[Photo] Groundbreaking Ceremony for Dongmakgol Natural Recreation Forest at Suraksan, Nowon-gu

[Seoul District News] Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, Attended the 'Suraksan Dongmakgol Natural Recreation Forest Groundbreaking Ceremony' Near 9 Sanggye-dong on the 23rd at 4 PM ... Dongdaemun-gu Signed a District Treasury Agreement with Kookmin Bank on the 23rd ... Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Held the '7th On-site Mayor's Office' on the Afternoon of the 23rd and Conducted Field Inspections of Major Project Sites in the District

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the 23rd at 4 p.m., Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon District, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Suraksan Dongmakgol Natural Recreation Forest held near Sanggye-dong 9.

The Suraksan Dongmakgol Natural Recreation Forest, which will begin construction aiming to open in the second half of 2024, is the first urban-type natural recreation forest attempted by Seoul City.

It will be developed on a total area of 354,513㎡, with major facilities planned to include a visitor center, forest houses, tree houses, walking trails, and 18 buildings with 25 rooms.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, about 100 guests including Mayor Oh Seung-rok, city and district council members, and residents attended. The event proceeded in the order of opening, national anthem, introduction of guests, progress report, greetings, congratulatory speeches, and groundbreaking.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon District, said, “Creating a recreation forest of this scale in the heart of Seoul is a very new and meaningful attempt,” adding, “We will do our best to make the Suraksan Natural Recreation Forest a sanctuary for residents tired of daily life and a resting place for the whole family to enjoy together.”

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu (left in the photo), is taking a commemorative photo with Kang Hwa-gu, Head of the KB Kookmin Bank Eastern Region Group (right in the photo).

Dongdaemun District (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) signed a contract for the district treasury services with Kookmin Bank (Head of Eastern Region Group, Kang Hwa-gu) on the 23rd at 2:30 p.m. in the mayor’s reception room on the 5th floor of the district office.

The district invited bids for the treasury through an open competitive process, and based on proposals submitted by financial institutions, held the ‘District Treasury Designation Review Committee’ on October 25, selecting Kookmin Bank as the next district treasury.

With this contract, Kookmin Bank will operate and manage Dongdaemun District’s general accounts, special accounts, and funds for four years from January 2023 to December 31, 2026, performing duties as the district treasury including collection of revenues, payment of expenditures, and deposit and management of operating funds.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun District, said, “We expect that Kookmin Bank, newly designated as the district treasury, will provide convenient and diverse financial services to residents, contributing to improving their convenience,” and added, “We hope they will continue to work hard for the development of Dongdaemun District.”

Sogang-dong Community Service Center civil service assistant helping a citizen having difficulty filling out issuance-related documents, and Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District (second from the left)

Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, held the 7th on-site mayor’s office meeting on the 23rd afternoon and visited major project sites promoted by the district to inspect the locations.

This on-site inspection included visiting the designated non-smoking areas in Sangam-dong and elderly welfare facilities, where he reviewed the sites with related personnel and discussed issues and areas for improvement.

Additionally, to hear residents’ voices regarding the operation of the ‘Civil Service Helper System’ introduced to provide more approachable administrative services, he visited the Seogang-dong Community Service Center to check the operation status.

The ‘Civil Service Helper’ is a voluntary resident participation volunteer group created to assist visitors to administrative agencies, stemming from Mayor Park Kang-su’s consistent belief in prioritizing friendly civil service.

Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, said, “To truly understand the policies residents want, we must go directly to the field and listen to their voices,” adding, “Through on-the-ground administration, we will communicate with residents and implement sincere policies that reflect their lives.”