[Interview] Park Junhee, Gwanak District Mayor, "Leap to a Future Advanced City Alongside the Great Renovation of the Southwestern Area"

Creation of Venture Startup Hub Area around Nakseongdae 'Gwanak S Valley' New Startup Cluster... Smooth Promotion of Local Moa Housing Project and Redevelopment of Multi-family Dense Areas... Restoration of Bongcheoncheon and Byeolbitnaeruncheon (Dorimcheon) Ecological Streams, Establishment of Park, Green Space, and Waterside Networks

"Through the Southwest Seoul Revitalization Project, Gwanak-gu's key initiatives have gained strong momentum. I am deeply grateful that we have taken a step closer to our goals of establishing Gwanak S-Valley as an economic district and revitalizing the local economy," said Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu.

In a recent interview, Mayor Park expressed that the announcement of the Southwest Seoul Revitalization Project has sparked a new wave of innovation in Gwanak-gu.

One pillar of the Southwest Seoul Revitalization Project is the creation of the Gwanak S-Valley venture startup hub, a project that Mayor Park has prioritized during his 7th and 8th terms, positioning himself as an economic mayor.

In an area once barren for startups, 17 startup infrastructure facilities have been established to date, and in 2022, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups designated the area as a Venture Business Promotion Zone, marking a remarkable achievement. Compared to the early stages, the number of resident companies has increased more than 15-fold, and annual sales have grown over 44 times, demonstrating rapid growth.

Despite the challenging economic downturn, companies residing in Gwanak S-Valley have achieved notable results in various fields. Notably, at the U.S. Consumer Electronics Show (CES), one company won the 'CES Best Innovation Award' in 2022, and this year, eight companies from Gwanak S-Valley participated in the exhibition, with two companies receiving 'CES Innovation Awards' in three categories, bringing global attention to Gwanak S-Valley.

As a result, through 122 business matchings, domestic and international investments totaling 3.1 billion KRW were attracted, showcasing outstanding achievements.

Mayor Park explained, "Gwanak-gu has the highest youth population ratio in the country at 41%, but it has long been perceived as a bedroom community. We have constantly sought ways to grow the district's infrastructure and potential capabilities. By leveraging the talent and technology of Seoul National University as a new growth engine and developing Gwanak S-Valley, I am confident that we can evolve into an 'innovation economy city' like Silicon Valley in the U.S. or Zhongguancun in China."

To create a city where talented young people with excellent skills and technology can work and start businesses without leaving the area, Mayor Park consistently proposed the Gwanak S-Valley venture startup hub project to Seoul City, which was successfully included in the 'Southwest Seoul Revitalization' plan.

Mayor Park expressed his ambition to establish a high-tech research complex centered on artificial intelligence (AI) over approximately 73,000 square meters around Nakseongdae, and to create facilities to strengthen industry-academia cooperation in advanced industries, forming a new startup cluster connecting Gangnam's Teheran-ro and Guro's G-Valley.

He also emphasized the smooth progress of the Moa Housing project to improve the residential environment of aging low-rise housing areas and the rapid redevelopment of densely populated multi-family and multi-household areas.

Currently, Gwanak-gu is advancing a total of 58 redevelopment projects. Among them, four sites are part of the Moa Town project, where management plans and other services are being implemented to improve the residential environment in low-rise housing areas where full-scale development is difficult.

Additionally, alongside the ecological restoration of Byeolbitnaerin Stream (Dorimcheon) and Bongcheon Stream, efforts are underway to improve waterfront infrastructure by designating Byeolbitnaerin Stream as a specialized space. This year, plans will be made to activate and manage waterfront spaces in preparation for the restoration of Bongcheon Stream.

To create a green-sensory city, the district is expanding pedestrian and green networks to ensure convenient access to green spaces everywhere, and Gwanaksan Park will be restructured into a space combining nature and culture.

Through projects creating a waterfront sensory city harmonizing Gwanaksan, Byeolbitnaerin Stream, and Bongcheon Stream?representing the Southwest Seoul area?the district plans to steadily develop spaces where residents and venture startup activists can heal and relax together.

Mayor Park Jun-hee stated, "The remarkable achievements like the Southwest Seoul Revitalization Project were possible because both residents and public officials worked wholeheartedly as one. Moving forward, we will do our best to implement policies that 500,000 Gwanak-gu residents can feel, improving their quality of life and happiness index."