[Interview] Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, "Creating a Park Where Dorimcheon Culture Lives and Breathes"

Acceleration of Dorimcheon (Byeolbitnaerincheon) Attraction Development… Completion of Ecological Stream Restoration, Creation of Specialized Spaces at Key Nodes of the Sillim Line, etc.

‘Gwanaksan Park 24 Project’ to Enjoy Gwanaksan Anytime 24 Hours a Day and Restore Vitality

Gwanak-gu, Seoul is stepping up efforts to create a city where culture breathes, including the ecological restoration of Dorimcheon.

Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, “I believe the most important value in life is ‘happiness,’ and we are doing our best to provide spaces where residents can rest, enjoy, recharge, and feel happiness.”

One of the representative projects is the ‘Byeolbitnaerincheon Attraction Development’ project. Gwanak-gu has designated the brand name ‘Byeolbitnaerincheon’ to enhance the image of Dorimcheon, a precious natural resource and a representative healing space of the district, and has been promoting various specialized projects such as ‘Byeolbitnaerincheon Restoration and Waterside Landscape Creation.’

“‘Byeolbitnaerincheon’ is a specialized project for Dorimcheon, meaning a stream full of joy like the countless stars in the sky, and it also expresses the falling star in the birth legend of the district’s urban brand ‘General Gang Gamchan,’” he explained.

During the 7th local government term, the district invested a total of 43.3 billion KRW to promote nine specialized projects including ▲Creation of Green Scenery Paths ▲Gwancheon-ro Cultural Platform ▲Ecological Landscape Improvement ▲Bridge Landscape Improvement ▲Creation of Walking Trails, and plans to accelerate the attraction development of Byeolbitnaerincheon in the 8th term by restoring the unrecovered stream sections and completing the water (Su) zone extending to Gwanaksan.

First, the goal is to restore the last unrecovered section in front of Seoul National University’s main gate into an ecological stream by June next year, and to create outing and resting spaces linked with three stations of the Sillim Line and Byeolbitnaerincheon.

According to the results of the Byeolbitnaerincheon specialized space creation service, major nodes will be developed into special spaces with unique characteristics, installing walkways, resting terraces, various water features, and lighting facilities, transforming the stream into a daily space for walking and resting while viewing the water, as well as a nighttime attraction where light and water harmonize.

Mayor Park said, “This will create greater synergy in connection with the Seoul Vision 2030 Stream Renaissance,” and expressed his ambition, “We plan to develop Byeolbitnaerincheon as a leading cultural and vitality hub that enhances the value of waterside spaces, promoting local economic revitalization and balanced development.”

In addition, the district is focusing on the ‘Gwanaksan Park 24 Project’ so that residents can enjoy Gwanaksan, another representative natural resource, anytime 24 hours a day and restore vitality.

It proposes a “Life Healing Platform” where nature and culture converge, dividing 24 neighborhood parks at the foot of Gwanaksan into three zones, each specialized as ▲Parks where life is revived ▲Parks where emotional healing occurs ▲Parks flowing with cultural dignity.

The first zone, covering 12 neighborhood parks in Miseong, Nangok, and Nanhyang-dong areas, will be transformed into community-oriented parks with facilities such as silver play gardens, easy-breathing five-sense forest trails, and children’s themed playgrounds. In particular, the Nangok district plans to complete the first phase of park creation in the first half of this year and then proceed with the second phase including a park golf course.

The second zone includes seven parks in the Daehak and Samsung-dong areas, which will be reorganized into emotional parks by renovating the existing Gwanaksan Adventure Forest, camping site, and healing center, creating the Eutteum Park, and expanding the urban agriculture park. The third zone, covering five parks in Nakseongdae and Namhyeon-dong areas, will be developed into traditional cultural parks with local historical significance, future-oriented smart gardens, and event plazas.

This year, four new parks will be additionally created in Yangji, Haneul, Wonsin, and Mokgol mountain districts of Gwanaksan, and efforts will be made to build dedicated soccer fields and jokgu (foot volleyball) courts within the parks.

Meanwhile, last year, the district remodeled ‘Gwanak Art Hall,’ the only public performance hall in Gwanak-gu, and reopened it as a multipurpose professional performance hall centered on family plays where residents are the protagonists. With improved accessibility due to the opening of the Sillim Line, residents using Gwanaksan and Byeolbitnaerincheon can easily and comfortably enjoy performances together. In November, the district plans to complete the ‘Gwanaksan Entrance Eutteum Park Creation’ and ‘Gwanak Art Hall Art Walkway’ in front of the hall.

Mayor Park Junhee said, “We are also continuously promoting the ‘365 Daily Culture’ and ‘365 Daily Sports’ projects so that residents can enjoy cultural and sports activities in their daily lives and feel happiness. We will do our utmost to promote projects so that residents can broadly enjoy the benefits of nature and culture and restore vitality together with the transformed Byeolbitnaerincheon and Gwanaksan.”