Gwanak-gu Holds ‘2023 New Year’s Greeting Meeting’ at Gwanak Art Hall Performance Hall on the 12th at 3 PM
Sharing the direction and vision of district administration with residents... Wishing for the new year through performances with representatives from all walks of life
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “There is a saying, ‘Ban-gu-sip-ri (半九十里),’ meaning that a person who intends to travel 100 ri (Korean miles) considers themselves to have only covered half the distance even upon reaching 90 ri. It signifies the importance of giving your best until the very end. Without losing our original intention, we will work even harder to create a happy ‘Together the Best Gwanak.’”
Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said this at the ‘2023 New Year’s Greeting Meeting’ held at the newly renovated Gwanak Art Hall performance hall at 3 PM on the 12th, welcoming the hopeful new year with residents.
Held face-to-face for the first time in three years, the event was attended by about 1,500 people including Mayor Park Jun-hee, members of the National Assembly, city and district council members, heads of related organizations, and residents. Along with New Year greetings, the direction of district administration for 2023 and messages of hope were shared.
In particular, videos showing the New Year wishes of various residents such as children from daycare centers and senior citizens were screened, and representatives from all walks of life took the stage together to perform a media performance expressing their wishes on a media screen, drawing attention.
In his New Year’s address, Mayor Park Jun-hee expressed his ambition to create, together with 500,000 Gwanak residents, ▲a bigger and stronger economy as an ‘Innovative Economic City,’ ▲a tightly knit welfare service as the ‘Nation’s Best Inclusive City,’ ▲a ‘Safety First Best City’ that protects residents’ lives and property, ▲a young and vibrant ‘Best Education and Cultural City,’ and ▲a pleasant and clean ‘Premium City to Live In.’ He said, “In 2023, we will continue to serve residents faithfully with warm and touching administration and strive vigorously to produce greater results that residents can feel.”
Jongno-gu Holds 2023 New Year’s Greeting Meeting
Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Mun-heon) held the ‘2023 Jongno-gu New Year’s Greeting Meeting’ at 3 PM on the 12th at HW Convention (formerly Harimgak).
The event began with the screening of a promotional video for the district’s key project, ‘Health Service,’ followed by a special performance by students from Seoul Arts High School, congratulatory speeches by guests, a celebratory stage featuring Jang Sa-ik and the band Lee Sang, and a special lecture to help establish the concept of ‘Jongno Modern.’
Mayor Jeong Mun-heon delivered New Year greetings to residents and emphasized, “This year, above all, we plan to focus on concretely presenting ‘Jongno Modern,’ a future-oriented model based on Jongno’s unique history and identity, to the whole world.”
Seodaemun-gu Holds New Year’s Greeting Meeting on the 12th, Pledges to Realize ‘100% Happy Seodaemun’
Mayor Lee Seong-heon Briefs on Four Core Tasks for 2023 (▲Resident-friendly Rapid Growth ▲Strengthening Urban Competitiveness ▲Lifelong Companion Life Care ▲Field-centered Communication Administration)
103-year-old Philosopher Kim Hyung-seok, Yonsei University Professor Emeritus, Delivers New Year’s Greetings On-site, Drawing Attention
Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) held the 2023 New Year’s Greeting Meeting on the morning of the 12th at the district office’s 6th-floor auditorium, attended by about 2,000 people including residents, representatives of professional organizations, local small business owners, and various figures, reaffirming their commitment to realizing ‘100% Happy Seodaemun.’
Mayor Lee Seong-heon briefed on the four core district administration tasks for 2023 through a presentation: ▲Resident-friendly Rapid Growth ▲Strengthening Urban Competitiveness ▲Lifelong Companion Life Care ▲Field-centered Communication Administration.
Notably, 103-year-old philosopher and Yonsei University Professor Emeritus Kim Hyung-seok, who is also a resident of Seodaemun-gu, attended and attracted attention. In his New Year’s greeting, Professor Kim said, “I hope that the people who work hard for the nation and the people will receive more blessings and have a happy year,” earning much applause. Seodaemun-gu presented Professor Kim with a plaque of appreciation as a token of respect.
