[Interview] Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyung Lee: "Opening a Happy Era in Dongdaemun-gu with a Pleasant Environment, Safe Foundation, and Transparent Administration"

Focused Development Around Cheongnyangni for Dongdaemun-gu, a New Leading City in Ulsan... Strict Management of Overpopulation, Fires, and Winter Safety Incidents... Introduction of Autonomous Driving Sensor Technology and Pedestrian Density Monitoring System from Gyeongdong Market Intersection to Cheongnyangni Station... Inspection of Traditional Market Fire and Safety Vulnerable Areas...

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “We will open the happiness of Dongdaemun-gu with a pleasant environment, a safe foundation, and transparent administration.”

Through an interview, Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyeong Lee announced the district administration policy that condenses the wishes and intentions of the residents.

In fact, Mayor Lee has been accelerating the development of the Cheongnyangni area with the vision of “a future development city, a new leading city of Seoul” since his inauguration. He stated, “Dongdaemun-gu, known as the ‘first neighborhood outside the Four Great Gates’ with a 600-year history breathing within it, holds many stories like treasures everywhere,” and added, “We plan to carry out a complex development centered around Cheongnyangni, the heart of Dongdaemun-gu, equipped with residential, commercial, and office spaces, as well as plazas and green spaces where people can gather, talk, and freely perform.”

To develop the Cheongnyangni area, resolving the issue of illegal street vendors around traditional markets is an urgent task. Mayor Lee has a policy to actively respond to ‘illegal activities’ that cause inconvenience to residents. Accordingly, on October 4th, for the first time among basic local governments, seven special judicial police officers were appointed and deployed to regulate illegal street vendors. Going forward, investigations will be conducted on road law violations by street vendors in the area from Cheongnyangni Station to Jegi-dong Station, alongside the ‘2022 Street Vendor Survey,’ to fundamentally block the creation of new street vendors according to relevant laws. Mayor Lee said, “Illegal street vendors cause such inconvenience to residents that people with disabilities or strollers cannot even dare to pass,” and added, “We will strengthen the regulation of illegal street vendors and management of street stalls to restore walking rights and environmental rights to the residents.”

Mayor Lee is also focusing on creating a safe foundation. In particular, he is considering establishing a pedestrian density monitoring system using autonomous driving sensor technology called ‘lidar’ in the section from Gyeongdong Market intersection, crowded with traditional market visitors, to Cheongnyangni Station. To prevent safety accidents caused by population overcrowding, cutting-edge technology is being introduced to monitor the flow of floating populations in real time, predict risks in advance, and manage them. Once the pedestrian density monitoring system using lidar is established, it will analyze pedestrian flow as real-time data and issue an alarm when a certain density level is exceeded.

In such cases, a street maintenance team including special judicial police officers will be immediately dispatched to the scene to promptly regulate pedestrian obstructions (such as stalls, signboards, balloon signs, and stored items) and will also transmit alarms to related organizations and departments to actively respond to risks.

Additionally, on November 4th, Dongdaemun-gu conducted patrols of fire and safety-vulnerable areas in traditional markets, where aging buildings are densely packed, in observance of Safety Inspection Day, set on the 4th of every month. Traditional markets with many aging buildings are particularly vulnerable to fire and safety accidents. Accordingly, the district directly inspected the traditional market area to prevent fires and safety-related accidents. Along with the safety inspection, fire prevention guidance was provided to traditional market merchants, and safety-related opinions were collected. Mayor Lee said, “Disasters including fires require constant and thorough vigilance and preparation,” and added, “We will continue to create a Dongdaemun-gu where residents can live with peace of mind through continuous safety inspections and systematic training.”

With the upcoming winter season, measures are being promoted not only to respond to various disasters such as fires and heavy snow but also to resolve inconveniences directly related to residents’ lives. In particular, during heavy snowfall, to minimize residents’ inconvenience through prompt snow removal, road heating wires are installed in vulnerable areas, and snow removal vehicles are equipped with a logo light displaying the snow removal campaign catchphrase ‘Dong (冬), Dong (動), Dong (東)’ meaning ‘Dongdaemun-gu moving even in winter,’ to prevent traffic accidents with general vehicles.

Furthermore, support systems for vulnerable households susceptible to cold waves in winter are being strengthened, among other busy activities. Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyeong Lee said, “I believe in the power of ‘communication and principles.’ All problems and issues will be addressed based on principles, asking residents and finding answers together while leading the district administration,” and added, “I hope to be remembered as a sincere mayor who loved Dongdaemun-gu in the future.”