Seocho-gu, the Secret Behind Being Certified as the Nation's Top Smart City?

[Seoul District News] Seocho-gu Establishes Smart City Infrastructure System and Achieves Results in 'Life-Oriented Smart Administration' & Recognized for Smart City Living Infrastructure Including Smart Energy City Project and Integrated Crime and Disaster Management System... Songpa-gu Receives Prime Minister's Commendation for Revitalizing Traditional Markets

Seocho Smart Hub Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seocho-gu, rich in 4th Industrial Revolution infrastructure such as Samsung R&D Institute and AI Yangjae Hub, has been recognized as the best ‘smart city’ nationwide.

Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced that it participated in the ‘2022 Smart City Certification Contest’ hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and received certification as a smart city. Accordingly, the district will receive a commendation from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and a plaque.

This certification is the result of the district establishing a system for smart city infrastructure and integrating smart technologies into various administrative areas to promote ‘life-oriented smart administration’ that residents can directly feel.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s ‘Smart City Certification System’ is a program implemented since last year to evaluate local governments’ smart capabilities and discover excellent cases.

The evaluation assessed smart city achievements in three areas?▲innovation ▲governance and institutional environment ▲service technology and infrastructure?using a total of 56 indicators, and comprehensively reviewed written evaluations and on-site inspections.

In this evaluation, the district was recognized for laying the foundation of a smart city that enhances resident satisfaction, such as the ‘Smart Energy City Project’ for public institution energy efficiency, which was the first of its kind nationwide, and the ‘Integrated Crime and Disaster Management System’ that functions as a control tower for various disaster situations.

First, the ‘Smart Energy City’ project was evaluated for increasing the utilization of renewable energy by installing and operating solar power generation and energy storage devices in 17 public institutions including community centers, sports centers, and welfare facilities through the introduction of smart technologies.

Also, the ‘Integrated Crime and Disaster Management System’ is a system that integrates various CCTV footage and the national disaster management system to transmit real-time situation information to relevant agencies during various disasters and emergencies. It was evaluated as prioritizing residents’ safety and serving as a smart control tower in various disaster situations. The Seocho Smart Hub Center within the district office that manages this system has also won the Best Control Center award hosted by the National Police Agency for three consecutive years this year.

Additionally, the district is promoting resident life-oriented smart city projects that residents can directly experience. These include establishing an ‘e-bike battery public exchange station’ for carbon neutrality and air pollution reduction, operating a smart city app that allows real-time monitoring of indoor and outdoor air quality using IoT for the first time nationwide, and projects such as the fine dust reduction device ‘Seoripul Sumteo’ for residents’ health.

In January, the district opened the ‘Seocho Smart Youth Center,’ the nation’s first youth-exclusive space to experience smart technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution era, operating various programs such as metaverse, immersive media, and VR experiences, providing a space where youth can quickly adapt to the future and proactively design their future.

Along with this, the district has been selected for various external contests to promote smart city projects. Last month, the district’s ‘Digital Twin-based Facility Safety Early Warning System’ was selected in the ‘Digital-based Safety Management System for Aging Risk Facilities’ contest hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and in August, the ‘Seocho-gu Digital Twin Traffic Simulation Model’ was selected in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s ‘Digital Twin Pilot Project Contest’ to solve traffic problems. The district is striving to integrate smart technologies into administrative services to provide convenience to residents.

Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “I am pleased and proud that the various smart city projects promoted by Seocho-gu have been recognized. We will continue to apply smart technologies throughout administration and promote various smart policies to provide residents with a more convenient life.”

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced on the 5th that Machon Central Market in Songpa-gu received the Prime Minister’s Commendation in the group category at the ‘2022 Traditional Market and Shopping District Revitalization Awards’ hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups on September 30.

This award was given by the government to recognize organizations that contributed to revitalizing traditional markets by raising public awareness and establishing and spreading successful models.

The district recommended Machon Central Market in Songpa-gu as an excellent market in April, and after the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ review and on-site evaluation, it was finally selected for the Prime Minister’s Commendation.

The evaluation criteria included ▲efforts and achievements in market revitalization ▲activation of merchant associations ▲management and facility modernization, and online advancement.

Machon Central Market in Songpa-gu promoted various projects based on 100% merchant association membership and active willingness to revitalize the market. In addition to improving the market environment and modernizing facilities such as repairing old wiring, it has steadily focused on online advancement since 2020 to prepare for the shift to a non-face-to-face distribution environment, securing stable online sales even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The district completed paving and maintenance of traditional market passageways last month and plans to promote various market revitalization projects in the second half of the year, including holding a traditional market festival-style night market with local residents starting in October.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “Among more than 1,400 markets nationwide, Machon Central Market in Songpa-gu receiving the government commendation is a great achievement resulting from the joint efforts of the merchant organization and the autonomous district to revitalize the market. We will continue to support various projects to revitalize traditional markets and create traditional markets that satisfy both merchants and visiting customers.”