[Seoul District News] Dongjak-gu Begins Main Construction in October 2022 Aiming for Completion in 2023, Excavation Work to Finish by June with Framework Construction Starting ▲ First Nationwide ‘Gwan-sang Complex Office Building’ from B3 to 10 Floors ▲ Jangseungbaegi Area Transformed into Administrative and Economic Hub with District Office, Health Center, and Facility Management Corporation in One Place... Seongdong-gu Explores Policy Alternatives for Sewing Industry Workers with ‘Relatable Topics’ and ‘Nationwide Expansion Needed’ Evaluations, Considering Practical Support like ‘Visiting Legal Services’ and Joining the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid.
Perspective view of Jangseungbaegi Comprehensive Administrative Town scheduled for completion in the first half of next year
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The ‘Jangseungbaegi Comprehensive Administrative Town,’ a project envisioned for the next 100 years of Dongjak’s future, is finally taking shape.
Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) announced on the 22nd that the district’s flagship core project, the ‘Jangseungbaegi Comprehensive Town,’ broke ground in October last year aiming for completion in 2023, and as of June, the ongoing excavation work is wrapping up and the framework construction will begin.
The current government office building, which has been in use for over 40 years, is cramped and outdated, causing inefficiency and inconvenience to residents as 10 departments have been scattered and placed in temporary offices due to lack of space.
Since 2004, the district has been collecting funds for the new government building, a long-cherished wish of local residents, but progress was slow until the start of the 6th elected term when the mayor established the ‘Administrative Town Construction Promotion Team’ directly under the mayor’s office and made it a key pledge, thereby accelerating the project.
The comprehensive administrative town will have a total floor area of 44,672㎡, with 3 basement floors and 10 above-ground floors. It will not only serve as a workplace for public officials but also include cultural facilities such as a library, creating a people-centered open space for communication with residents. It will consolidate currently scattered public institutions such as the district office, health center, and district council into one complex.
Notably, it will be the nation’s first ‘commercial-administrative complex building’ designed to coexist with merchants. A special rental commercial area of 3,949㎡ will be introduced for merchants who have maintained their livelihoods in Yeongdo Market, with about 112 businesses expected to move in.
Additionally, the district has established a systematic management and institutional foundation for the commercial area and tenant merchants. In March, the ‘Ordinance on the Installation and Management of Special Rental Commercial Areas within the Dongjak-gu Comprehensive Administrative Town, Seoul’ was enacted, setting usage fees (at least 70% of the appraised value) and lease periods to support stable business operations for existing merchants.
The new government building will not have an in-house cafeteria; instead, about 1,000 district office employees will be encouraged to use nearby restaurants, which is expected to contribute to revitalizing the local economy, including surrounding commercial districts.
Meanwhile, with the start of occupancy in the new building, the Jangseungbaegi area, once lined with old houses, will be transformed into a residential complex through reconstruction projects, significantly improving the living environment alongside population growth.
In response to the increasing population, the district is progressing with ▲ the construction of Sangdo 2-dong Community Center ▲ the establishment of Dongjak-gu’s only public performance hall with 937 seats ▲ and the expansion of urban transportation infrastructure with the Western Light Rail passing through Jangseungbaegi Station on Line 7.
Lee Chang-woo, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, stated, “The comprehensive administrative town is not just a simple relocation of the government office but an urban planning project that will determine Dongjak-gu’s future.” He added, “Starting with the occupancy of the new building in 2023, the Jangseungbaegi area will be transformed into an ‘administrative and economic hub’ where the district office, health center, and facility management corporation are gathered in one place.”
Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is seeking practical and sustainable policy alternatives for workers engaged in the sewing industry.
Having held multiple meetings with sewing workers this year, Seongdong-gu launched the Seongdong-gu National Design Team in March to address issues such as formalizing these workers.
Known as ‘Gaekgong,’ sewing industry workers are skilled laborers who have spent their lives in the field but often work in unregistered sewing businesses under poor conditions without a way to prove their work history.
With 78% of workers aged 50 or older, the workforce is aging, and many operate in home-based workshops, working long hours with high labor intensity during peak seasons when orders are abundant.
Within the district, there are about 2,000 unregistered sewing businesses that receive no separate support funds even during crises like COVID-19, and the number of Gaekgong workers is estimated to be several times higher.
Accordingly, the district plans to eliminate policy blind spots for sewing industry workers by recognizing problems from their perspective and finding solutions through the ‘Seongdong-gu National Design Team,’ composed of residents, experts, and sewing workers (policy demanders).
