[Seoul District News] Dongjak-gu Begins Basic Plan This Month for Complex Facilities Including Community Use and Guesthouses... Stay-Type Anchor Facility with Scenic Han River Views Expected to Drive Sustainable Urban Regeneration Due to High Feasibility... Dongdaemun-gu Promotes Women’s Job Creation Projects through City-District Cooperative Initiatives... Seongdong-gu Fully Renovates Four Village Bus Stops at Oksu Station to Greatly Alleviate Traffic Congestion... Gangbuk-gu Opens Applications for Newlywed Rental Housing ‘Happy House’... From Popular Restaurants to Healing Spots... Mapo-gu Tourism Promotion
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) is initiating the establishment of the 'Bondong Urban Regeneration Anchor Facility Basic Plan.'
The district has actively utilized its geographical advantage of being along the 'Han River' to promote the 'Yongyang Bongjeojeong Area Tourism Attraction Project.' In April last year, it opened 'Yongyang Bongjeojeong Park,' creating a resting space within the city, and launched the first youth cafe, 'THE Hangang,' adding new vitality to the Bondong area.
This year, the district is preparing to build the 'Bondong Urban Regeneration Anchor Facility' as a key facility to accelerate changes in the Bondong area. It aims to be a 'stay-type anchor facility' with views of the Han River, planning to complete the basic plan and design within the year and target construction completion next year. The district has decided to prioritize this project by concentrating its capabilities to maximize synergy with other facilities already in operation.
The basic plan will review ▲site analysis for the planned construction ▲concept development for the anchor facility ▲economic feasibility and social ripple effects of the project. Key facilities will include a guesthouse, kids cafe, and community facilities for residents (cultural spaces and convenience facilities).
Since Bondong was selected as an Urban Regeneration New Deal project site by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2019, the district has promoted nine pioneering projects. These include ▲creation of a cafe street ▲installation of a moonlight observatory ▲maintenance of aging infrastructure, leading efforts to enhance the regional value of the Bondong area.
Additionally, in December last year, Bondong was selected in Seoul's low-rise residential area community-based social infrastructure contest, receiving 2 billion KRW in city funds by 2023. It is expected that by linking with the existing planned anchor facility, the scale will expand and the project effect will be maximized.
Kim Jong-woo, Head of Strategic Projects, stated, "This basic plan will help outline the direction for establishing the Bondong Urban Regeneration Anchor Facility," and added, "We will strive to create a cultural complex facility that provides necessary amenities for residents and offers rest and entertainment for visitors."
Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) completed the full renovation of village bus stops around Oksu Station last month.
Oksu Station serves as the start and end point for four village bus lines: Seongdong 01, 09, 12, and 13. It was a place where village buses temporarily stopped for boarding, alighting, and adjusting intervals. Due to traffic congestion, general vehicle passage was difficult, and visibility when crossing crosswalks was poor, increasing accident risks.
To resolve these issues, the district reassigned the bus stop locations for each village bus line, allowing boarding and alighting only at designated spots.
First, the Seongdong 01 bus stop was moved from Exit 4 to in front of Exit 2 of Oksu Station. Bus stop pavement markings were also added in front of the Seongdong 13 stop to help residents easily find the stops.
The Seongdong 09 and 12 stops were relocated from Exit 4 towards Exit 5. To facilitate this, nine parking spaces in a nearby public parking lot in front of a bank were removed, sidewalks were expanded, streetlights relocated, boarding platforms installed, bus stop pavement markings added, and old street vendors were reorganized. This improved convenience not only for village bus users but also for pedestrians.
To clearly show the renovated status, the district installed a signboard in front of Exit 4 of Oksu Station and plans to minimize resident inconvenience by providing information through banners and other means to prevent confusion due to stop location changes.
In June, the district installed a raised crosswalk on the school route near Okjeong Elementary School to ensure safe crossing for vulnerable road users. In November, it created a 47-space public parking lot at Oksu Retention Basin, fulfilling residents' long-standing requests.
According to district officials, citizens visiting Oksu, which offers easy access to the Han River and has become a hot place with attractions in Oksu-dong, will be able to conveniently visit the area by car and improved public transportation, including the Line 3 Oksu Station and village buses.
Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh said, "We expect the renovation of village bus stops to resolve traffic congestion around Oksu Station," and added, "We will continue to do our best to improve village bus convenience and enhance transportation welfare."
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is promoting the 'Creative Women Job Creation Project through Metaverse Creator Training' to address the deepening youth and women employment difficulties amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the untact era.
Metaverse is a compound word of 'meta,' meaning transcendence or virtual, and 'universe,' meaning world or cosmos, referring to a three-dimensional virtual world where social, economic, and cultural activities similar to the real world take place.
