[Interview] Choi Ho-kwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor, "Announcing Southwest Area Development Plan... Opening Yeongdeungpo Renaissance Era"

Creating a Future 4th Industrial Revolution Economic Hub and a Complex City Where Industry, Residence, and Culture Coexist

"Yeongdeungpo-gu's semi-industrial area accounts for 25% of Seoul's entire semi-industrial zones. Among autonomous districts, the district with the largest proportion of semi-industrial areas will become the biggest beneficiary of the Southwestern Seoul development plan."

This is the position of Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, regarding Mayor Oh Se-hoon's groundbreaking innovation plan announced on the 27th of last month. The plan aims to transform semi-industrial areas into future advanced convergence industry clusters, relax the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) for multi-family housing up to 400%, and develop aging residential areas into workplace-proximate neighborhoods enriched with green spaces and convenience facilities under the "Southwestern Seoul Development Plan."

In a recent interview, Mayor Choi expressed confidence, stating, "Through innovative development of semi-industrial areas, we will transform Yeongdeungpo into a hub of advanced 4th industrial revolution jobs coexisting with high-quality residential environments, leading the era of the 'Second Miracle on the Han River' and the 'Yeongdeungpo Renaissance.'"

The semi-industrial areas in Southwestern Seoul, including Yeongdeungpo, were once centers of manufacturing, driving modernization and industrialization, and leading national growth. In particular, Yeongdeungpo, as the ancestral home of Southwestern Seoul, was the first transportation hub in Korea where trains ran, and as an industrial center, it was a key player in achieving the Miracle on the Han River.

However, now is the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Seoul's semi-industrial areas no longer fit the land use designations assigned in the past. Moreover, Yeongdeungpo's semi-industrial area, which was zoned during the Japanese colonial period, is over 100 years old, with severely aging buildings and infrastructure. Despite this, the current semi-industrial areas are restricted by a total volume system, limiting land use changes and other regulations, which have hindered urban development for over 60 years.

The core of the Southwestern Seoul development plan is to innovate the semi-industrial area system and develop these spaces into future advanced convergence industries where industry, residence, and culture harmoniously coexist.

Currently, Yeongdeungpo is preparing development plans for the space above and around the Gyeongbu Line railway and is devising a plan to relocate all 1,300 businesses in the 'Mullae-dong Machinery and Metal Complex' at once.

Mayor Choi stated, "Along with the innovation of semi-industrial areas, we are comprehensively reviewing these projects to rebirth Yeongdeungpo as a new growth hub for advanced 4th industrial revolution industries."

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Metropolitan Area Express Train (GTX-B) on March 7, Mayor Choi said, "It takes only 23 minutes from Incheon Songdo to Yeouido, and just 17 minutes from Incheon City Hall Station to Yeouido. The era of the '30-minute living zone' in the metropolitan area has opened." He added, "The two key factors for urban development are quality jobs and transportation. With the innovation of semi-industrial areas, Yeongdeungpo, poised to leap as a hub for advanced 4th industrial revolution jobs, will have the GTX-B express train stopping at Sindorim Station and Yeouido Station."

Additionally, Yeongdeungpo boasts two large-scale complex cultural shopping malls where shopping and cultural activities are possible, the 'Yeongdeungpo Arts Center' scheduled for completion in 2028, and cultural, leisure, and green spaces to be created above the Gyeongbu Line railway after its removal. These amenities are expected to enable cultural and leisure activities and revitalize the local economy.

On March 8, Seoul's urban planning ordinance was amended to allow a maximum floor area ratio of up to 400% for multi-family housing construction within semi-industrial areas. Mayor Choi said, "This is a signal that the business feasibility of reconstruction has been dramatically improved, enabling rapid redevelopment of aging residential areas within semi-industrial zones and opening the possibility of developing premium residential cities equipped with diverse living infrastructure." He also noted, "The current semi-industrial areas were established in the 1920s and 1930s without systematic planning, resulting in many one-way streets where two-way traffic is difficult, narrow roads, and a lack of parking spaces, causing mixed traffic of vehicles and pedestrians." He emphasized, "With the increase in floor area ratio activating reconstruction, large-scale donated land will be used to expand pedestrian and vehicle roads and maximize green spaces."

Mayor Choi also shared his impressions after attending the world's largest IT and electronics exhibition (CES) held in the United States this January. "I visited the headquarters of OPEN AI, a global AI venture company that developed Chat GPT. Among the 800 employees working there, 30% are of Indian descent, 30% Chinese descent, and only a very small number are Korean," he said, realizing the urgent importance of nurturing scientific talent in Korea.

Always valuing the cultivation of future scientific talent to support advanced 4th industrial revolution jobs, Mayor Choi launched the 'Yeongdeungpo Future Education Foundation' in January this year. In May last year, an agreement was signed with the National Gwacheon Science Museum to link 80 science principle contents developed by the museum with school science curricula, supporting students to easily experience and internalize scientific principles. Additionally, science culture vouchers are provided to 20,000 elementary and middle school students in the area, allowing them to visit and use the science museum as a playground anytime.

Especially this year, outstanding scientific talents will be selected to visit the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). This is to provide youth with valuable experiences to encounter a broader world and nurture their dreams by experiencing advanced scientific culture.

Yeongdeungpo's semi-industrial area is called a "land of opportunity" with vast area and convenient transportation, holding infinite potential to grow into a center of future advanced industries. Since October last year, the 'Yeongdeungpo Semi-Industrial Area Development Plan Service' has been underway. "If we link projects such as the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Line railway and the complete relocation of the Mullae-dong Machinery and Metal Complex to draw a future blueprint, it will create high synergy effects and drastically change Yeongdeungpo's industrial landscape," he said.

Now, Yeongdeungpo is steadily laying the foundation for a great leap forward, looking ahead to the next 100 years. Mayor Choi Ho-kwon expressed his ambition, saying, "Yeongdeungpo, which led the Miracle on the Han River during the industrialization era, will transform into a hub of advanced 4th industrial revolution jobs coexisting with high-quality residential environments. I will focus solely on the residents and become a 'mayor preparing for the future.'" This is why the 'Second Miracle on the Han River' and the 'Yeongdeungpo Renaissance' are eagerly anticipated.