First Autonomous District to Establish 'Urban Development and Management Guidelines' for the North Side Area of Sindebangsamgeori Station
Prepared feasible project plans applicable to the station area, held a residents' briefing session on the 19th to present the draft plan to residents
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Park Il-ha) announced that it has established and provided an 'Urban Development and Management Guideline' for the first time among local governments, different from previous approaches.
The urban development and management guideline is a method where the public sector proactively establishes plans to realize predictable urban planning, allocating development zones suitable for developers, and is gaining attention as a new way to prevent indiscriminate development and resident damages.
In fact, Dongjak-gu is often called the 'holy land of local housing cooperatives,' with currently 21 local housing cooperatives and numerous private developers pushing forward redevelopment projects. However, disputes among project entities and damages caused by indiscriminate development have often been borne entirely by cooperative members and landowners.
Mayor Park Il-ha of Dongjak-gu announced at the start of the 8th elected term a pledge to shorten the average urban redevelopment project period from district designation to groundbreaking, which takes about 13 years, to within 3 years, calling it the 'Dongjak-gu style redevelopment project,' and vowed to change the map of Dongjak-gu.
Accordingly, after taking office, Dongjak-gu became the first autonomous district to establish 'Urban Development and Management Guidelines' for the north side area of Sindebangsamgeori Station, prepared feasible project plans applicable to the station area, and presented the draft plan to stakeholders and residents at a briefing session held on the 19th. (Photo)
This area is an old low-rise residential zone where the irregular road system within the target site needs to be systematized, and expansion of infrastructure such as parks and improvement of the residential environment are urgent. However, three project entities including local housing cooperatives overlap, causing escalating conflicts. If the project is delayed, the residents inevitably bear the resulting damages.
About 30 stakeholders, including residents and three redevelopment cooperative promotion committees, attended the residents' briefing session. By providing guidance on recommended project zones and development directions for each project entity, Dongjak-gu Office effectively played a mediating role among the three development entities, and the project operators expressed high satisfaction.
The main contents of the 'Urban Development and Management Guidelines' for the north side of Sindebangsamgeori Station are: first, changing Sindebangsamgeori Station into an intersection, regularizing the roads, and expanding them to four lanes to dramatically improve the previously insufficient traffic system despite being a station area; second, expanding parks and green spaces absent in the area to create a pedestrian and green environment linking Yongmasan Mountain and the target site.
Third, since many schools are located here and the proportion of family households is high, the guideline proposes expanding public facilities such as childcare and sports facilities, which are currently insufficient; fourth, the project area is divided into phases 1 and 2, totaling three districts and eleven project zones, with appropriate project methods proposed for each zone.
Along with this, Dongjak-gu is confident that it can innovatively transform the map of Dongjak-gu within four years through the 'Dongjak-gu Style Urban Development Activation Five Strategies.'
The 'Dongjak-gu Style Urban Development Activation Five Strategies' include ▲establishing and providing urban development and management guidelines ▲proposing development methods for old residential areas ▲active negotiation including persuading owners of large-scale unused sites for development plans ▲providing solutions for long-term stalled projects ▲shortening the permit and approval period for existing project operators.
Also, projects under review as pilot projects for Dongjak-gu style urban development will have their progress shared with residents in real-time through the Dongjak-gu website.
Mayor Park Il-ha of Dongjak-gu said, “The establishment of the urban development and management guidelines for the north side of Sindebangsamgeori Station is the first signal of change in the map of Dongjak-gu,” and added, “We will continue to directly present customized urban development and management guidelines for each area to secure both public interest and project feasibility.”
Dongdaemun-gu to Renew Life Safety Insurance by January 16, 2024... Covers 8 Items Including Accidents During Public Transportation Use
All residents with addresses in Dongdaemun-gu automatically enrolled... Full premium paid by the district
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) renewed the 'Life Safety Insurance' for all residents by January 16, 2024, laying the foundation to create a safe city where residents are happy.
