[Interview] Ryugyeonggi Jungnang-gu Mayor: "Will Devote All Efforts to Creating a Safe and Pleasant City"

Rapid Housing Development to Expand Comfortable and Safe Residential Infrastructure Including Parking Lots, Roads, and Parks... Total of 18 Housing Development Candidate Sites Designated Including 7 Moa Town Locations in Seoul... Largest in Seoul Districts... Supporting Safe Daily Life with Resident Safety Insurance, Alleyway Safety Design, and Single-Person Household Safety Equipment Support

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “To create a safe daily life and a pleasant residential environment, we will communicate with residents and focus administrative efforts to improve the quality of life for Jungnang-gu residents.”

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “About 50% of Jungnang-gu consists of low-rise residential areas, and approximately 80% of the houses are over 20 years old. Not only are the houses old, but there is also a lack of living SOC and infrastructure such as parking lots, parks, cultural and sports facilities, and roads. Therefore, residents have a lot of interest and demands regarding housing development projects such as redevelopment and reconstruction.”

To improve the residential environment to be pleasant and safe, the district established a dedicated housing development department earlier this year and is focusing on enhancing the quality of residential life.

There are currently 18 housing development candidate sites in Jungnang-gu, including seven Moa Town sites by Seoul City, six urban public housing complex projects, one rapid integrated planning redevelopment, three public redevelopment and reconstruction projects, and one small-scale reconstruction with public participation. This is the largest number among Seoul’s autonomous districts.

Among these, the seven Moa Town sites are the most numerous. By combining individual lots into block units, small-scale housing maintenance is possible, shortening the project procedures compared to traditional redevelopment. Incentives such as relaxed floor limits and floor area ratios are provided, raising residents’ expectations for rapid improvement of the residential environment.

When housing development progresses, parking lots will be secured, and residential infrastructure such as roads, parks, libraries, and cultural and sports facilities?public facilities?will be established.

Mayor Ryu emphasized, “We will promptly deliver accurate information to residents to increase understanding of the projects, collect residents’ opinions, and proceed with the projects properly and swiftly.”

Mayor Ryu is also working on creating a safe city not only by establishing safe and pleasant urban spaces through housing development but also to ensure residents’ daily lives are safe and comfortable.

Jungnang-gu operates a residents’ safety insurance that broadly and safely covers residents from dog bite accidents to water play and infectious diseases. It also supports typhoon, flood, heavy rain, earthquake, and heavy snow disaster insurance, as well as bicycle insurance. To alleviate housing safety concerns for single-person households, the district runs a safety equipment support project. It provides a set of four safety home items: portable emergency bells, window locks, CCTV, and double locks for front doors. It also offers safe lease contract assistance services, including lease contract consultations and accompaniment for house viewing for single-person households.

In dark alleys and other areas where residents feel insecure, smart crime prevention design projects and living safety designs are applied to create bright and safe alleys. Solar lighting, safety bulletin boards, smart security lights, and CCTV installations enhance residents’ perceived safety.

To assist the safe return home of women and youth late at night and to patrol alleys to prevent accidents in advance, the district operates the Safe Return Home Scout program.

The district also operates an integrated CCTV control center that monitors residents’ safety in real time. Through over 3,600 CCTV cameras, it prepares for various disasters, accidents, incidents, and crimes, carefully monitoring to prevent crime.

To prepare for winter heavy snow and cold waves and to protect residents from various disasters and accidents such as fires, safety inspections are conducted not only on elderly welfare facilities, childcare facilities, parks and green spaces, and multi-use facilities but also on large construction sites and disaster-risk facilities. To prevent safety accidents caused by snow and ice, road heating cables have been installed on mountain roads and slopes at 10 locations this year, following two locations last year.

Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi of Jungnang-gu stated, “Since safety is the foundation of all policies, we will inspect more meticulously, communicate with residents, and create a safe city that residents can feel directly.”