Following this, National Assembly members Woo Sang-ho and Kim Young-ho, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, and Seodaemun-gu Council Chairman Lee Dong-hwa offered their wishes for residents’ happiness and regional development on-site, while Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Ewha Womans University President Kim Eun-mi, and Yonsei University Professor In Yo-han sent their wishes via video.
Various residents including welfare institution activists, traditional market merchants, community leaders, environmental officers, job-seeking youth, teenagers, and seniors also shared their New Year wishes through pre-recorded videos.
Starting with this New Year’s Greeting Meeting, Seodaemun-gu will accelerate various projects in the new year to bring about tangible changes and leaps forward.
For ‘Resident-friendly Rapid Growth,’ the district will promptly promote the establishment of a landmark in northwest Seoul, complete redevelopment and reconstruction projects perfectly, and also focus on early construction of the Gangbuk Transversal Line and improving the location of stations on the western light rail.
To ‘Strengthen Urban Competitiveness,’ efforts will be made to create a new Daehak-ro through undergrounding the Gyeongui Line, upgrade Sinchon Yonsei-ro, promote the Campus Town project, and support reemployment for middle-aged and older adults.
For ‘Lifelong Companion Life Care,’ the district will push forward welfare special zone projects, strengthen the role of community leaders for local welfare, and expand resident sports spaces.
For ‘Field-centered Communication Administration,’ active communication between the mayor and residents will continue through direct text messages and SNS, and smart work environments such as video conferencing will be expanded.
At the New Year’s Greeting Meeting, Mayor Lee Seong-heon said, “We will do our best to revitalize the local economy, swiftly recover from the livelihood crisis, and provide warm district administration that gives hope and courage to residents.”
Many attendees added meaning to the event by hanging cards with their New Year wishes on two ‘Hope Trees’ installed in front of the stage.
Lee Gi-jae, Yangcheon-gu Mayor, Engages in Communication with New Year’s Dong Office Report Meetings
Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced that to welcome the Year of the Rabbit, it will hold ‘Dong New Year’s Office Report Meetings’ at 18 neighborhood community centers from the 12th to the 19th to share the district’s development direction and major policy projects for 2023 and listen to the vivid public opinion from the field.
This year’s Dong New Year’s Office Report Meetings break away boldly from the conventional format of starting with Mok 1-dong and instead begin with Sinwol 3-dong, which suffers from severe aircraft noise, holding 3 to 4 meetings per day.
On the afternoon of the 12th, Mayor Lee visited Sinwol 3-dong Community Center as the first schedule, meeting directly with major institutions, organizations, and resident representatives to continue his active field visits. He plans to visit all neighborhoods to encourage staff, identify key local issues, and actively listen to residents’ hopes and wishes for the development of the 8th elected district administration.
Mayor Lee Gi-jae said, “I will ensure that the Dong New Year’s Office Report Meetings become a communication platform to establish Yangcheon’s future direction rather than a mere formal event.”
Park Kang-su, Mapo-gu Mayor, Visits Direct Transaction Market for Agricultural and Specialty Products Ahead of Lunar New Year
Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, visited the ‘Lunar New Year Agricultural and Specialty Products Direct Transaction Market’ held at Mapo-gu Office Plaza on the 12th to celebrate the nation’s major holiday, Seollal.
At the direct transaction market, Mayor Park encouraged merchants struggling due to reduced consumption amid economic downturn concerns and listened to the difficulties of residents shopping for ceremonial items, engaging in a time of communication.
Excellent agricultural and specialty products produced by Mapo-gu’s sister cities such as Gochang-gun and Imsil-gun in Jeonbuk Province, Yecheon-gun and Sangju-si in Gyeongbuk Province, Cheongyang-gun in Chungnam Province, Namhae-gun in Gyeongnam Province, Gokseong-gun in Jeonnam Province, and Gangwon Province were sold at prices lower than the market to reduce residents’ shopping burdens.
Mayor Park Kang-su said, “I hope this agricultural and specialty products direct transaction market will provide some help to the struggling farming households. I also wish residents who feel burdened by rising prices in preparing for the Lunar New Year to have a plentiful holiday with affordable and high-quality agricultural and specialty products.”
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