[Interview] Jung Won-oh, Seongdong District Mayor, "Focusing on Creating a Sustainable City Based on ESG"

Leap to a Sustainable City through Policy Development Integrating ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) Administration... Completing a Livable City by Ensuring Education Condition Improvements and Resident Life SOC Projects

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “We will continue to grow into a sustainable city based on the foundation we have built over the past three years.”

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said this while explaining the direction of the district administration for the new year of Im-in-nyeon (壬寅年) in an interview with Asia Economy.

Last year, Seongdong-gu made significant progress with the entire residents’ efforts, making it highly likely that the Wangsimni Station will be a stop on the GTX (Great Train Express) C line in the Seoul metropolitan area. Additionally, the district welcomed the new year with a strong foundation for urban development, showing the highest GRDP (Gross Regional Domestic Product) growth rate among Seoul’s autonomous districts and a continuous increase in job opportunities for five consecutive years.

Mayor Jung said, “This year is the time to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and prepare for a full recovery of daily life,” adding, “We will implement proactive district administration to take a step forward as a sustainable city centered on ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) administration,” and explained the key projects for 2022.

This year, Seongdong-gu plans to focus on policies that integrate the ESG paradigm into administration. First, the district aims to reduce household waste by 7% annually to achieve a 50% reduction by 2027, leading the way in creating a carbon-neutral city through environmental policies such as innovative technology-based recycling projects and expanding the use of eco-friendly vehicles.

Mayor Jung emphasized, “After COVID-19, social policies that value social integration and resolving polarization, as well as governance policies based on active resident participation, have become important,” and said, “We plan to design ESG implementation tasks and reflect them in district administration.”

Efforts will also be made to improve educational conditions. The district plans to actively support the education office to resolve educational issues such as establishing a new middle school in the Wangsimni New Town area and integrating middle and high schools in Seongsu-dong.

Mayor Jung said, “We are preparing major plans to improve educational conditions in agreement with the education office.”

Thanks to the district’s efforts leading the Welfare Grand Agreement Task Force under the Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors, support for elementary school freshmen’s admission preparation funds has been enabled following middle and high school students, with a new budget of 200,000 KRW per person newly allocated. The education budget to strengthen public education was also increased by 2 billion KRW to a total of 8 billion KRW.

Major facilities to enhance residents’ convenience are also scheduled to open in the first half of the year. In March, the ‘Seoul Forest Complex Culture and Sports Center’ will open in Ttukseom Yusuji. The four-story building will include sports facilities such as a swimming pool and bowling alley, as well as cultural and welfare facilities like daycare centers and elementary after-school care centers. Adjacent to it, a public parking lot with 342 spaces will be built to improve convenience for visitors to Seoul Forest.

The ‘Wangsimni 2-dong Community Center,’ which has been responsible for residents’ administration and welfare for 43 years, will also reopen in March as a public complex center equipped with a shared kitchen and multipurpose facilities. Facilities responsible for welfare services for various groups, such as the ‘Single-Person Household Support Center,’ ‘Seongdong 50 Plus Center,’ and ‘Yongdap District Public Senior Welfare Facility,’ are also scheduled to open.

Mayor Jung said, “The expansion construction of Kumho-dong Jangteo-gil and Kumho-ro is also planned to be completed in the first half of this year, which will further enhance residents’ convenience in transportation, welfare, culture, and sports.”

The district is also making efforts to resolve long-standing issues, such as continuing four-party consultations among Sampyo, Hyundai Steel, Seoul City, and Seongdong-gu for the scheduled relocation of Sampyo Remicon in June this year.

Mayor Jung said, “Above all, responding to COVID-19 remains the top priority directly linked to residents’ safety this year as well,” adding, “We have strengthened the support system for home treatment patients and those in self-quarantine and expanded the living treatment center to 129 rooms and 159 beds to enhance crisis management capabilities.”

In addition, to overcome the COVID-19 crisis, the district plans to alleviate difficulties for small business owners and self-employed individuals through the issuance of Seongdong Love Gift Certificates and modernization projects for traditional market facilities, and to support women with career breaks by properly valuing care labor and helping women who hope to return to work after the pandemic.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “This year’s district budget is 659.8 billion KRW, the largest ever,” and added, “Based on the highest resident trust, we will do our best on the journey to achieve a full recovery of daily life.”