Gangnam-gu, Suseo Station Area Designated as 'Gangnam Robot Hub District'

Gangnam-gu Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun Announces 2022 New Year Plan Declaring Gangnam, Korea's Leading City, Begins Second Leap as a 'Smart Global City'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] [2022 New Year Plan]

This year, the door to everyday life, which has been closed for a long time, will gradually open, and we must make a new start toward a complete and peaceful daily life that everyone earnestly desires. If the residents of Gangnam-gu and the Gangnam District Office continue to work together quietly and take one step at a time as they have been, I believe we will soon overcome the hardships of COVID-19 and restore our former daily lives.

Gangnam, known as the ‘Representative City of Korea’ and the ‘Number One City,’ has now begun its second leap forward as a ‘Smart Global City.’

Over the past 50 years, Gangnam has developed centered around Gangnam-daero and Teheran-ro, and in the next 50 to 100 years, it will develop centered around Yeongdong-daero.

Projects such as the Yeongdong-daero Underground Complex Transfer Center, Hyundai Motor GBC, International Exchange Complex District Development,

the undergrounding of Dongbu Expressway, Suseo Station area development, Guryong Village development, and the reconstruction projects of Apgujeong and Eunma Apartments will bring about a revolutionary transformation in Gangnam once fully completed.

The Yeongdong-daero Complex Transfer Center will emerge as Korea’s new transportation hub where railroads, buses, and automobiles converge. With the addition of future air mobility (UAM) centered around the GBC, which will generate large-scale job creation and economic effects, the synergy effect will be beyond imagination.

Also, by establishing a representative robot cluster in the Suseo Station area, together with the existing Samsung Station MICE industrial complex and Yangjae AI district, Gangnam will grow into an innovation axis leading future industries.

Gangnam is a waterfront city embracing rivers such as the Han River, Tancheon Stream, Yangjaecheon Stream, and Segokcheon Stream. By linking the natural environment with riverside reconstruction apartment complexes to improve river accessibility and creating waterfront ecological parks, it can become a world-class waterfront city combining beauty and convenience.

Furthermore, if the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Expressway proceeds, we can envision a blueprint for the Gangnam Green Ring (a circular green belt) connecting the Han River, Tancheon, Yangjaecheon, and the upper park of the Gyeongbu Expressway.

The vision of this future city Gangnam is a delightful change for the 570,000 residents of Gangnam-gu who feel overwhelmed just thinking about it. Moving forward, the 7th elected Gangnam administration will continue to make every effort to turn imagination into reality.

The budget allocated for the residents of Gangnam this year totals 1.6338 trillion KRW, including 1.2001 trillion KRW in general and special accounts and 433.7 billion KRW in fund operation.

- Develop the Suseo area into the ‘Gangnam Robot Hub District’

- Prepare ‘Urban Management Plans for Revitalizing 30 Station Areas’ within the region

- Establish ‘Gangnam Startup Valley’ to make Gangnam the mecca of startups in Korea

- Create the ‘Gangnam Startup Fund’

- Upgrade facilities such as ‘Dolsan Sports Park,’ ‘Samsung Sunrise Park,’ and ‘Gangnam Premium Metasequoia Road’ to provide places for rest and relaxation anywhere for tired bodies and minds

- Build ‘Irwon 1·2, Suseo Complex Cultural Centers’ and ‘Segok-dong 550 Life Culture Complex Facility’ to improve residents’ convenience and satisfaction with public services

- Relocate and rebuild the Gaepo 4-dong Community Center

- Establish the ‘Gangnam Future Education Center,’ expand ‘Maker Spaces,’ and build ‘Participatory Metaverse’ to nurture future talents in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution

- Protect residents’ health and lives from COVID-19 and support vulnerable groups and self-employed people affected by the pandemic

- ‘Together Care Center’ for infants and toddlers

- ‘Gangnam Work Bridge Center’ for low-income youth

- Build four new senior citizen centers including ‘Janneomeo Senior Center’

In the new year, the 7th elected Gangnam administration will continue to build Gangnam so that being a resident of Gangnam-gu is a source of pride and honor, like Paris’s 16th arrondissement, and earns heartfelt respect from residents of other regions.

The year 2022, Im In Nyeon, is the year of the Black Tiger, known as ‘Heukho’ (黑虎). The tiger, an animal that drives away bad energy and brings fortune, especially the black tiger, is said to have a powerful and unstoppable character. I sincerely hope that all Gangnam residents will be healthy and happy this year, energized by the vigorous spirit of the tiger.