The Metaverse Creator Training Project aims to nurture experts in content planning and production usable on metaverse platforms. It was selected through the 'City-District Upward and Cooperative Job Creation Contest,' a project that discovers jobs tailored to regional characteristics based on direct field demand.
Through this project, the district supports job discovery by nurturing experts in content planning and production usable on metaverse platforms and plans to recruit executing organizations for the 'Creative Women Job Creation Project through Metaverse Creator Training' by the 19th.
After selecting the executing organizations, a total budget of 100 million KRW will be invested to provide programs including understanding the metaverse industry and training experts in content planning and production usable on metaverse platforms. Graduates will also receive support to transition into employment or entrepreneurship.
Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol said, "To differentiate from short-term, elderly-focused public job projects, we are implementing a job creation project related to the recently spotlighted metaverse," and added, "We will do our best to discover creative and innovative jobs that will be the center of future industries."
Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) is recruiting tenants for the public housing 'Happy House' aimed at newlywed couples.
In cooperation with Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation, the district is recruiting a total of 25 units across four locations until the 14th. The supply targets are ▲Phase 1 (Samyang-ro 123-gil 39-1, 5 units) ▲Phase 2 (Insu-bong-ro 72-gil 15-18, 9 units) ▲Phase 3 (Samyang-ro 123-gil 40-8, 6 units) ▲Phase 4 (Samyang-ro 123-gil 40-12, 5 units).
'Happy House' units range from 40.02 to 54.38 square meters in exclusive area, with five floors above ground, equipped with rooftop rest areas and community spaces. All four locations are within a 10-minute walk from Gaori Station on the Ui-Sinseol Line.
Applicants must be newlywed couples married within seven years as of the announcement date, prospective newlyweds who plan to register their marriage before the move-in date, or single-parent families with children under six years old, meeting certain income criteria.
Security deposits and monthly rents are determined based on housing area and previous year's average monthly income. Deposits range from 18.36 million to 39.6 million KRW, and monthly rents from approximately 240,000 to 520,000 KRW. The initial contract period is two years, renewable every two years up to nine times, allowing a maximum stay of 20 years if eligibility is maintained.
Interested parties can check eligibility and required documents in the announcement posted on the district website and apply via email (201201276@gangbuk.go.kr) by the 14th.
Applicants will be selected considering continuous residence period in Gangbuk-gu, age, number of children, etc. Results will be announced on April 8 on the district website and notified individually to winners.
Gangbuk-gu Mayor Park Kyum-soo said, "Providing rental housing for newlyweds will greatly help young people's economic stability as well as childbirth and child-rearing," and added, "We will continue to support young people to reduce their economic burden and help them live happily."
Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced the production of a 7-minute 17-second 'Mapo Tourism Promotional Video' to promote Mapo's charm worldwide as it aims to become a 'global tourist city.'
The promotional video, titled 'My travel for [ ]', is structured around five themes: ▲Trend (Hip Mapo) ▲Taste (Special Dining) ▲Tradition (Deep-rooted History) ▲Healing (Relaxing Healing) ▲Passion (Exciting Experiences). It is a non-verbal format without dialogue to focus on the spaces and visual aesthetics.
Production began in April last year, taking eight months to complete in a format where foreigners personally visit, feel, and experience every corner of Mapo. It premiered at the '2022 Mapo-gu Online New Year's Meeting' held on the 6th.
Viewers watching the live broadcast on Mapo-gu's official YouTube channel (my Mapo) responded with comments such as "I often visit the Hongdae area, but this video makes me want to visit on weekends," and "I didn't know the BTS 'Butter' music video was filmed at World Cup Bridge."
The 'Trend' segment features Mapo's representative tourist spots leading Korea's trends, including Hongdae's fashion and styling shops, vintage shops, workshop alleys, Hongdae Walking Street, Hongdae Festival Street, and BTS music video filming locations.
The 'Taste' segment introduces must-try foods for tourists, highlighting world cuisines concentrated in Yeonnam-dong, Jokbal Alley in Gongdeok-dong, Galmaegi Alley in Mapo, Mangwon Market, and cafe streets, stimulating viewers' interest.
The 'Tradition' segment showcases Mapo's tradition and history, including Seoul city monument 'Mangwonjeong,' a pavilion restored from the Joseon Dynasty; 'Gongminwang Shrine,' a registered cultural heritage honoring King Gongmin; 'Seokbulsa Temple' with 300 years of history; 'St. Nicholas Cathedral,' the only Orthodox church in Seoul; and 'Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine,' a site of the Byeongin Persecution.
