Jungnang-gu Selects Winning Design for Myeonmok Administrative Complex Town Competition

[Seoul District News] Jungnang-gu Expands Convenience Facilities Including Community Centers, Residents' Halls, Youth Training Centers, Public Housing, Public Parking Lots, and Retail Facilities; Construction Starts December 2023, Completion Target 2027... Gangdong-gu Provides Special Credit Guarantee Loans Worth 36 Billion KRW to Small Businesses and Small Merchants... Yongsan-gu Replaces Smart Security Lights in Huam-dong... Geumcheon-gu Also Supports Entrance Preparation Funds for New Students from Other Cities and Provinces: 200,000 KRW for Elementary, 300,000 KRW for Middle and High School Students

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The outline of Myeonmok Administrative Complex Town, which will serve as the administrative and welfare hub around Yongmasan Station in Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi), has been revealed.

The district announced on the 17th that the winning design for the "Myeonmok Administrative Complex Integrated Development Project," for which a design competition has been held since March, has been selected.

The winning entry was a joint submission by Tomun Architects Office and The A Group Engineering Comprehensive Architects Office (photo).

Regarding the selection background, the district explained that the project scored highly because it met the competition's goal of establishing the complex town as a regional cultural center by planning an open space along Myeonmok-ro, ensuring accessibility and publicness.

The Myeonmok Administrative Complex Town will be a mixed-use building combining a community center and a residents' hall, along with a youth training center, public parking lot, and retail facilities, spanning from three basement floors to 40 floors above ground with a total floor area of 98,444.88㎡. It will also supply 702 public housing units to expand convenience facilities for residents.

The design service is scheduled to begin by the end of this month, with construction starting in December 2023 and completion targeted for December 2027.

The district expects the Myeonmok Administrative Complex Town to lead the expansion of administrative, residential, cultural, and welfare infrastructure around Yongmasan Station, activate the station's transit-oriented functions, and promote balanced development in the Myeonmok-dong area.

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, "Once the Myeonmok Administrative Complex Town is built, it will establish a new administrative and regional cultural center for Jungnang-gu," adding, "We will successfully carry out the project so that local residents can enjoy high-quality administrative welfare services and cultural life in a pleasant environment."

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) will provide a special credit guarantee loan worth 36 billion KRW starting June 20 to support small businesses and small merchants in the area who have faced financial difficulties due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

To support this special credit guarantee loan, the district signed a business agreement on June 16 with Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, Woori Bank, Shinhan Bank, and KEB Hana Bank. Gangdong-gu will secure the guarantee limit through capital contributions and manage execution details; Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation will handle credit guarantee eligibility review and special credit guarantee execution; and Woori Bank, Shinhan Bank, and KEB Hana Bank will be responsible for application reception and loan implementation.

Applications are open to small businesses and small merchants located in Gangdong-gu with business registration for more than six months, whose representatives have credit ratings between 1 and 7. The maximum loan limit per business is 20 million KRW, with repayment terms of a 1-year grace period followed by 4 years of equal installment repayments.

Small businesses and merchants wishing to apply for the loan can visit the branches of the partner banks from June 20 for consultation and application. Afterward, the loan support will proceed following procedures such as confirmation of guarantee issuance by the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation.

The loan period will continue until the 36 billion KRW guarantee limit is exhausted. Notably, small businesses and merchants who receive the special credit guarantee loan will have their interest for one year from the loan date fully covered by Gangdong-gu, thereby easing the interest burden caused by the loan.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, "This special credit guarantee loan of 36 billion KRW and one-year interest-free support will provide practical help to small businesses and merchants in the area to overcome difficulties," adding, "We will continue to do our best to support small merchants and revitalize the local economy."

For more details about the special credit guarantee loan and one-year interest-free support, please contact the Gangdong-gu Labor Rights Center or the branches of the partner banks.

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) will launch a smart security light replacement project this month to create a safer environment in the Huam-dong area. About 50% of the 8,465 households in Huam-dong, or 4,224 households, are single-person households.

The project area is around Huam-ro 16na-gil. The district will invest 380 million KRW to replace 396 old security lights with 396 IoT blinkers and 396 LED security lights by November.

Smart security lights apply IoT (Internet of Things) technology, brightening when people approach and using energy-efficient LED lights. They also allow real-time monitoring and control of the light status, enabling prompt maintenance.

A district official said, "Since smart security lights are linked with Seoul City's 'Ansim-i App,' which enables rapid response in emergencies, they will greatly contribute to residents' safety."

Seoul City's Ansim-i App is a safety support application that sends emergency signals when users press the emergency report button on the app screen or shake their phone with a certain intensity during emergencies such as crimes.

When an emergency signal is detected via the Ansim-i App, smart security lights near the signal location automatically blink to alert the occurrence of an incident. The U-Yongsan Integrated Control Center's monitoring staff checks the situation through CCTV near the security lights, and the on-duty police immediately dispatch to the scene.

Earlier in February, the district completed the replacement of 380 smart security lights in Cheongpa-dong (Hyochangwon-ro 86na-gil), near Sookmyung Women's University, where many single-person households reside, providing a safer alleyway environment for residents.

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, "Yongsan-gu was ranked first in the '2021 Korea Social Safety Index' and is considered the safest place to live nationwide," adding, "Through strengthening safety facilities, utilizing existing services, and institutional cooperation, we will become a safer city."

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) will provide entrance preparation funds to new students from Geumcheon-gu who enrolled in elementary, middle, or high schools located outside Seoul.

"Entrance preparation funds" refer to support money for purchasing necessary items such as school uniforms and study books for new students. Elementary students will receive 200,000 KRW, and middle and high school students will receive zero-pay gift certificates worth 300,000 KRW.

Until now, entrance preparation funds were provided at the beginning of the year for all schools located in Seoul, but students enrolling in schools outside Seoul, where such support is not provided, did not receive these benefits.

Therefore, Geumcheon-gu has implemented the "Geumcheon-gu Entrance Preparation Fund Support Project" to ensure universal educational welfare without blind spots, so that all Geumcheon-gu students can receive entrance preparation funds.

The support target is new students for the 2022 academic year who have their resident registration in Geumcheon-gu or, in the case of foreigners, have designated Geumcheon-gu as their place of stay. However, students who have already received support funds of the same nature as entrance preparation funds are excluded.

The application period is from July 1 to August 31. Applicants can download the application form from the "Geumcheon News" section on the Geumcheon-gu website, fill it out, and submit it via email or in person to the Education Support Division of the district office. The support funds will be paid in November after verifying eligibility, including resident registration and duplicate support status.

Yoo Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, "In environments where raising children is not easy, such as dual-income families, the economic burden of education expenses on parents is considerable," adding, "I hope the entrance preparation funds will be a help to families with new students."