[Interview] Seogangseok, Songpa District Mayor, "Realizing 'Administration Serving Residents as Owners' through Creativity, Innovation, and Fairness"

Full-Scale Development of Songpa-daero Luxury Street

Strong Response Continues on Pungnap-dong Buried Cultural Heritage Issue... Rapid Promotion of Redevelopment and Reconstruction Without Setbacks

Emphasizing ‘Fairness’ Alongside ‘Creativity and Innovation’ for Servant Leadership Administration

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “We will realize ‘an administration that serves residents as owners’ through creativity, innovation, and fairness.”

This is the New Year’s aspiration revealed by Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District Office, in an interview.

Mayor Seo stated, “The past approximately 180 days have been a period to lay the foundation for ‘an administration that serves residents as owners.’ Starting from 2023, we aim to fully activate Songpa-style servant leadership administration and create a dynamic, changing luxury city, Songpa.”

He continued, “Although it has been a short period of six months, the changes in Songpa District have already begun,” highlighting notable achievements.

Procedures related to reconstruction and redevelopment, which previously took from three months to one month, have been accelerated to between one year and three months under the 8th elected administration of Songpa District. The Jamsil Jugong 5 Complex has had its maintenance plan amendment confirmed and now only awaits the approval application for the project plan by the association and the architectural review by Seoul City. Additionally, Machun 2 District, which was not included in Seoul City’s rapid integrated planning target sites, was selected as a final target site at the end of last year through Songpa District’s proactive administration. This site is now swiftly moving forward with the establishment of a maintenance plan this year and aims for district designation next year.

Mayor Seo expressed confidence, saying, “Based on my experience as the head of the Housing Planning Division at Seoul City and 33 years as an urban administrator, the reconstruction and redevelopment procedures in Songpa District will proceed as quickly as possible within the legal framework through consultation with residents.”

He is also raising a strong voice on behalf of residents regarding the Pungnap-dong buried cultural heritage issue. Mayor Seo asserted, “It is cultural heritage dictatorship for the Cultural Heritage Administration to arbitrarily designate past house sites as cultural heritage and infringe on the property rights of current residents.” Thanks to this attention, the excavation survey at the Jamsil Jinju Apartment reconstruction site, which has 2,700 households, was unusually completed early in four months in the second half of last year, and construction is currently proceeding without setbacks.

Mayor Seo said, “To protect cultural heritage, regulations should not only constrain residents’ lives but also clearly show the basis for such regulations,” and he repeatedly requested, “I hope the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration visits the Pungnap-dong site directly to see residents’ lives and promptly engage in communication.”

The vision of the 8th elected Songpa District administration is “a luxury city that serves residents as owners.” With creativity, innovation, and fairness as core values, it pursues 100 major pledge projects based on six strategic goals: ▲ Comfortable City Songpa ▲ Prosperous City Songpa ▲ Safe City Songpa ▲ Inclusive City Songpa ▲ Cultural and Sports City Songpa ▲ Educational Advancement City Songpa.

To this end, the district will continue one-stop civil service processing for permits and approvals, lowering the threshold of the district office to provide friendly administrative services. Seasonal flower paths will be created on major roads to bring happiness to daily life. Additionally, increases in disability and veterans’ allowances, expansion of welfare benefits for childcare teachers and care workers, and other measures will consider socially vulnerable groups and residents working in high-intensity labor environments. The aging Songpa Community Center will be remodeled, and cultural and artistic projects reflecting Songpa’s characteristics, such as hosting the national Talchum Festival and founding a district theater troupe, will be promoted to increase residents’ opportunities to enjoy culture and arts. Furthermore, for the first time nationwide, native English-speaking instructors will be supported in daycare centers and kindergartens to supplement the limitations of public education and create an equitable educational environment for all.

Mayor Seo especially highlighted the development of the Songpa-daero luxury street, resolution of the Pungnap-dong buried cultural heritage issue, and rapid promotion of redevelopment and reconstruction as key projects. He said, “Resolving long-standing local issues and visibly showing Songpa’s transformation is the spirit of the times that residents expect from me,” emphasizing, “I will definitely show changes and solutions during my term.”

The development of the Songpa-daero luxury street began with the commissioning of a basic plan on January 19, and the blueprint will be completed by March. This marks the beginning of changes to Songpa-daero, the face of Songpa District, for the first time in 35 years since the district’s establishment in 1988. Regarding the Pungnap-dong buried cultural heritage issue, 3,200 residents petitioned the Cultural Heritage Administration for regulatory relaxation in December last year. Songpa District plans to continue its efforts in unison with residents to demand cultural heritage administration that serves the residents. Redevelopment and reconstruction are expected to gain further momentum as Songpa District’s prompt administrative processing and two regulatory relaxations requested from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (relaxation of structural stability ratio and abolition of the secondary detailed safety inspection) have all been reflected in policies.

For servant leadership administration, Mayor Seo emphasized ‘fairness’ in addition to ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation.’ He said, “Fairness means standing on the right side, not the middle, of the complainant in light of the professionalism, conscience, and common sense of a public official,” adding, “Going forward, Songpa District’s administration will definitely uphold the value of fairness.”

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District, pledged, “By February 28, I will visit all 27 neighborhoods to engage in dialogue with residents. I will listen more carefully to residents’ opinions to achieve new changes and greater development in Songpa. I will tirelessly strive to realize the vision and future of Songpa promised to residents.”