Life Safety Insurance is a system operated since 2019 to provide stable support to residents who suffer damage from unexpected disasters and accidents.
The insured are approximately 360,000 Dongdaemun-gu residents, including registered and domiciled foreigners, who are automatically enrolled without any separate procedures, and the full premium is paid by the district.
Especially, this year's renewed Life Safety Insurance subdivides coverage levels to eliminate safety blind spots and expands the coverage amounts.
Dongdaemun-gu residents can receive coverage for eight items through Life Safety Insurance: ▲death and aftereffects from explosions, fires, and collapses ▲death and aftereffects during public transportation use ▲school zone traffic injury treatment costs (grades 1-7) ▲silver zone accident treatment costs (grades 1-7) ▲drowning death ▲dog bite emergency room treatment costs, among others.
Depending on the coverage item, compensation ranges from a minimum of 200,000 KRW to a maximum of 20 million KRW, and overlapping compensation with other systems including Seoul City Citizen Safety Insurance is possible. However, death of persons under 15 years old is excluded from Life Safety Insurance according to Article 732 of the Commercial Act.
Kim Chun-young, Director of the Safety and Disaster Division, said, “This year, we have expanded coverage areas and amounts to make Life Safety Insurance more helpful to residents,” and added, “We will continue to actively work to eliminate safety blind spots and create a safer Dongdaemun-gu.”
Gwanak-gu Supports Insurance Enrollment for Electric Mobility Devices for Elderly and Disabled
Covers third-party (personal and property) liability during operation of electric mobility devices
Targets registered disabled residents and seniors aged 65 and over in the district... Covers up to 20 million KRW in case of accidents
Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) supports insurance enrollment for electric mobility devices to prepare for accidents occurring during the operation of electric mobility devices, which are mobility aids for disabled and elderly residents with mobility difficulties.
With the increase in the disabled population and aging, the distribution of electric mobility devices has expanded, and related accidents have also increased. Especially, when the disabled or elderly at fault lack the ability to compensate, compensation issues have become a social conflict factor.
Accordingly, Gwanak-gu introduced an insurance enrollment support system to reduce the economic burden on disabled and elderly persons who must compensate for damages in case of accidents and to ensure that victims receive proper compensation promptly.
To promote this project, the district enacted the 'Gwanak-gu Electric Mobility Device Insurance Enrollment and Support Ordinance' in October last year.
The support targets are registered disabled residents and seniors aged 65 or older residing in Gwanak-gu who use electric mobility devices such as electric wheelchairs and electric scooters.
The district directly contracts with insurance companies and fully covers the insurance premiums. In case of an accident during operation of the electric mobility device, the insurance company contracted with the district compensates third parties for personal and property damages up to 20 million KRW per accident.
Gwanak-gu residents are automatically enrolled without separate procedures, and enrollment is automatically canceled upon moving out. Insurance benefits can be received nationwide regardless of the accident location.
The insurance period is from January 20, 2023, to January 19, 2024, and claims can be made for accidents occurring during this period for up to three years from the date of occurrence.
When filing a claim, the insured pays a deductible of 50,000 KRW, and there are no limits on compensation amount or number of claims. However, compensation for damages to the disabled person themselves is excluded.
Meanwhile, Gwanak-gu opened the country's first 'Electric Mobility Device Exclusive Driving Practice Ground' (Photo) last year to guarantee safe and non-discriminatory mobility rights for disabled residents and operates safety education programs for electric mobility devices.
Additionally, to help disabled persons who have fewer opportunities for cultural and leisure activities than the general public to travel conveniently and freely, the district supports travel activity mobility costs (up to 500,000 KRW per trip).
Mayor Park Jun-hee of Gwanak-gu said, “With this insurance enrollment support system, we hope to minimize the psychological and economic burdens of disabled persons using electric mobility devices, support active social activities, and help victims of electric mobility device accidents recover quickly,” and added, “We will continue to provide interest and support so that disabled persons can live happy lives with stable social bonds in the community.”
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