Seodaemun-gu Renovates Streetscape Along Chungjeongno with Statue of Chungjeonggong

Planting Trees and Herbaceous Plants, Replacing Female Ginkgo Trees with Male Trees, and Installing Plant Mats

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) announced on the 5th that it recently completed landscape and streetside pedestrian environment improvement work following the relocation of the statue of Chungjeonggong Min Yeong-hwan.

The district relocated the statue of Chungjeonggong, which was previously at the Citizen Plaza of the Ujeong Post Office in Jongno-gu, to the green traffic island at the Chungjeong-ro intersection (414 Chungjeong-ro 3-ga) within the district on August 30 last year.

Along with this, pine trees and hibiscus were planted around the statue, and a three-dimensional flower bed was created with about 190 trees of four species and over 5,000 herbaceous plants of 48 species on nearby medians and traffic islands, enhancing urban green space ratio and streetscape.

To resolve issues such as odor and pedestrian inconvenience, 67 female ginkgo trees were replaced with male trees, and 139 street trees were pruned to secure visibility of traffic signs and prevent accidents.

Additionally, pavement around street trees was refurbished, and old tree protection boards were replaced with plant mats (Liriope muscari) to create a pleasant and green pedestrian environment.

Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “Along with the relocation of the Chungjeonggong statue, we have newly renovated the surrounding Chungjeong-ro green space. We will continue to improve the street environment so that this place becomes a space that well represents Min Yeong-hwan and is embraced by citizens.”

Park Design Started in August Last Year, Construction from October to End of December Completed ‘Startup Forest Yard’

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Park Il-ha) has transformed a neglected site near the back gate of Chung-Ang University into an open park.

This project was implemented as part of the ‘Chung-Ang University Campus Town Development Project’ promoted by Seoul City, Dongjak-gu, and Chung-Ang University to spread youth startup culture and revitalize the local economy.

The site, about 2,000㎡ in Heukseok-dong, was formerly a dormitory site of Chung-Ang University and had been closed off by retaining walls and soundproof walls since 2012, causing inconvenience to pedestrians.

The district began park design in August last year to secure pedestrian rights for residents and Chung-Ang University students, proceeded with construction from October to the end of December, and completed the creation of the ‘Startup Forest Yard.’

Retaining walls and soundproof walls that narrowed pedestrian space were removed, the sidewalk width was expanded, and the disconnected urban areas were connected.

Also, various flowers such as hydrangea, azalea, and purslane, as well as trees like zelkova and cherry blossom trees, were planted so residents and students can use the space as an urban resting area.

In the future, the district plans to carry out additional work to widen the lane width around the Startup Forest Yard, continuously seeking measures to ensure safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

Park Il-ha, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, said, “We will continue to create urban resting spaces where anyone can comfortably relax and build a high-quality city by providing a safe and convenient living environment for all residents.”

Gwangjin-gu Installs ‘Gwangjin-type Smart Poles’ at 10 Locations

Seven Security Light-type and Three Street Light-type Poles Installed in Seven Neighborhoods Including Junggok-dong and Gwangjang-dong

High-Definition CCTV, Public Wi-Fi, IoT, Wireless Chargers Integrated into Road Facilities

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) has installed ‘Gwangjin-type Smart Poles’ at a total of 10 locations within the district.

‘Smart Poles’ refer to urban infrastructure that integrates various information and communication technologies (ICT) such as public Wi-Fi, Internet of Things (IoT), and intelligent CCTV into road facilities like traffic light poles, street light poles, and security light poles.

The district customized these smart poles to strengthen safety management by preventing crimes and accidents and to provide smart city services through integrated infrastructure.

The ‘Gwangjin-type Smart Poles’ were installed at 10 locations across seven neighborhoods including Junggok-dong and Gwangjang-dong. The locations were selected from 71 recommended sites gathered through resident opinions by relevant departments and agencies.

Considering installation locations and surrounding environments, the district selected necessary smart functions and built seven security light-type and three street light-type poles.

Both types are equipped with ▲high-definition CCTV ▲public Wi-Fi ▲tilt sensors. Additionally, security light-type poles have ▲IoT beacon flashers ▲Smart Seoul Urban Data Sensors (S-Dot), while street light-type poles have ▲wireless chargers ▲high-beam lighting. Some street light-type poles in Gwangjang-dong also feature LED electronic displays and ground temperature sensors.

Among the smart functions, the ‘tilt sensor’ detects impacts, vibrations, and changes in tilt status of structures to identify abnormal signs caused by accidents or natural disasters.

Also, through the ‘Smart Seoul Urban Data Sensor (S-Dot)’ operating system, it is possible to analyze floating population statistics and manage environmental data collection such as fine dust and ultrafine dust.

The district established a data management system that automatically transmits and stores urban data by connecting to the ‘Gwangjin-gu Data Integrated Management Platform’ via the communication network built with smart poles.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “The ‘Gwangjin-type Smart Poles’ providing smart city services in residents’ daily lives have been established. We hope residents can enjoy safer and more comfortable lives through these smart poles.”

