[Interview] Jung Won-oh, Seongdong-gu Mayor: "Seongsu-dong's Leap as the 'Korean Brooklyn'"

Securing a Large-Scale Performance Hall with Over 800 Seats on Buyeong Mixed-Use Residential and Hotel Site... Building Seoul Forest Complex Cultural and Sports Center in Ttukseom Yusuji... Expected to Become a Cultural Welfare Hub Inclusive of All Ages... Seongsu-dong to Rise as Seongdong-gu's Leading Regional Economy and Cultural Center, Achieving the Highest Local Economic Growth Rate Among Seoul Districts

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “If a large-scale performance hall is built near Seoul Forest, Seongsu-dong will truly be reborn as the 'Korean version of Brooklyn.'”

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said this in an interview with this publication while explaining the future changes in Seongsu-dong following the decision to amend the ‘Ttukseom District Unit Plan and Detailed Development Plan.’

This district unit plan amendment is another major achievement in urban planning that Mayor Jung has persistently pursued for years, following last year’s amendment of the district unit plans around Majang-dong and Geumnam Market.

Mayor Jung explained, “The core of this decision is that a medium-to-large performance hall with over 800 seats will be established on the site of the 48-story residential-commercial complex and 5-star hotel currently under construction by Booyoung. Additionally, the recently occupied Acro Seoul Forest complex will have cultural facilities such as a professional exhibition hall, achieved by reallocating designated uses between Special Planning Zones 3 and 4.” The performance hall established by Booyoung is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

The area around Seoul Forest has undergone the most rapid changes in Seongdong-gu over the past few years. Factories in Seongsu-dong, which was a semi-industrial zone, have been converted into complex cultural spaces. The relocation of headquarters of mid-sized companies, the influx of new industries such as social ventures, and especially entertainment agencies moving from Gangnam to Seongsu-dong have transformed the area day by day. A large influx of the 2030 generation has also occurred.

Mayor Jung, who has been paying close attention to these movements from early on, said, “Since cultural industry-related companies, personnel, and services are gathering here, what was absolutely necessary for Seongsu-dong to emerge as a cultural and artistic complex hub was a performance hall of a certain scale.” He added, “Through continuous consultations with private companies and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, a large-scale performance hall has been secured, accelerating Seongsu-dong’s establishment as the ‘Brooklyn of Korea.’”

Additionally, on the 11,200㎡ site of Ttukseom Yusuji, the ‘Seoul Forest Complex Cultural and Sports Center,’ one of Seongdong-gu’s representative living SOC projects, is under construction with a target completion date of February next year. The project has an investment of 29.7 billion KRW. It will include a swimming pool, outdoor futsal field, gym, and for the first time in a district-run sports facility, a bowling alley, as well as living sports facilities, a daycare center, an elementary after-school care center, and a living culture center, among other cultural and welfare facilities.

Mayor Jung said, “It will become a hub where residents of Seongdong-gu, including Seongsu-dong, of all ages and genders can enjoy living sports and cultural services nearby.”

Seongdong-gu recorded a 7.0% growth in Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in 2018 compared to the previous year, achieving the highest growth among the 25 autonomous districts. This was the result of active investment in economic and job policies centered on Seongsu-dong immediately after Mayor Jung took office. Thanks to policy support such as acquisition tax and property tax reductions, the number of knowledge industry centers has increased to 62, with 7 more under construction. Efforts to create a business-friendly environment through regulatory reforms like shortening building approval procedures and differentiated policies have led to Seongdong-gu being the only district selected as a ‘Business-Friendly City.’

Currently, influential unicorn companies as well as large-scale companies such as SM Entertainment and Hyundai Glovis are relocating their headquarters to Seongsu-dong. With companies gathering in traditional manufacturing industries such as handmade shoes and leather products, as well as F&B and fashion industries, the industrial structure of Seongsu-dong is expected to become even more diverse.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “I look forward to Seongsu-dong’s future as a cultural hub after the completion of the large-scale performance hall. Through various economic policies, including the creation of an ICT-based new growth industry cluster in Seongsu-dong, we will ensure that the future value of Seongdong-gu’s representative industrial area continues to grow.”