What’s the Story Behind Seung-ro Lee, Seongbuk-gu Mayor, Carrying a Broom Every Day?

Seongbuk-gu's 'Cleaning Administration' Gains Attention as Officials Meet Residents While Maintaining Environment... District Mayor Lee Seung-ro Personally Cleans with Water Hose, Broom, and Disinfection Sprayer

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu (center in the photo wearing rain boots), is cleaning with water at Seokgye Station Transportation Plaza, a place frequented by many residents. For several years, he has been personally performing water cleaning, picking up trash, and disinfecting in various parts of the area. While cleaning, he exchanges opinions about Seongbuk-gu with residents he meets on site. He says, "There is nothing better than cleaning to increase contact with residents and listen closely to their opinions."

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] The cleaning administration led by Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, is gaining attention.

The mayor is implementing an administration that immediately listens to residents' opinions at cleaning sites established to create a pleasant city free from COVID-19 and summer diseases.

In preparation for the summer season, the district has mobilized environmental officers and cleaning vehicles to conduct extensive water cleaning and disinfection at heavily frequented public places and side streets in each neighborhood. On the 7th, Mayor Lee Seung-ro personally held the water hose and thoroughly cleaned the Seokgye Station traffic plaza and sidewalks.

Seokgye Station, a station area where Line 1 and Line 6 intersect, has a significant flow of people and heavy vehicle traffic, making environmental maintenance especially necessary.

On that day, the district used water hoses to meticulously clean the Seokgye Station traffic plaza, sidewalks, road gutters, and road facilities. Dust removal vehicles, road surface vehicles, and water spraying vehicles were used to wash away dust on the roads, and environmental maintenance was simultaneously carried out on the traffic plaza and surrounding roads.

This water cleaning was conducted at a total of five heavily frequented public places, starting from the Seongbukcheon Wind Yard on the 20th of last month to the Seokgye Station traffic plaza on the 7th of this month.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro, along with environmental officers and district staff, mobilized all cleaning vehicles including water hoses, water spraying vehicles, road surface vehicles, and dust removal vehicles to remove dust and foreign substances accumulated on roads, traffic facilities, sidewalks, and road gutters.

District Mayor Lee Seung-ro is cleaning the Wolgok 1-dong area early in the morning on the 31st of last month.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro is seen cleaning early in the morning while touring Wolgok 1-dong area on the 31st of last month.

Since the mayor is genuinely committed to cleaning, district staff are also very dedicated to the cleaning administration. A district official stated, “We have identified side streets in each neighborhood that require water cleaning in advance and deployed water spraying vehicles to 20 side streets across 20 neighborhoods (each about 2 km round trip, totaling 40 km). On main roads, five dust removal vehicles, six road surface vehicles, and six water spraying vehicles operate daily.” He added, “Along with cleaning, special disinfection measures against COVID-19 are also being conducted, which has eased residents’ concerns about infectious disease management and environmental maintenance.”

Additionally, Seongbuk-gu is conducting morning cleaning activities together with residents in cleaning-vulnerable areas in each neighborhood. The mayor personally inspects even the smallest alleys in the area to listen carefully to the opinions of each resident on site.

Since taking office, Lee Seung-ro, who has led Seongbuk-gu under the slogan “Finding Answers on Site” during the 7th local government term, has been conducting cleaning activities with residents from early morning, visiting every corner of each neighborhood. He picks up cigarette butts and trash and does not hesitate to mop at multi-use facilities. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, he has also carried disinfection sprayers. The mayor said, “Not only the recent large-scale water cleaning operation mobilizing environmental officers, district staff, and cleaning vehicles, but also continuous disinfection of multi-use facilities and morning cleaning with residents in each neighborhood have been carried out.” He added, “Increasing contact with residents and touring various parts of the district together to listen and consider their voices is best done through cleaning activities. The cleaning site is like a small, mobile mayor’s office. Going forward, I will devote myself to cleaning activities, which form the foundation of on-site administration, to listen more closely to the voices of the residents.”