Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, Seoul, Meets Mayor Oh Se-hoon on the 4th, Requests Relaxation of Namsan Height Restrictions
Mayor Oh Expresses “Active Acceptance”... The District Will Cooperate with Seoul City to Address Residents’ Wishes and Local Pending Projects
The Namsan height restrictions that have been holding back Jung-gu will be reasonably adjusted.
Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, met with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on the 4th and requested the prompt resolution of five urgent issues directly related to the lives of Jung-gu residents, receiving a positive response from Mayor Oh expressing active acceptance.
The Namsan height restrictions have regulated even the minimum development necessary for improving residential environments, causing severe aging of nearby residential areas. Mayor Oh empathized with the inconveniences faced by Jung-gu residents and promised to fully accept the district’s requests. This is expected to finally resolve a 30-year-old long-standing issue in Jung-gu.
The district has led public discussions on easing regulations through feasibility studies for relaxing the Namsan height restrictions, resident awareness surveys, and gathering opinions from resident councils. The residents’ earnest hopes are bearing fruit.
The district also received a positive response to its proposal to include the public-led integrated development of Sewoon 6-4 district in the Sewoon Redevelopment Promotion Plan. If realized, this will enable rapid redevelopment of the old Jung-gu office building and the old downtown area.
Regarding support requests for care classrooms within schools, Mayor Oh showed a strong willingness to secure budgets actively. If Seoul City provides approximately 490 million KRW in project funds from next year, Jung-gu will be able to distribute the budget, which has been concentrated on elementary school care, more evenly to middle and high schools as well.
The district also proposed reflecting the ‘Banyan Tree Hotel?Namsan Section Green Connection Road’ in the basic plan study for connecting fragmented park green spaces currently being promoted by the city. If a pedestrian bridge and walking path are installed in this section, residents will be able to access Namsan more conveniently and safely through the barrier-free forest trail to be created in Eungbong Neighborhood Park in 2025.
Furthermore, to alleviate downtown parking difficulties, the district reiterated its request to build a public parking lot on city-owned land designated as a public parking lot under the special district unit plan in the Jangchung-dong area (designated on December 5, 2019). This site requires no separate land acquisition or district unit plan changes, allowing for a shortened project timeline and securing 125 parking spaces.
Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “The results of this meeting will enhance the quality of life for Jung-gu residents,” adding, “In the future, if it is for the sake of the region, I will actively seek cooperation from Seoul City, the government, or anywhere to respond to residents’ wishes.”
Gangbuk-gu Signs Letter of Intent for Friendly Cooperation with Bordeaux, France
Lee Soon-hee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, Participates in the 2023 Dakar Forum of the Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum
May 5 Dialogue with Pierre Hurmic, Mayor of Bordeaux, France, for Friendly Exchange and Cooperation
Expectations to Expand Exchange and Cooperation in Various Fields Including Economy, Education, and Culture Starting with Social Economy
Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) signed a 'Letter of Intent for Friendly Cooperation for Social Solidarity Economy Partnership' with the city of Bordeaux, France, on May 5 at the Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (GSEF) held in Dakar, Senegal.
Both cities have historically and culturally shared a commitment to creating sustainable economic development models and have discussed mutual cooperation. According to district officials, the meeting of the two city leaders at the GSEF 2023 Dakar Forum led to the prompt signing of the letter of intent for friendly cooperation.
According to district officials, the letter includes commitments to share fair and sustainable economic policies and experiences and to actively promote practical cooperation. Going forward, the two cities plan to develop their relationship through social economy exchange activities and expand cooperation in various fields such as economy, education, and culture.
The city of Bordeaux, located about 500 km southwest of Paris, is a French port city and the capital of the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is a major business center in France and a hub for trade, administration, services, and industry.
It is also famous as the world’s largest producer of fine wine and is recognized as a city of art and history, with the city itself listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Major tourist attractions include Place de la Bourse, Saint-Emilion, and the Port of Bordeaux. Among French metropolitan cities, it has a high proportion of natural green spaces, offering a high quality of life. Since the 2000s, it has actively adopted inclusive and sustainable development strategies, attracting a high influx of students and young people. Since 2021, following Seoul, it has served as a chair city of the Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (GSEF), adopting social economy as a key urban development strategy.
