Disinfection Across the District, Inspections of Religious Facilities and PC Rooms to Protect Residents' Lives and Safety... This Year, Concrete Plans for Future Projects Including Jangseungbaegi Comprehensive Administrative Town Construction and Yongyang Bongjeojeong Tourism Development

Lee Chang-woo, Mayor of Dongjak District, the public health center, and Dongjak District employees are making every effort to respond to COVID-19.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] April 1, 2020, marks the historic 40th anniversary of the establishment of Dongjak-gu.

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Changwoo Lee) announced that it will completely cancel the 40th anniversary events, including the Residents' Day ceremony scheduled for April 1, in accordance with the implementation of high-intensity social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the local community.

Accordingly, all events such as ▲Residents' Day ceremony ▲KBS National Singing Contest ▲exhibitions of cultural and historical materials and neighborhood exploration programs for children have been canceled, and the Dongjak 40 Years photo exhibition and residents' job fair have been postponed until the COVID-19 situation is resolved.

In this crisis situation of COVID-19, where a strong role of local government is required, the district is making every effort to protect the lives and safety of its residents.

All employees, including those at the public health center, are working on the front lines of COVID-19 response, and disinfection activities across the entire district are being continuously carried out centered on the 15-dong quarantine task forces, along with on-site inspections of 2,328 locations such as religious facilities, entertainment establishments, sports facilities, academies, PC rooms, and karaoke rooms.

The district has temporarily suspended the employee cafeteria and is trying to revive the economy, which has been depressed due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, through initiatives such as Traditional Market Visiting Day involving all employees and private companies, and campaigns to use flower shops.

On March 30, an emergency supplementary budget of 29.3 billion KRW was prepared and submitted to the council to support self-employed people and vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19, and it plans to promptly execute the budget as soon as it is approved.

Furthermore, to commemorate Dongjak’s 40th anniversary, 2020 will be a year to complete and deliver the projects that have been prepared and planned since the 6th elected term to the residents as achievements.

First, the construction of the Jangseungbaegi Comprehensive Administrative Town will complete the compensation procedures in the first half of the year and begin construction, aiming to create an open space for residents by 2022.

By promoting the tourism attraction project around Yongyang Bongjeojeong, which will be responsible for Dongjak’s future growth, the area around Yongyang Bongjeojeong will be developed as a historical and cultural space linked with Baeknyeon Bridge, and the neighborhood park will be transformed into a representative scenic spot in Seoul equipped with convenience, rest, and exploration facilities for residents. In Sadang-dong, the district plans to promote the construction of a public welfare complex building through preliminary procedures such as feasibility studies by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety this year, aiming to grow it as Dongjak’s second economic axis and achieve balanced development throughout the district.

Also, the long-standing wish of local residents to establish a high school in Heukseok-dong is being pursued to officially relocate the previous high school as soon as possible, targeting its opening in 2023. The urban regeneration projects in Bondong and Sadang 4-dong will begin in earnest this year, and efforts will be actively made to expand living SOC such as the Heukseok-dong Complex Library, the Kim Young-sam District Library, and the Dongjak-gu Family Center.

Mayor Changwoo Lee of Dongjak-gu said, “I sincerely thank all the residents who have been with Dongjak for 40 years as a place where people live,” and added, “We will overcome this crisis through a full-scale response to COVID-19 and definitely protect the lives and safety of our residents.”

Meanwhile, to commemorate the 40th anniversary with residents, the catchphrase contest resulted in “Dongjak 40th Anniversary, Dongjak Flies High” winning the gold prize. The top 10 Dongjak-gu public consensus projects selected directly by residents in the 7th elected term were ranked with the daily collection system of household waste as first place, the construction of Jangseungbaegi Comprehensive Administrative Town as second, and revitalization of traditional markets as third.