Gangdong-gu~ Guri-si Han River Bridge Name 'Godeok Bridge' Designation Petition

[Seoul District News] Gangdong-gu Launches Naming of ‘Godeok Bridge’ with 50,000 Resident Signatures... Gwangjin-gu Adds ‘Yongma Intersection’ and ‘Junggok-dong Post Office’ Bus Stops Starting Service on 28th & Resident Feedback from September Community Meeting Reflected... Gangdong-gu Operates Owl Bus N31 (Extension of Former N34)... Songpa-gu Opens Smart Libraries 4 and 5 at Geoyeo and Jangji Stations

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) has launched a resident signature campaign to designate the name of the Han River bridge connecting Godeok-dong in Gangdong-gu and Guri City as ‘Godeok Bridge.’

The Godeok Bridge (tentative name) is a Han River crossing bridge with a total length of 1,725 meters connecting Gangdong-gu and Guri City in the section of the Sejong-Pocheon Expressway Anseong-Guri construction project (Section 14), scheduled for completion this December.

Gangdong-gu has actively expressed to related agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Expressway Corporation, and Seoul City that it is reasonable to designate the bridge name as ‘Godeok Bridge,’ reflecting the name of the area (Godeok-dong), citing reasons such as ▲the use of the tentative name ‘Godeok Bridge’ from the early stages of construction ▲Godeok-dong being the starting point of the bridge design ▲the construction site passing through the downtown area, with residents enduring significant inconvenience and damage during the construction period while actively cooperating with national policies ▲and Godeok-dong emerging as a central area in the eastern metropolitan region.

The signature campaign, targeting 50,000 residents, can be participated in through online signatures on the district office website and offline signatures by visiting Gangdong-gu Office or the civil service offices of 18 community centers until December 30. It will be conducted alongside public relations activities to ensure residents’ opinions supporting the designation of the Godeok Bridge name are well conveyed.

The district office stated that it will continue to focus all administrative capabilities to ensure that the name of the newly established Han River crossing bridge is definitely designated as ‘Godeok Bridge’ and respond actively.

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) has established a new village bus stop named Gwangjin02 at Yongma Intersection in Junggok-dong and started operation from the 28th.

The area near the stop is densely populated with villa households, and complaints about public transportation accessibility were frequent. At the regular meeting of the Junggok 4-dong community leaders in September, residents also raised opinions about installing a bus stop.

Although village bus stops operate in front of Junggok 2-dong Community Service Center and Junggok-dong Post Office, the distance between the two stops was long, causing inconvenience for users.

The district took prompt action to resolve these inconveniences for residents.

After traffic safety facility review by Gwangjin Police Station, consultation with transportation companies, and gathering residents’ opinions, it was decided to add a new bus stop and determine its location.

The newly established stop is named ‘Yongma Intersection·Junggok-dong Post Office’ and is located near Junggok-dong 41-33 on the Gwangjin02 village bus route. Bus operation information can be checked online or via transportation apps using the stop ID.

The district expects that the establishment of this village bus stop will greatly improve transportation convenience and public transportation accessibility for local residents.

One resident said, “It was inconvenient because the stop was far, but now that a new one has been created, it’s very convenient. I think I will use public transportation more often in the future.”

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “I hope that the new bus stop will make public transportation use more convenient for local residents. We will continue to actively reflect residents’ opinions and promptly resolve inconveniences in daily life.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) announced that it will extend the owl bus (late-night bus) ‘N34’ and change the route number to ‘N31,’ starting operation from the first bus at 11:30 PM on December 1.

The ‘N34’ bus is a late-night bus operating from Gangdong Public Garage to Sinsa Station. With this extension, the route number will change from N34 to N31.

In particular, the section from ‘Gangdong Garage to Sinsa Station’ will operate as before, and the route extension will add stops at major points in the northern area such as Itaewon, Jonggak Station, and Hyehwa Station. The total operating distance is about 73.7 km, with an average interval of 35 minutes between buses, running 8 times a day.

With this extension of N34 (changed to N31), the number of buses in operation will increase to 4, and the total number of runs will increase to 8, reducing the interval between buses to 35-40 minutes.

Additionally, the route will pass through major hubs in Gangdong, Gangnam, and northern areas, greatly improving late-night public transportation convenience for residents, the district said.

The district has been communicating with residents and continuously proposing and negotiating route adjustments with Seoul City and related agencies to improve public transportation. As a result, they have improved transfer convenience at major points within the district through the establishment of route 3323 and adjustments to route Gangdong01.

Lee Soo-hee, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “A large-scale demand for public transportation use is expected by the end of this year due to the settlement of Godeok Gangil Housing Development and Godeok Biz Valley. To address this, we will actively consult with Seoul City, Hanam City, transportation companies, and related agencies by thoroughly reviewing bus route plans passing through major subway stations.”

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced that it has installed Songpa Smart Library branches 4 (photo) and 5 at Geoyeo Station and Jangji Station, respectively, and is operating them fully to allow residents to borrow books anytime, 365 days a year.

The ‘Smart Library’ is an unmanned book lending and return device that allows residents to borrow books freely without restrictions of time and place. The newly opened ‘Songpa Smart Library 4’ is installed near Exit 3 on the basement floor of Geoyeo Station, and ‘Songpa Smart Library 5’ is installed near Exit 3 on the basement floor of Jangji Station.

Songpa-gu’s smart libraries began with the opening of Jamsilsaenae Station in 2020, followed by Bangi Station and Macheon Station. With the opening of Geoyeo and Jangji stations, Songpa-gu now operates a total of five smart libraries, providing residents with highly accessible reading environments.

‘Songpa Smart Library’ branches 4 and 5 house about 500 books, including new releases and bestsellers in various fields such as humanities, history, and novels. Books can be borrowed and returned 365 days a year during subway operating hours (5 AM to midnight).

Residents who wish to use the service can borrow up to two books per person if they are members of the Songpa-gu Integrated Library. The loan period is 14 days. Books held by 11 public libraries in the district can also be borrowed through interlibrary loan service requests.

The district explained, “The non-face-to-face book lending function and built-in book sterilizer have received better responses after COVID-19. We plan to regularly replace new books in various fields so residents can enjoy trendy reading.”

Additionally, Songpa-gu was selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s U-Library Service Construction Support Project for two consecutive years, securing 120 million KRW in national funds, and plans to install additional non-face-to-face smart libraries next year.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “Using the smart library, residents can freely borrow books 365 days a year within their living areas such as commuting and school routes. We will strive to expand reading infrastructure so that more residents feel close to books and make reading a daily habit.”