Lee Soon-hee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “I believe this letter of intent will greatly contribute to the development of the social economy sector through revitalizing exchanges between the two cities,” adding, “I hope that this relationship will develop into a friendly cooperation city partnership, given the cultural values and environmental similarities shared by both cities.”
Mayor Pierre Hurmic of Bordeaux also expressed, “I am very pleased to sign the letter of intent for friendly cooperation with Gangbuk-gu while Bordeaux continues the global activation efforts of social solidarity economy that started in Korea,” adding, “Starting with the common agenda of sustainable development through social economy, I hope the two cities will steadily exchange and bear the fruits of cooperation and grow together.”
Mayor Lee Soon-hee participated as a member of the Korean delegation in the ‘Overseas Benchmarking of Social Economy Policies’ held from April 26 to May 7 in Dubai, UAE, and Dakar, Senegal, upon invitation from Barth?l?my Dias, Mayor of Dakar, the host city of the 2023 GSEF, and at the request of the National Social Solidarity Economy Local Government Council.
During this period, Mayor Lee visited advanced institutions related to fostering innovative enterprises and smart city development, held meetings with officials, and attended the GSEF 2023 Dakar Forum, one of the world’s largest networks in the social solidarity economy field, to promote mutual learning and policy exchange and cooperation with leading city leaders and network officials.
This Dakar Forum was especially significant as the first international event in the social economy sector following the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on ‘Promoting Social Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development’ on April 18. It was attended by the President of Senegal, central government officials from various countries, heads and officials of city governments from over 600 cities worldwide, and social economy experts.
On May 5, at the local government network roundtable session of the Dakar Forum, Mayor Lee presented Gangbuk-gu’s efforts to support various forms of social economy activities for people-centered sustainable growth, how local governments can form national networks for social solidarity economy development, and international cooperation measures, receiving enthusiastic responses from panelists and attendees.
The Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (GSEF) is a global network that promotes solving local problems and socio-economic development through international solidarity between social economy organizations and local governments. It was initiated in 2013 under the leadership of Seoul City. GSEF holds biennial international forums to promote international cooperation, mutual learning, and policy agenda dissemination in the social economy field, with this year’s forum held in Dakar, Senegal.
Eunpyeong-gu Attends the 2023 GSEF Dakar Forum
Discussing Measures to Address Social Disparities and Achieve Sustainable Development
Forum Held on the Theme of Transition to a Sustainable Economy
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it attended the ‘2023 GSEF Dakar Forum’ held in Dakar, Senegal, from May 1 to 5 as the chair of the Asian continent.
Invited officially by the Mayor of Dakar, Senegal, where the Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (GSEF) is held, the Korean social economy local government delegation, including Kim Mi-kyung, Chair of the National Social Solidarity Economy Local Government Council and Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, along with member local governments, participated together.
The forum was attended by over 600 countries worldwide and was held under the theme ‘Social Solidarity Economy and Regions: Transition from Informal Economy to Sustainable Economy for Local Communities,’ featuring youth forums, women’s forums, the main forum, and a general assembly. Intense discussions and debates were held among local government leaders and institutions from around the world.
Prior to the main event, a pre-forum held from May 1 to 3 introduced excellent cases from various countries addressing issues faced by women and youth through social solidarity economy approaches and discussed the direction of social economy for solving social problems.
On May 5, at the main forum, Kim Mi-kyung, as the chair of the Asian continent of GSEF, introduced key outstanding policies in Asia and Korea for solving social disparities and achieving sustainable development, and conducted policy exchanges with government agencies and leading overseas organizations through meetings with overseas local government leaders.
At the GSEF forum general assembly held the same day, Kim Mi-kyung attended as the chair of the Asian continent and approved the selection of Bordeaux, France, as the next GSEF host city and other major GSEF agenda items.
Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, said, “Seeing how GSEF, which started in Korea in 2013, has grown into an international organization for social economy after 10 years is very moving,” adding, “This forum is a meaningful occasion to introduce and discuss efforts by local governments and civil organizations worldwide to solve social problems through social solidarity economy and achieve sustainable development.” She further added, “I hope that public and private sectors will work together to help GSEF advance as a core international organization for social economy.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