Through initiatives such as the ‘Proud 100 Sewing Workers’ recommendation challenge, the district aims to boost workers’ pride and psychological confidence. It will also form separate legal, tax, and labor advisory groups to provide ‘visiting services’ to small unregistered businesses and explore various measures for stable livelihood in old age, including enrollment in the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid.
This project was finally selected after passing the first written screening and the second online video screening of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s National Policy Design Team, receiving evaluations such as ‘a relatable topic,’ ‘an issue not unique to Seongdong-gu but requiring nationwide expansion,’ and ‘expectations for policy proposals to government agencies.’
Previously, the district opened the Seongdong Smart Fashion Center (April 2021), establishing shared production infrastructure for garment manufacturing such as smart automated cutting machines, and actively participated in improving safe working environments with powder fire extinguishers, heaters, and ventilators. The district plans to take a leading role in supporting related policies that have been difficult to resolve over the long term through this project.
The Seongdong-gu National Policy Design Team will operate from April to October and plans to participate in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘National Policy Design Team Best Practices Selection and Performance Sharing Conference’ (November 2022) with its policy outcomes.
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Through the Seongdong-gu National Design Team, I hope good policies will be discovered for sewing businesses and workers who have steadfastly supported the local industry despite the prolonged COVID-19 difficulties. We will continue to provide unwavering support for sewing workers.”
Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, is experiencing necklace making at the Silver Jewelry Workshop, a resident workshop in the Changdong StartLab Workshop, a youth startup incubating space in Dobong-gu.
Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) is recruiting tenants for the ‘Changdong StartLab Workshop,’ an incubating space for youth startups.
Located at the east side under exit 1 of Changdong Station (Madello 11-gil 77, former Dobong Food Bank Market), the ‘Changdong StartLab Workshop’ offers a 27㎡ space suitable for one team.
Applicants must be Dobong-gu youth aged 19 to 39 who are prospective entrepreneurs or early-stage startups within one year. Preference will be given to those who have participated in Dobong-gu youth projects, completed startup education, or obtained certifications in startup-related fields.
The application period is from April 18 to April 27, and the district plans to select one team (one tenant team and one reserve team) through screening.
Selected tenants will receive free rental of the startup space for six months (with one possible extension after evaluation), and public operating expenses such as unmanned security and internet fees will be supported. However, costs related to startup activities are self-funded.
Those wishing to apply should fill out the application form available on the Dobong-gu website’s announcements and submit it via email to the person in charge.
Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “In addition to free rental space, we will actively support startup education, consulting, mentoring, and other business operations for Changdong StartLab tenants. We encourage many young entrepreneurs in our community who dream of starting a business to take on this challenge.”
Gwangjin-gu is promoting the social dining project ‘Happy Table,’ where middle-aged and older single-person households gather to cook and share meals together.
‘Happy Table’ is part of the health safety measures among the four major safety policies of Seoul’s comprehensive plan for single-person households. This year, Gwangjin-gu was selected for the single-person household support public project and will operate a pilot program.
This project aims to encourage healthy eating habits among middle-aged and older single-person households, who are at relatively higher risk of chronic diseases compared to multi-person households, and to help form social networks through continuous communication among participants.
The target is 100 middle-aged and older single-person households aged 40 to 64, divided into four groups for operation.
The 1st and 4th groups will be face-to-face programs for 20 men and 20 women respectively, conducting a total of four ‘cooking classes’ where participants prepare meals using healthy ingredients.
The 2nd and 3rd groups will recruit 30 men and 30 women respectively and operate non-face-to-face programs, providing food packages and combining video and online education twice in total.
Additionally, each group will create open chat rooms where participants can share cooking practice photos and know-how to encourage social network formation.
Starting April 25, the program will recruit 20 middle-aged single men for the first face-to-face group. Interested residents can apply by phone to the Gwangjin-gu Public Health Center’s Health Policy Division. The first group will operate from May 23, with easy menus designed so that participants unfamiliar with cooking can participate comfortably.
Groups 2 to 4 will operate from July to October. After all programs conclude, a ‘food sharing event’ will be held where participants share their improved healthy eating experiences, and a single-person recipe booklet will be produced for single-person households.
Lee Hee-young, Director of Gwangjin-gu Public Health Center, said, “This program is expected to be a time when middle-aged and older single-person households can become healthy in both body and mind through cooking activities where they gather and share meals.”
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