Ryoo Kyung-gi, Jungnang-gu Mayor: "With a budget of 1 trillion won, Jungnang-gu has grown to the 6th largest district in Seoul. We will strengthen and solidify the urban scale to create 'My Pride, Our Jungnang.'"
Photo exhibition "Connecting Jungnang" highlighting past development and future vision
"Jungnang Education Development Town Hall Meeting" with schools, parents, and students
"2045 Sustainable Development Vision Ceremony" for a Jungnang where present and future, people and nature coexist
Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) has embarked on a special communication initiative to mark the 3rd anniversary of the 8th local government administration.
On the morning of July 1, the first day of the 3rd anniversary of the 8th local government, Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi and Jungnang-gu office staff visited Mangwoo History and Culture Park to pay respects at the graves of independence activist Yu Gwan-sun, Buddhist monk and poet Manhae Han Yong-un, and educator Sopa Bang Jeong-hwan.
Mangwoo History and Culture Park is a place the district visits whenever it renews its resolve. On this day, marking the halfway point of the 8th local government term, they honored the noble spirit of these national heroes who sacrificed for the country and the nation, and reaffirmed their commitment to building a better Jungnang-gu by carrying on their legacy.
To celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the 8th local government, Jungnang-gu will hold various communication events with residents over two weeks until July 12.
Through regular staff assemblies, commendations will be awarded to employees who have actively worked to resolve residents' inconveniences and contributed to the development of Jungnang-gu. Additionally, a photo exhibition titled “Connecting Jungnang” will be held in the lobby on the first floor of Jungnang-gu Office until July 31, showcasing photos of Jungnang’s past and present to highlight the district’s transformation and development, and sharing the meaning of sustainable development through images reflecting the district’s future vision.
On July 2, at the Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center, the control tower of Jungnang education, a “Jungnang Education Development Town Hall Meeting” will be held to share past achievements and discuss future educational development plans with teachers, parents, students, and other education stakeholders. Also, the “Sustainable Development Vision Declaration Ceremony” will take place, focusing on a Jungnang where the present and future, people and nature coexist.
To advance toward becoming the “best public education district,” the district has increased the school education budget from 3.8 billion KRW in 2018 to 12 billion KRW this year, more than tripling the amount.
This is the largest school education budget support in Seoul relative to fiscal independence. The district is also expanding educational infrastructure to provide broader experiential and educational opportunities. Notably, the Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center, the largest of its kind in the autonomous district, opened in May 2021 and has attracted over 110,000 program participants, receiving great support from students, schools, and residents. Building on this success, construction of the second Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center in Myeonmok-dong began in June, with completion targeted for 2025. Once completed, Jungnang-gu will be the only district in Seoul with two education support centers.
Additionally, the district has opened an Urban Agriculture Center, an Environmental Education Center, and two Media Centers. Educational infrastructure is being established throughout Jungnang-gu to ensure children and youth can grow, learn, and interact safely and comfortably, including indoor playgrounds for toddlers, communal childcare rooms, neighborhood care centers, expanded libraries (37 locations), and five youth-exclusive spaces called Dinga-dong.
Furthermore, facilities such as the Youth Culture and Arts Creation Center (scheduled for the second half of 2024) and an Astronomy Science Museum (scheduled for the first half of 2026) are being developed to provide diverse experiences and activities in culture, arts, and science.
Popular reading programs like “Reading 1,000 Books Before School” and “Reading 1,000 Books in Elementary School,” which attract over 10,000 children, continue steadily, building a “Reading Jungnang” foundation that supports learning and education.
Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi stated, “The ‘Reading 1,000 Books Before School’ program was initiated to cultivate reading habits in preschool children. Considering the life cycle, the preschool period is when 80% of the human brain is formed. Children who read 1,000 books during this time develop broad and deep thinking skills, self-learning abilities, and problem-solving skills, enriching their lives. So far, 11,764 children have participated, and 459 have successfully completed the 1,000-book challenge. While the results are valuable, the fact that so many children are growing up reading books gives us great hope for the future.”
The Sustainable Development Vision Declaration Ceremony, held on July 2 in the Jungnang-gu Office basement auditorium, was organized to reaffirm the commitment to preserving Jungnang’s environment and improving residents’ quality of life under the vision of “Jungnang where the present and future, people and nature coexist.” The ceremony includes an awards presentation for the Jungnang-style ESG Best Practice Contest, a screening of the progress and vision video for Jungnang’s sustainable development, a reading of the Sustainable Development Vision Declaration, and a vision proclamation performance.
The district selected 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2045 through a resident deliberation forum involving 53 experts and residents.
Key goals include ▲strengthening independence and mutual care through customized welfare policies ▲creating a healthy care city integrating housing, leisure, and exercise ▲achieving carbon neutrality through eco-friendly energy production and consumption ▲creating a vibrant community through diverse job creation ▲a city where people, nature, and animals coexist harmoniously ▲and achieving the 2045 Sustainable Development Goals through communication and cooperation.
Starting with the Sustainable Development Vision Declaration Ceremony, Jungnang-gu plans to actively implement 17 promotion tasks, 43 unit projects, and 107 detailed projects to realize its sustainable development goals.
In addition, to mark the 2nd anniversary of the 8th local government, the district continues its communication efforts with residents through early morning alley cleaning, meal service volunteering at senior centers, and “Jungnang Masil” events with social economy enterprise representatives, maintaining the mayor’s direct engagement with the community.
“Morning Alley Cleaning,” held every Wednesday morning for the past six years with local residents, is another communication initiative. Having reached its 152nd session, 4,860 residents have participated, cleaning a total of 125 km of alleys across Jungnang-gu, listening to residents’ concerns while sweeping and tidying the neighborhoods.
“Jungnang Masil,” which involves visiting senior centers, schools, welfare centers, apartments, and childcare facilities to listen to diverse resident voices and address their requests, has already held 222 sessions and met approximately 7,363 residents.
Other communication channels include the “Direct Text Message Complaint Window to the Mayor,” allowing residents to send messages directly to the mayor without formal procedures, and the “Jungnang Vision Roundtable,” where residents voice opinions on local issues.
Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi said, “It feels like just yesterday we started the 8th local government, but we have already passed the two-year mark. Reflecting on my six-year term including the 7th local government, I am most grateful to the residents. We endured difficult times together overcoming COVID-19, our budget surpassed 1 trillion KRW for two consecutive years, elevating our district’s status, and we successfully hosted the Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival attended by 3.03 million people?all possible because of residents’ participation and support.
Over the past six years, I have prioritized being on-site, believing that the answers lie in the field. I have been with residents and on-site, spending precious time feeling communication, values, and fulfillment.
Through Jungnang Masil and early morning cleaning, I have listened to diverse thoughts and opinions of residents, closely examined markets, schools, and daycare centers in every alley, and frequently visited senior centers. I have worked hard to meet, communicate, converse, and cooperate with residents for the development of Jungnang-gu and the happiness of its people.
Using the halfway point of the 8th local government as a new starting point for greater leaps, I will carefully attend to residents’ daily lives, steadily complete large-scale long-awaited projects for Jungnang’s happy transformation, and continue to uphold Jungnang-gu’s elevated status in the era of a 1 trillion KRW budget. I will focus on making Jungnang a place where children are happy and elders are respected, an educational city nurturing future competitiveness, a district with swift and certain residential environment improvements, and a vibrant economic Jungnang.”
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