[Interview] Jo Seong-myeong, Gangnam District Mayor, "Actively Supporting Projects Including Yeongdong-daero Complex Development"

Upon completion of the Yeongdong-daero complex development, GBC construction, Suseo Station area development, and Robot Venture Town creation, Gangnam-gu will become a transportation hub and a global-scale MICE and robot industry center... The current office site is old and cramped, and discussions are underway with Seoul city officials to build an administrative and cultural complex town on the SETEC site.

"Until December last year, we drew the blueprint for the 8th elected term, and from now on, we plan to focus on carrying out detailed projects for our pledges."

Gangnam-gu Mayor Jo Seong-myeong said this in an interview.

First, he stated that he will actively support large-scale development projects such as the Yeongdong-daero complex development, GBC construction, Suseo Station area development, and Robot Venture Town creation, which will be the future growth engines of Gangnam. Mayor Jo explained, "Once these projects are completed, Gangnam-gu will become a transportation hub where people can freely travel nationwide and will be reborn as a global-scale MICE and robot industry center."

He also promised to promptly promote long-awaited reconstruction projects by residents to create pleasant and safe residential areas, thereby improving quality of life, and to develop a compact city centered around station areas to provide all necessary conveniences within the living area.

Along with this, he revealed plans to meticulously implement various safety facility installations and improvements, introduce smart technologies, and conduct education and training to safely protect residents from disasters and accidents and to strengthen response capabilities in crisis situations.

In Gangnam-gu, besides regional development, the office building issue is also a pressing matter. The current office is old and cramped, causing many inconveniences not only for employees but also for residents. Mayor Jo said, "The current Gangnam-gu office in Samseong-dong is a remodeled former Public Procurement Service warehouse," adding, "It is old and cramped, requiring considerable budget for maintenance, and six departments are scattered across four external buildings (Health Center, Urban Management Corporation, CCTV Control Center, Internet CSAT Broadcasting), causing significant inconvenience to residents visiting the office."

Accordingly, Gangnam-gu has determined that to support the future growth of Gangnam, an administrative and cultural complex town must be established on the SETEC site, and has been in discussions with Seoul city officials since September last year. Mayor Jo stated, "When deciding the development method and scale of the SETEC site, we agreed to positively consider including the Gangnam-gu administrative and cultural complex town," and added, "Recently, Seoul city announced that it will conduct a feasibility study for the SETEC site development." He also said, "Based on the 'Basic Plan for the Creation of an Administrative and Cultural Complex Town (draft)' conducted by the district, we will actively cooperate to create facilities that serve both Seoul citizens and Gangnam residents."

He also expressed his intention to actively promote local economic revitalization. Through the Gangnam Employment and Startup Hub Center established in Yeoksam-dong Startup Street, he plans to help startups grow into unicorn companies, and support job seekers with customized employment strategy analysis, job training, and connections to recruitment events to lead to actual employment.

Additionally, he announced plans to expand the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund loan scale to 30 billion KRW this year and to carry out various support programs such as the 'Relay Companion Market,' which promotes local small business owners both online and offline.

Mayor Jo Seong-myeong concluded, "Together with residents, we will realize each planned project to create a Gangnam that is truly Gangnam-like and a better place to live in the future."