[Seoul District News] Yongsan-gu Holds Farewell Ceremony for 38th, 39th, and 40th Mayor Seong Chang-hyun at Yongsan Art Hall Mir Theater on 30th from 4-5 PM with 700 Residents and Staff... Elected 7th Mayor Lee Jung-hoon’s Farewell Ceremony in Gangdong-gu Also on 30th
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “One thing that will not change even if I leave this place is that I am forever a member of the Yongsan family. I hope the history of ‘Yongsan, the center of the world’ continues in the 8th term of the elected government.”
Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) will hold a farewell ceremony on the 30th for Mayor Seong Jang-hyun, who is concluding his 12-year journey through the 5th, 6th, and 7th elected terms.
The ceremony invited 700 people, including representatives of residents' autonomy committees and employees who worked together in district administration. Attendees will commend Mayor Seong Jang-hyun for his efforts during his term and cheer for his new beginning.
The event schedule includes the national anthem, introduction of guests, farewell video, presentation of bouquets and appreciation plaques, farewell speech, congratulatory speech, and commemorative photo session.
Key guests include Kim Jeong-jae, Chairperson of Yongsan District Council, district council members, heads of residents' autonomy committees, and presidents of the neighborhood association. The farewell video (captured photo) was specially produced by the district internet broadcasting station with a duration of 3 minutes and 41 seconds. The video title is ‘12 Years End, Another Beginning.’
One male and one female employee representative will present bouquets to the mayor and his spouse, and appreciation plaques will be awarded from the district council, residents' autonomy committee, neighborhood association, employee representatives, and Yongsan Welfare Foundation to commend their efforts in district administration.
In his farewell speech, Mayor Seong will express gratitude, saying, “On July 1, 2010, I vigorously started the 5th elected term with the ambition to open a great era for Yongsan. Thanks to the trust of the Yongsan family over 12 years, we have achieved heartfelt accomplishments.”
Following the farewell speech, the ceremony will conclude with congratulatory speeches by Kim Jeong-jae, Chairperson of Yongsan District Council, and Park Sam-gyu, Director of Yongsan Cultural Center. Then, after a commemorative photo on the main theater stage, all attendees will move to the district office plaza to send off Mayor Seong.
Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “Before starting the 5th elected term, we experienced the tragedy of the Yongsan disaster. Therefore, the first thing I did was communication with residents. These efforts accumulated, and in 2021, Yongsan-gu was selected as the safest city nationwide. The current Yongsan, which has undergone a dramatic transformation, was possible because 300,000 Yongsan residents and 1,300 public officials united to overcome difficult situations. I hope the new mayor will also receive the trust and love given to me without reservation.”
Mayor Seong served as a member of the 1st and 2nd Yongsan District Council, the 34th, 38th, 39th, and 40th Mayor of Yongsan-gu, Chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan District Mayors’ Association (July 2018?June 2019), and Representative Chairperson of the National Association of City and County Mayors (September 2018?June 2019). During his tenure, the pledge fulfillment rates were 96.7% in the 5th term, 93.4% in the 6th term, and 93.5% in the 7th term.
Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, who has led the 7th elected term for the past four years, will conclude his term with a farewell ceremony on the 30th.
Gangdong-gu plans to hold the ‘19th Gangdong-gu Mayor Farewell Ceremony’ in the district office auditorium in the morning, expressing gratitude for Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon’s dedication to district administration.
Since his inauguration in July 2018, Mayor Lee set the district administration goal as ‘Together, a Happy Gangdong’ and focused on creating future growth engines for Gangdong-gu while promoting balanced development among regions so that all residents can benefit.
First, the ‘Three Hearts Project,’ which includes the existing advanced business complex, the currently developing Godeok Biz Valley, and Gangdong General Industrial Complex, was promoted as a core project. It is evaluated as a key driving force for Gangdong-gu to evolve from a bedroom community to a self-sufficient city and further to the economic center of the eastern metropolitan area.
The district expects that upon completion of the ‘Three Hearts Project,’ it will generate an economic inducement effect exceeding 20 trillion won and create about 110,000 jobs, significantly strengthening self-sufficiency functions.
Along with the ‘Three Hearts Project,’ efforts were made to build a metropolitan transportation network to respond to increased traffic demand due to ongoing reconstruction projects across the district. During his term, subway line extensions for lines 5, 8, and 9 and the Sejong-Pocheon Expressway construction were actively promoted, and bus routes linked to the subway were continuously expanded, greatly improving transportation convenience.
For balanced development among regions, the ‘Guchonmyeon-ro Walkable Street Project’ was implemented to extensively renovate the old downtown of Cheonho-dong. The district also greatly improved residents’ access to public services by expanding living-oriented social overhead capital (SOC) such as libraries and sports facilities throughout the area.
Various ‘space innovation projects’ emphasized during the 7th term received positive evaluations for significantly contributing to improving the residential environment of Gangdong-gu residents by applying sensory designs reflecting users’ preferences and psychology to public facilities and shared spaces. Popular facilities among residents include the students’ hideout ‘Happy School,’ the neighborhood complex cultural space ‘Book Cafe Dadokdadok,’ the infant complex community facility ‘I-Mom Gangdong,’ and the shared space for generations 1 and 3 ‘Kkum Miso.’
The Labor Rights Center and Mobile Worker Support Center, established and operated directly by the district for the first time nationwide, became a foundation for a significant leap forward in labor rights promotion and were recognized with a ministerial award at the Korea Knowledge Awards.
Especially amid the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, Gangdong-gu achieved outstanding results in various external evaluations, including ▲Top S grade in the joint local government evaluation (2021) ▲Highest excellence grade in innovation evaluation (2020) ▲57 innovation projects approved by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (2nd nationwide among local governments) ▲Selected as the best district in the 1st National Disabled Welfare Project Evaluation (2020) ▲One Prime Minister’s Award and 38 ministerial awards.
Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon said, “I always did my best to keep the promises I made to residents when I took office four years ago. I thank everyone who supported me in every way during my term, and as a resident who loves Gangdong-gu, I will always cheer for the district’s growth and development,” expressing his farewell thoughts.
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