On the 4th, the Gangbuk-gu Architecture Department held the first free architect consultation of the year.

Gangbuk-gu Operates Free Architectural Consultation Office

Operating from the 4th This Year... Every Other Wednesday from 2 to 5 PM

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) is operating a ‘Free Architectural Consultation Office’ that provides various consultations related to architecture free of charge.

The district runs this system to enhance residents’ understanding and trust in architectural administration by offering free consultations on architectural laws, civil complaints, building defects, and dispute cases.

The consultations are provided by nine local architects volunteering their expertise. The office operates every other Wednesday from 2 PM to 5 PM, with the first free consultation this year held on the 4th.

Residents can receive free consultations on all aspects of architectural administration, from procedures such as building permits, notifications, use changes, and major repairs to issues related to construction defects, complaints, disputes, and resolution methods.

Residents wishing to consult can visit the Architecture Department on the first floor of the district office.

Lee Soon-hee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “From architectural complaints arising in daily life to permits related to major repairs and new construction, residents can get expert advice at the free consultation office. We will continue to develop various consultation policies to provide greater administrative convenience to residents.”

Nowon-gu Offers Free Nighttime Legal Consultation Service

Starting from the 16th, Every Third Monday of the Month, Providing Civil, Criminal, Family Law Consultations and Guidance

Nowon Prioritizes Resident Convenience with Wednesday Night Passport Civil Service and Nighttime Tax Consultation

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will operate a nighttime legal consultation office called ‘Legal Doctor Night Talk’ for residents starting this year.

Previously, ‘Village Lawyers’ and ‘Village Judicial Scriveners’ operated legal consultations at community centers in each neighborhood to assist residents in legal blind spots caused by difficult legal terms and consultation costs. However, since these operated during weekday daytime hours, working residents found it inconvenient to use.

Therefore, the district will start operating a nighttime legal consultation office once a month from the 16th, with volunteer lawyers providing consultations. Consultations will be held on the third Monday of every month from 5 PM to 8 PM on the first floor of Nowon-gu Office.

The service targets Nowon-gu residents, businesses, workers, and students located in Nowon-gu. Face-to-face consultations are provided based on pre-filled consultation cards by the district’s volunteer lawyers.

Consultation areas include civil, criminal, family, administrative cases, labor cases such as unfair dismissal and wage arrears, and overall interpretation and rights protection in everyday legal matters. Difficult legal terms are explained in an easy-to-understand manner to prevent residents from suffering due to lack of legal knowledge.

If additional legal aid is needed after consultation, the district will guide residents to the Korea Legal Aid Corporation and connect social welfare services using local public-private resources as appropriate.

Residents wishing to consult should apply in advance by phone to the Legal and Statistics Team of the Planning and Budget Department at Nowon-gu Office. Since this is the first year for nighttime free legal consultations, the district will carefully monitor usage and feedback to improve and expand the service.

Additionally, the district operates various nighttime consultation offices prioritizing resident convenience in different fields.

Every Wednesday from 6 PM to 8 PM, the ‘Wednesday Night Passport Civil Service’ operates on the first floor of the Civil Affairs and Passport Department to handle resident registration, seal certificates, family relations, and passport civil affairs.

From February, nighttime tax consultations, which were temporarily suspended, will resume, providing advice on local taxes such as acquisition tax, property tax, local income tax, and national taxes including capital gains tax, comprehensive income tax, inheritance, and gift tax.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “We established the nighttime consultation office to help residents who have legal concerns but cannot get help due to time constraints. We will continue to provide user-centered customized administrative services to meet residents’ growing expectations.”

Jongno-gu to Operate ‘Nighttime Civil Service Window’ Every Wednesday from 6 to 8 PM Starting the 11th... Resident Registration Certificates, Passport Applications Available

Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Moon-heon) will resume operating the ‘Nighttime Civil Service Window’ from the 11th to provide high-quality civil administrative services and increase resident satisfaction.

This is intended to offer convenience to residents such as office workers and dual-income couples who find it difficult to visit the district office during busy daily schedules. The district had operated nighttime civil service windows since 2012 but suspended them in March 2020 due to COVID-19 prevention and social distancing measures.

With this resumption, anyone visiting the integrated civil service and passport offices on the first floor of the district office every Wednesday from 6 PM to 8 PM will be able to receive integrated civil and passport services.

Integrated civil services include issuance of resident registration certificates, seal certificates, and family relation registers. Passport services include application and issuance.

Additionally, Jongno-gu has prepared various consultation desks for resident convenience.

From 9 AM to 6 PM on weekdays, the Civil Affairs and Passport Department operates a ‘Socially Vulnerable Exclusive Consultation Desk’ to assist disabled persons, pregnant women, and the elderly with document preparation and priority processing.

From February to December, a complex civil consultation desk will be opened on the first floor of the district office to provide guidance and consultation on long-term unresolved civil complaints and complex cases involving multiple departments.

Jeong Moon-heon, Mayor of Jongno-gu, said, “We will continue to introduce various administrative services that enhance resident convenience and satisfaction and strive to improve the quality of civil services.”