[Seoul District News] Gwangjin-gu Holds 'Meeting Day with the District Mayor' Every Friday to Realize Resident-Centered Communication Administration & Development Permit for Jayang 4-dong 235-3 Area Achieved Through Communication... Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyung Lee Visits Hongneung Seoul Bio Hub on 20th for Facility Inspection & Plans to Promote Hongneung Bio Medical Complex in Cooperation with Seoul City... Dongjak-gu Mayor Ilha Park Holds On-Site Meeting at Heukseok-dong Rider Cafe at 4 PM on 20th with Local Residents and Related Organizations
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Thanks to District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho’s proactive support, my worries have been relieved. I am truly grateful.”
This was the sentiment expressed by a civil petitioner who had long experienced conflict due to issues related to development activity permits during the 3rd 'Meeting Day with the District Mayor,' held as part of communication administration initiatives since the launch of the 8th local government.
'Meeting Day with the District Mayor' is a flagship pledge project of Gwangjin-gu, reflecting District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho’s strong commitment to communication.
Since July, Gwangjin-gu has been operating 'Meeting Day with the District Mayor' or 'On-site Visit Day for Civil Complaints' every Friday, where the district mayor meets residents directly to listen to complaints and seek solutions.
Before meeting residents, thorough preparations are made. Every Wednesday, a 'Civil Complaint Handling Strategy Meeting' is held where the district mayor, directors, department heads, and team leaders gather to brainstorm solutions.
From July 8th this year, the ‘Meeting Day with the District Mayor’ was held 11 times over about two months, addressing 17 agenda items. A total of 123 people participated. The agenda items were diverse, including requests for damage measures related to construction sites, reconstruction projects, and changes in bus stop seat directions.
District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho’s communication administration, which listens attentively to residents and on-site voices, is shining.
One example is the recent amicable resolution of a delay in development activity permits caused by conflicts over road installation due to development activities, achieved through continuous communication with residents.
Gwangjin-gu began the development activity permit process in January for a vacant lot along Dongil-ro in Jayang 4-dong, which had remained undeveloped for a long time.
However, the permit process was delayed because the landowners and the district could not reach an agreement on the need to install roads to ensure smooth traffic flow on Dongil-ro and nearby areas.
In response, District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho promptly held a 'Meeting Day with the District Mayor' on July 26th to meet with the landowner petitioner.
Mayor Kim first listened carefully to the petitioner’s opinions and understood them. At the same time, he persuaded them of the district’s position that installing buildings and roads on the vacant lot in Jayang 4-dong, which lacks infrastructure, would improve infrastructure, enhance accessibility, and promote regional development.
As a result, a compromise was reached to install roads in some areas, leading to the issuance of the development activity permit. This became the first case of an agreement benefiting landowners, local residents, and others through mediation and mutual understanding.
Residents who participated in the 'Meeting Day with the District Mayor,' including the petitioner, expressed their gratitude, saying, “We appreciate that our position was respected and the best solution was found.”
District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said, “We will always listen attentively to residents’ voices, no matter how small,” adding, “We will overcome the difficulties residents face through communication to achieve a developing and happy Gwangjin.”
Dongdaemun District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung visited the ‘Seoul Bio Hub’ site located in the Hongneung area of Dongdaemun-gu on the 20th to review the facility status and phased infrastructure installation plans, and inspected key facilities such as the conference hall, laboratories, and tenant company spaces.
Operated by Seoul City, Seoul Bio Hub is established based on the strengths of research institutes, universities, and hospitals gathered in the Hongneung area. It aims to revitalize the bio-medical industry and promote balanced development in the northeastern region through the operation of a bio-medical cooperation district.
The main functions of Seoul Bio Hub include supporting technology commercialization such as bio-medical R&D, consulting, investment, and market development, as well as fostering startups, management support, and talent development. The detailed facilities include three buildings with 70 tenant spaces: the Industrial Support Building (opened October 2017, 3,729㎡) and Research Laboratory Building (opened April 2019, 3,216㎡), which manage consulting and networking support; and the Community Open Building (opened November 2019, 3,113㎡), which provides community spaces for local residents. There are 35 tenant companies registered with Dongdaemun-gu business addresses. The Global Cooperation Building, supporting global expansion of growth companies, is scheduled to open in May 2023.
Mayor Lee expressed his ambition to activate bio and medical businesses in the Hongneung area, making it a center of advanced future growth engines. He plans to create a hub supporting bio venture activities in cooperation with major local universities such as Kyung Hee University, and to strengthen the competitiveness of promising local companies through collaboration with the central government, Seoul City, and global enterprises.
As the first step, the plan is to designate the Hongneung area as a special development promotion district for bio and medical industries, implement promotion plans, and revitalize bio and medical complexes in the area. Additionally, startup infrastructure will be expanded to enhance the competitiveness of Dongdaemun-gu’s future industries.
Dongjak District Mayor Park Il-ha will hold an on-site meeting related to Rider Cafe with relevant organizations and local residents at Heukseok-dong Community Center at 4 p.m. on the 20th.
This meeting is organized to exchange mutual opinions among local residents, related organizations, and other stakeholders.
Attendees include Mayor Park Il-ha, Director of Planning and Coordination, Director of Living Environment, Director of the Health Center, and other Dongjak-gu officials, the Dongjak Democratic Party branch chair, district council chair, city and district council members, education office superintendent, Dongjak Police Chief, Korea Transportation Safety Authority officials, resident representatives, parent representatives, and Rider Cafe business owners.
The meeting will conduct in-depth discussions on on-site complaints and improvement measures.
The district will share actions taken on previous complaints and listen to vivid voices from the field regarding key issues.
Related organizations and stakeholders will discuss contentious issues such as noise and re-improvement. For other matters related to the on-site meeting, inquiries can be made to the Planning and Coordination Division.
Mayor Park Il-ha said, “This meeting was organized to directly hear voices from the field and exchange mutual opinions between local residents and business owners to discuss improvement measures.”
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