The 'Healing' segment, starting with a green screen, features 'Gyeongui Line Forest Park,' known as 'Yeontral Park' among the MZ generation; 'Sky Park,' famous for its silver grass festival; 'Sunset Park' by the Han River; and 'Culture Depot,' a cultural space transformed from an oil storage facility, inviting those needing rest from busy daily life.
Finally, the 'Passion' segment presents passionate spaces unique to Mapo, including the SNS hot place 'Optical Illusion Experience Museum,' 'Hongdae Karaoke,' the 'Academy' where one can experience globally popular K-Pop dance, and the 'Mountain Culture Experience Center' for climbing.
The promotional video is produced with subtitles in five languages: Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai. It can be viewed on Mapo-gu's YouTube channel (my Mapo), Mapo TV, Mapo-gu SNS, outdoor electronic billboards, and will be available on the Mapo-gu website and Seoul Tourism Foundation's promotional channels.
Additionally, the video will be distributed to sister cities such as Gochang-gun in Jeonbuk, Beijing's Shijingshan District in China, and Katsushika Ward in Tokyo, Japan, to promote Mapo's tourist attractions internationally.
The district expects the video to revitalize the tourism industry and local economy, which have been stagnant due to COVID-19, and to attract foreign tourists in the post-COVID era.
Mapo-gu Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said, "The tourism industry suffered greatly due to travel restrictions between countries caused by COVID-19, but we produced this video to meet new tourism demands," and added, "Starting with this tourism video, we will accelerate efforts to develop Mapo into a major tourism belt and a representative tourist destination in Seoul."
In Gangdong-gu, visitors can enjoy the country's longest starlight street stretching from Gangpul Cartoon Street to Jjukkumi Alley.
Just a few years ago, the night streets were dark and gloomy, but now various colored lights sparkle like stars in the night sky, reborn as a street worthy of the name 'Seongan Byeolgil' (Seongan Starlight Road).
Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) began creating the starlight street in July 2020 to improve the landscape of the old downtown streets. The first phase covered a 250m section of Gangpul Cartoon Street, followed by a 200m section in front of Lotte Cinema on Cheonho Old Road in November of the same year. Last December, the street was extended by 150m to Jjukkumi Alley, completing 'Seongan Byeolgil,' the longest backstreet starlight street in the country.
This area is an alley densely packed with old houses along Cheonho-daero in Seongnae-dong, previously decorated with 50 mural paintings by cartoonist Kang Full, establishing it as a cartoon-specialized street.
The district continues to implement multifaceted street specialization and residential environment improvement projects, including ▲strengthening entrance signage for Cheonho and Gangdong stations ▲installing large-scale mural sculptures ▲specialized nightscape ▲alley improvements ▲gate replacements, aiming to complete these by the end of this month. Once completed, the previously dark alleys will become local landmarks, revitalizing the local commercial district and bringing more vibrancy to the streets.
Gangdong-gu Mayor Lee Jung-hoon said, "The expansion of Seongan Byeolgil has brightened the area and noticeably increased visitors, allowing us to tangibly feel the project's effects," and added, "We are pleased to contribute to revitalizing the alley commercial district through such projects and will continue to pursue effective urban landscape projects."
Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) is implementing the 'Environmental Improvement Charge Annual Payment System' targeting about 7,000 registered diesel vehicles subject to the environmental improvement charge in the district.
The 'Environmental Improvement Charge Annual Payment System' reduces the burden on payers by allowing them to pay the full environmental improvement charge, which is usually paid twice a year in March and September, in a lump sum in January, with a 10% discount on the charge.
The payment targets are vehicles using diesel fuel, including low-emission certified vehicles (equipped with particulate matter reduction devices, produced or registered after April 2012), and vehicles owned by basic livelihood security recipients and severely disabled persons, which are eligible for charge reductions for one vehicle per owner.
Applications can be made by visiting or calling the Environmental Policy Division of Dobong-gu Office by January 28 or through eTax by January 31. Existing applicants without changes in vehicle ownership will receive a discounted bill in January without separate application.
The payment period is from January 16 to February 3. After checking the charge on the issued bill or eTax website, payment can be made via ▲bank ATMs ▲virtual accounts ▲credit cards ▲ARS ▲eTax. Failure to pay by the deadline (February 3, 2022) will result in loss of the 10% discount, and regular charges without discount must be paid in March and September.
Dobong-gu Mayor Lee Dong-jin said, "The environmental improvement charge is a system where polluters bear the cost necessary for environmental improvement. We ask for payers' understanding and cooperation and hope they take advantage of the 10% discount through annual payment."
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