Why Did Yudonggyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Set Up a 'Field Mayor's Office' in Front of the District Office?

Starting Work to Gather Local Residents' Opinions on Housing Supply Plans in Sangam Area

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo District, is explaining the housing supply plan for the Sangam area to local residents at the square in front of the main gate of Mapo District Office on the 10th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yoodonggyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, strongly demanded the government to exclude the housing supply plan of about 6,200 households in the Sangam-dong area from the ‘Plan to Expand Housing Supply in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and Surrounding Areas’ announced by the government. On the 10th, he set up a temporary ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ in the plaza of the Mapo-gu Office building and began his duties.

Mayor Yoodonggyun of Mapo-gu stated, “I cannot help but feel concern and disappointment about this policy, which was unilaterally notified without a single prior consultation with Mapo-gu, and as the mayor of Mapo-gu, I absolutely cannot overlook this.” He announced on the 4th an immediate withdrawal of the public housing supply plan for the Sangam-dong area.

The Sangam-dong area in Mapo-gu was the site of the Nanji Landfill, known as the ‘Garbage Mountain,’ where Seoul’s waste was brought and buried from 1978 to 1993 for 15 years. Residents of the area have suffered serious hardships due to odors, dust, noise, and pests caused by the garbage, making it a significant area in Mapo’s past history.

Since then, the Sangam World Cup Stadium and ecological park were built, and the Sangam residential land development proceeded to create the Digital Media City (DMC) district, the center of Korea’s advanced IT and media industries. The Sangam-dong area was reborn from the former ‘Garbage Mountain’ into a ‘new strategic hub’ responsible for Mapo’s future development.

Moreover, since May, Sangam-dong was selected as a pilot area for ‘autonomous mobility demonstration,’ where autonomous vehicles are currently being tested. It is also the site of the world’s first ‘5G Converged Urban Autonomous Driving Testbed,’ closely linked with the government’s New Deal policy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, attracting attention as a promising future industry hub.

However, as the DMC Landmark and the Western Driver’s License Test Site, which should be used as a forward base for regional development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era and a cooperation space for the era of inter-Korean reconciliation, were included in the government’s housing supply plan, Mayor Yoodonggyun pointed this out and insisted that the site should be developed as originally planned for Mapo’s development.

Mayor Yoodonggyun plans to continue his duties while communicating with residents for active problem-solving at the ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ set up in front of the main gate plaza of the Mapo-gu Office building.

He also plans to actively collect residents’ opinions for the development of the Sangam area and continuously propose optimal countermeasures to the government so that the site can be utilized for national and regional development.

Meanwhile, on the first day of operating the ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ to collect residents’ opinions, about 100 residents of the Sangam area visited, opposing the government’s housing supply plan and took time to communicate their opinions to the mayor.

Mayor Yoodonggyun said, “Communication is one of the most important values throughout the 7th elected administration,” and added, “Through the On-site Mayor’s Office, I will listen to the voices of local residents and continuously propose Mapo-gu’s position to the government based on that.”

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo District, is listening to the opinions of local residents regarding the housing supply plan for the Sangam area at the 'On-site Mayor's Office' set up in the plaza in front of the main gate of Mapo District Office on the 10th.

He also emphasized, “The public housing development plan in Sangam-dong should be promoted as a future-oriented plan that can provide new opportunities to Sangam and Mapo residents by fully considering various infrastructures such as transportation, education, and industry, so that it does not become a case that goes against the balanced development between Gangnam and Gangbuk.”