[New Year's Address] Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, "Opening of Metaverse Video Electronic Library"

Pilot Operation of ‘Resident-Participatory Filial Piety Meal Service for Seniors Aged 75 and Over’ to Care for the Daily Lives of the Elderly Begins

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dear respected and beloved residents of Mapo-gu!

The hopeful and exciting new year of 2023, the Year of the Water Rabbit (Gyemyo), has dawned.

I wish that all your hopes come true as you desire, and that love and happiness always accompany your families.

It has already been six months since the 8th elected Mapo-gu administration took vigorous steps toward ‘A New Mapo, A Better Mapo.’

Starting amid the expectations of 370,000 Mapo residents who yearn for new changes and leaps more than ever, I have believed that ‘the mayor’s one day must be worth 370,000 days,’ so I could not afford to waste a single day.

Over the past six months, I have run tirelessly, practicing a field-oriented mayor and communication-centered administration to incorporate the voices of residents into administration.

Dear residents of Mapo-gu!

In 2023, we will accelerate further so that you can truly feel the full-scale changes in Mapo. We will focus more on ‘priority processing of civil complaints, integrity, improvement of wrong practices, enhancement of community sports, and welfare promotion,’ and maximize the efficiency of district administration.

‘Metaverse Video Digital Library’ to Become a Learning Space for Youth and Young Adults, and ‘Sunlight Center for Pregnant Women Support and Birth Encouragement’ to Open

Especially this year, the foundation for a Mapo where no neighbors are left out and everyone is happy will become visible. The pilot operation of the ‘Resident-Participatory Filial Piety Meal Service for Seniors Aged 75 and Over,’ which cares for the daily lives of the elderly, will begin, and the ‘Metaverse Video Digital Library,’ a learning space for youth and young adults, will open its doors. The ‘Sunlight Center for Pregnant Women Support and Birth Encouragement,’ which will provide integrated services from pregnancy to childbirth and childcare, is also expected to open in the second half of the year.

The ‘Mapo Circulation Train Bus,’ responsible for Mapo’s sightseeing, food, and entertainment, is also planned to enter pilot operation. We will revitalize the Hongdae Cultural and Arts Tourism Special Zone by creating the ‘Red Road’ in Hongdae and improving pedestrian-friendly street infrastructure, taking a step forward as a vibrant cultural tourism city full of charm and vitality.

Furthermore, we promise to boldly abolish projects with insufficient effects relative to budget input and restructure underperforming projects to return them fully as welfare policies for Mapo residents.

Lastly, since last year, our district has proposed alternatives to additional incinerator construction, such as ‘proper waste separation promotion and expansion of pre-treatment of household waste.’ This year, we will devote administrative power to ensure that policies fundamentally reducing household waste can be implemented nationwide beyond Seoul.

Myself and over 1,400 Mapo-gu public officials will do our best for regional development so that the big and small wishes in the hearts of residents can become reality this year as well.

Happy New Year. Thank you.

January 2023

Mapo-gu Mayor Park Kang-su

Establishing a Foundation for a Sustainable City... Laying the Groundwork for ‘Eunpyeong-style 2050 Carbon Neutrality’ Implementation

Dear respected residents of Eunpyeong-gu!

The hopeful new year of the Year of the Water Rabbit (Gyemyo) has arrived.

This year, I declare the ‘first year of a major transformation in district administration’ and will present three new growth engines under the goal of ‘Eunpyeong at the Center of Tomorrow, Eunpyeong of Change.’

First, we will establish the foundation for a sustainable city.

We will take a leading and practical role in preparing for the climate crisis, the greatest threat to sustainability.

Together with residents, we will lay the groundwork for implementing ‘Eunpyeong-style 2050 Carbon Neutrality.’ We will create ‘carbon-free pilot streets’ and conduct a ‘100-gram daily waste reduction campaign per household’ to firmly establish carbon neutrality in daily life.

We will build an ‘advanced technology safety net’ covering the entire city, including 24-hour seamless monitoring, and tightly weave a ‘human safety net’ such as community safety guardians.

By establishing the ‘Resident Participation and Cooperation Division,’ we will strengthen support systems and vigorously advance using residents’ opinions as driving force through the online resident participation platform ‘Great Forest of Participation.’

For continuous future growth, we must take bold regional development initiatives. Over the next 10 years, the Seoul Innovation Park site will be reborn as a ‘commercial and cultural convergence landmark.’

We will expand road networks and create a ‘green transportation city’ convenient for public transit use. We are also focusing on the Eunpyeong-style pedestrian environment improvement project to ensure children’s safety on their way to and from school and promoting bicycle use among residents.

We will improve waterfront environments from Bulgwangcheon to Nokbeoncheon and Changneungcheon, cultivating safe and pleasant spaces.

Second, we will complete a lifelong learning city and a cultural city.

We aim to make education something to enjoy in daily life, not limited to any particular group.

We will expand neighborhood learning centers, district libraries, and small libraries throughout the community as lifelong learning hubs. We will evenly meet educational demands across all ages and expand customized lifelong learning.

We will create a ‘child-friendly city.’ By expanding daycare centers, we will achieve a 50% public childcare rate and improve the teacher-to-child ratio to enhance childcare service quality. Eunpyeong’s public care system will be solidified with the nation’s first ‘Eunpyeong I-Mom Counseling Center’ and the installation of a ‘public indoor playground’ integrating information and communication technology.

We will conclude the cultural development initiated in the 7th elected administration. The soon-to-be-built National Korean Literature Museum and Eunpyeong Art Village will unite as one stream, functioning as a massive economic energy source. We will also maintain major cultural assets loved by residents, completing a cultural city where art blooms at every step.

Third, we will empower the local economy and leap forward hand in hand with everyone.

First, we will focus on the recovery of low-income groups, supporting asset formation and self-reliance capacity to alleviate inequality.

We will create a ‘social economy-friendly city.’ Along with opening the ‘Startup Support Center,’ ‘Social Economy Expo,’ and ‘Live Commerce Support,’ we will also work to improve the working environment of outdated manufacturing companies.

We will support middle-aged people’s new beginnings in various ways and open wide opportunities for youth, including job creation and housing support for single-person households.

Eunpyeong’s economy will experience unprecedented growth based on a self-sustaining environment where people help and lead each other.

Dear beloved residents of Eunpyeong-gu!

A dream dreamed together is no longer just a dream. I promise to prepare thoroughly and respond accordingly. We will sprout the seeds of innovation in Eunpyeong.

Finally, I wish you a prosperous year in which all your hopes come true.

Happy New Year.

January 1, 2023 Eunpyeong-gu Mayor Kim Mi-kyung