Nowon-gu Welcomes "Mayor Oh Se-hoon's Plan to Establish a Bio Complex at Changdong Vehicle Depot and Attract Seoul National University Hospital"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is visiting the site of the creation of the Northeast Area (Changdong·Sanggye) 4th downtown in the area around Sanggye Bridge, Nowon-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Overview of Changdong Vehicle Depot

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] On the 13th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited Nowon-gu in the northeastern part of Seoul (Sanggye, Changdong) to develop it as the fourth downtown area. He announced plans to create a bio-industrial complex by attracting Seoul National University Hospital to the sites of the Changdong Vehicle Depot and the Driver’s License Examination Office, aiming to generate jobs.

In response, Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) expressed a warm welcome.

Nowon-gu has been closely consulting with the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the past five years to establish a bio-medical cluster by attracting Seoul National University Hospital to the 250,000㎡ area around the Changdong Vehicle Depot. This is part of efforts to build a self-sufficient city through job creation.

To this end, on November 9 last year, a memorandum of understanding was signed for the successful establishment of the bio-industrial complex, attended by Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, Kim Yeon-su, Director of Seoul National University Hospital, local district lawmakers, and key officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Through the MOU with Seoul National University Hospital, Nowon-gu has formed a joint working T/F team between the two institutions, dispatching Seoul National University Hospital staff to the Nowon-gu Office to cooperate on project promotion.

The bio-medical cluster is planned to be built on the 250,000㎡ (75,000 pyeong) site including the Changdong Vehicle Depot, which is confirmed to be relocated to Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Nowon-gu and Seoul City envision attracting world-class research hospitals, related companies, and R&D research institutes to establish a bio-medical industry ecosystem.

In line with this, Nowon-gu formed the ‘Nowon Bio Policy Advisory Group’ in May last year. The advisory group, composed of 10 experts in bio-medical, innovation clusters, and related fields, is expected to propose and advise on concrete implementation plans based on Seoul City’s future plans.

The district expects that once full-scale construction of the bio-medical cluster begins around 2025, approximately 80,000 jobs will be created, revitalizing the local economy.

District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “The area around the Changdong Vehicle Depot is the only available development site in the bedroom community of Nowon and represents hope for securing future growth engines. By joining hands with the world-class Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul City, we will ensure that Nowon-gu can leap forward as a self-sufficient city full of economic vitality through the successful establishment of an innovative bio-medical complex that creates quality jobs.”