[Interview] Yudonggyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, "Expanding Cultural Tourism Infrastructure to Drive Regional Development in the Post-COVID Era"

Strengthening Capabilities as a Cultural Tourism City to Contribute to Local Economic Recovery Amid Prolonged COVID-19; Leading Regional Development in the Post-Corona Era... Fostering Young Talent in 4th Industry (IT), Broadcasting, Design in Areas like Hongdae and Sangam DMC, Promoting Youth Employment Internship Linked with Local Companies, Fully Establishing Mapo-style Youth Job Support System

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] “We will roll up our sleeves to protect the health and safety of district residents through thorough quarantine management while also stabilizing people’s livelihoods. Additionally, we will focus on proactive transition to the post-COVID-19 era by discovering distinctive projects that reflect local conditions.”

In an interview with Asia Economy, Yoodonggyun, Mayor of Mapo District, stated, “Since coexistence with COVID-19 is inevitable for some time, we will prioritize the ‘safe life’ of residents and manage district affairs more meticulously in 2021.”

First, the district plans to strengthen its capabilities as a cultural tourism city to provide a solid growth engine that supports safety and welfare becoming part of daily life. This aims to contribute to the recovery of the local economy, which has been stagnated due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and to lead regional development in the post-COVID-19 era. The district will continue to expand cultural tourism infrastructure, including the Mapo Publishing and Culture Promotion Center and Mapo Craft Center, which opened last year, the Culture Creation Center being built on the site of the old Danginri Power Plant, and the Hallyu Performance Tourism Complex at Mapo Retention Basin. Furthermore, unique tourism projects reflecting social changes centered on non-face-to-face activities will be promoted, such as the ‘10 Selected Walkable Paths in Mapo’ that link excellent local tourist resources into walking courses, the ‘Mapo Tourist Attractions Cyber Tour’ featuring VR panoramas of major tourist spots, and untact tourism promotion marketing.

Alongside this, efforts will be intensified to overcome the employment crisis caused by COVID-19. The district plans to focus on nurturing young talent in specialized local industries that have developed around Hongdae and Sangam DMC, such as the 4th industry (IT), broadcasting, and design, and to implement youth employment internship programs linked with local companies to establish a Mapo-style youth job support system. Approximately 1.56 billion KRW (including city funds) will be invested to strengthen the employment safety net for young people. Additionally, in response to the expanding trend of online shopping and delivery consumption triggered by COVID-19, the district will actively support online sales channels for local small business owners. Support funds up to 1 million KRW per business will be provided for production and marketing costs to early entrants of online open markets such as Naver, Coupang, and Interpark among local small business owners, helping to enhance their self-sustainability. Mayor Yoo said, “Administration is not about reactive ‘response’ but proactive ‘preparation.’ We will further strengthen preventive administrative power and work harder to create an eco-friendly and safe city where residents can live with peace of mind.”

In addition, the district plans to accelerate the ‘5 Million Tree Planting’ project, a key initiative of the 7th local government, to create green new deal jobs and transform into an eco-friendly city for future generations. This year, the district aims to plant approximately 430,000 trees in cooperation with residents and local private companies. It will simultaneously promote specialized greening projects such as ‘green building forests’ close to daily life, and new-concept urban greening like ‘vertical gardens’ and ‘street forests,’ which are effective in reducing and blocking fine dust, leading the way in creating an eco-friendly green city.

Moreover, to build a welfare Mapo where everyone prospers together, the district will allocate more than half of this year’s budget, 347.5 billion KRW (53%), to social welfare. Various welfare infrastructures will be expanded, including the construction of the Yeomni Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, day care centers, and resident convenience facilities, to create a city where all age groups from children to adults can live well together. Mayor Yoodonggyun said, “This year, marking the official start of the second half of the 7th local government, will be more important than ever for Mapo’s ‘change’ and ‘leap forward.’ In 2021, I will run wholeheartedly with about 1,400 Mapo district officials so that the name ‘Mapo’ becomes a source of pride and honor for our residents.”