? Content: Achievements of the 7th Elected Administration and New Year Plans

The 7th elected Gangnam administration has presented the vision of ‘Pleasant Change, Elegant Gangnam,’

* A livable and safe ‘Essential Environmental City’

* A ‘Future-Oriented Attractive City’ that dreams big and realizes those dreams,

* An ‘Inclusive Welfare City’ guaranteeing optimal living in Gangnam style,

* A ‘Sympathetic Administrative City’ where residents participate,

and has worked with utmost sincerity and diligence for the past three and a half years according to these four implementation strategies.

Looking ahead 30 to 50 years, it is redesigning and transforming all areas related to the lives of 570,000 residents, including urban space, residential environment, transportation, regional industry, economy, culture, tourism, welfare, and education.

As the time of these efforts accumulates, Gangnam has developed so that residents can feel the ‘pleasant change’ firsthand and is advancing toward ‘Elegant Gangnam,’ a Gangnam-style Gangnam, Korea’s number one city, and an international city.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a barometer measuring urban competitiveness. Gangnam, with a resident population of 570,000, an economically active population of 1.07 million, and 70,000 corporations concentrated, is Korea’s top economic center and inherently vulnerable to infectious disease disasters.

However, based on the ‘Smart City’ Gangnam declared before the pandemic, it responded proactively to the crisis and was able to seize new opportunities for development and leap forward. Through this, Gangnam-gu has firmly established itself as a global ‘Ontact Leader’ competing with the world. The new future city Gangnam is already underway.

[Achievements of the 7th Elected Administration]

? Essential Environmental City

- First local government to install fine dust free zones and fine dust free zone shelters

- First in Seoul to install air purifiers in elementary, middle, high, and special schools,

- Continuous implementation of sewage odor reduction projects,

- Expanded operation of road cleaning vehicles to reduce fine dust

- Daemosan Urban Natural Park

- Eco-friendly walking trail ‘Shum; Hills’

- Metasequoia Road’s clay path, Bongeunsa Meditation Trekking Trail

- Approval of association establishment for Gaepo Jugong 6·7 complexes and Apgujeong 2~5 districts,

- Completion approval for Irwon Daewoo, Sang-A 2nd, Guryong Village 2nd district,

- Groundbreaking for Cheongdam Samik and Hongsil Apartments, with reconstruction ongoing in 74 out of 83 old apartment complexes

? Future-Oriented Attractive City

- Gangnam Festival and K-POP concerts aiming to be world-class tourism products like Brazil’s Rio Carnival and France’s Nice Carnival

- Global content ‘Gangnam Insiders Picks’ promoting Gangnam’s charm worldwide

- Gangnam Healing Centers at COEX and Gaepo for elegant relaxation in Gangnam style

- First local government to launch integrated mobile service ‘The Gangnam’

- Support for startup ecosystem to create Korea’s Silicon Valley

- Creation of Suseo Robot Valley toward a world-class robot cluster

- Prime Minister’s Award and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award in national library operation evaluation for library remodeling, reconstruction, and ubiquitous library operation

- Ranked first in comprehensive evaluation of autonomous districts nationwide

? Inclusive Welfare City

- Opened ‘Love Mom Health Center’ for one-stop management from pregnancy to childcare

- ‘Psyche Rest’ for healthy youth psychology

- Opened ‘Gangnam 70+ Lounge’ and ‘Well-Aging Center’ for seniors

- Nation’s first community center for single-person households ‘STAY.G’

- Opened ‘Mimiwe Gangnam Seum Center’ for disability welfare

? Sympathetic Administrative City

- Improved administrative spaces for residents ‘Dong Community Center Space Improvement’

- ‘Complex Cultural Centers’ and ‘Lifelong Education Platforms’

- Expanded ‘Maker Spaces’ for creative convergence talent development

- First local government to introduce urban brand ‘Me Me We Gangnam (Mimiwe Gangnam)’

- Urban brand ‘Mimiwe Gangnam’ that upgraded city image and community values won Korea Service Satisfaction Award, Korea Public Design Award Grand Prize, and Korea National Brand Award

- Selected as ‘2021 Best National Happiness Civil Service Office’ by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety for ‘Digital Braille, Voice, and Sign Language Integrated Guidance System’ for socially vulnerable groups, receiving the Presidential Award