Jin Gyo-hoon, Over One Year Since Winning the By-election as Gangseo-gu Mayor
Unveils District Plans to Revitalize Local Economy, Strengthen Safety and Welfare
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon) announced on the 20th that it will focus investment on seven major policy tasks related to district administration this year, including the livelihood economy, urban environment, and inclusive welfare, and will implement policies that all residents can feel.
Jin Gyo-hoon, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul (first from the left), visited the 'Seol Holiday Direct Market' held on the ground of Magok Square on the 17th and greeted residents visiting the market. Provided by Gangseo-gu.
This year's budget for Gangseo-gu is a total of 1.3 trillion KRW. It is the first budget with practical significance reflecting the district administration philosophy of Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon, who was elected in the October 2023 by-election and has been in office for over a year.
The district has presented seven core tasks for this year: ▲ recovery and revitalization of the livelihood economy ▲ safe and sustainable urban environment ▲ inclusive welfare ▲ healthy living environment ▲ abundant culture and arts ▲ balanced regional development ▲ happy families and lives, focusing investment on policies that residents can experience.
Amid unstable economic and social turmoil caused by the impeachment crisis and passenger plane disaster, the focus is on revitalizing the local economy, strengthening resident safety, and enhancing inclusive welfare policies to stabilize livelihoods.
Recovery and Revitalization of the Livelihood Economy
To activate local consumption, the district will significantly expand the issuance of Gangseo Love Gift Certificates to 45 billion KRW this year and increase the discount rate from the existing 5% to 7% (including 2% payback).
To revitalize alleyway commercial districts and traditional markets, promising local commercial areas will be designated and nurtured as alley-type shopping streets. Traditional markets will strengthen competitiveness through events such as holiday Onnuri gift certificate refund campaigns and the creation of customer parking lots. To enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, 8.1 billion KRW will be invested to support participation in exhibitions, invite overseas buyers for consultation meetings, and provide loan support.
Safe and Sustainable Urban Environment
To create a safe city, the district will invest 1.2 billion KRW to install intelligent closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) in crime- and accident-prone areas, and deploy safety guards in parks and walking trails to further strengthen the crime prevention safety network. To prevent electric vehicle fires in apartment complexes, support will be provided for relocating electric vehicle parking spaces and installing safety equipment, and disaster prevention facilities will be installed to prevent road flooding around Gaehwa Yukgapmun.
In particular, to protect socially vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, a budget of 500 million KRW will be invested to improve accident risk blind spots and install additional speed enforcement cameras.
Realizing Inclusive Welfare for All
In response to population aging and economic difficulties, the district has strengthened inclusive welfare policies to support residents in welfare blind spots. It has created 5,433 jobs for seniors, a 52% increase compared to 2023, to help economic independence, and supports five-day-a-week meals at senior centers to ensure seniors' nutrition and health. The Magok Senior Welfare Center began construction in November last year and is scheduled for completion in December this year.
Warm and respectful welfare services are provided through a beauty salon exclusively for the disabled and rest centers for physically and visually impaired persons. The Eoullim Plaza, a complex welfare and cultural space used by both the disabled and local residents, is scheduled for completion in August this year.
Support for national veterans is also strengthened. The Veterans Hall will be newly relocated and opened within this year, and through increases in veterans' allowances and vehicle support, the district honors those who have devoted themselves to the nation.
Healthy and Energetic Living
To create a pleasant living environment, the waste collection system will be changed from the existing alternate-day collection to daily collection. To this end, 25.3 billion KRW will be invested to solve odor and garbage accumulation problems and significantly improve service levels so residents can live in a clean environment.
Additionally, 9.9 billion KRW will be spent to support eco-friendly school meals for students, and free shingles vaccinations will be provided for medical aid recipients aged 65 and older.
The district will also create a red clay path for barefoot walking within green spaces and a trail connecting all of Gangseo for residents' healthy leisure activities. Forest trails throughout the region will be accessible without restrictions to the disabled and elderly.
Jin Gyo-hoon, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, conducting a safety inspection at the construction site of Eoullim Plaza (center in photo). Provided by Gangseo-gu.
Abundant Life through Culture and Arts
The district will provide various cultural events and spaces so local residents can enjoy a healthy and abundant life. Along with the district’s representative ‘Heo Jun Festival’ and ‘Heo Jun Run,’ this year the ‘One Heart Sports Festival’ will be held to unite all residents. Various performances and arts will be held year-round throughout the region, including Magok Cultural Street, allowing residents to easily enjoy cultural life in their daily lives.
The ‘Sky Embraced Outdoor Library’ expands the library beyond indoor spaces to the outdoors, allowing residents to enjoy rest and culture in the city. The Gangseo Library Gayang Branch, built on the site of the former Gongjin Elementary School, will be a four-story building with an area of 3,197㎡ and is scheduled for completion in May this year.
Balanced Urban Growth and Development
The district operates a ‘Redevelopment and Reconstruction Expert Support Team’ and promotes efficient and speedy redevelopment projects in the old city through support for reconstruction safety diagnosis costs and resident briefing sessions.
Additionally, an underground public parking lot will be constructed using the playground of Hwagok Elementary School, and the Airport-dong Village Management Office will be operated to provide various services such as parking convenience to residents of the old city.
Relocation to the integrated new district office building in Magok is also an important task. The construction of the new office building, scheduled for completion in December next year, will be carried out without delay, and efficient asset management and utilization plans will be sought for idle public buildings resulting from the relocation.
Furthermore, the district will promote major pending projects for balanced development, such as easing height restrictions, constructing the Daejang Hongdae Line, and fully opening Banghwa-daero, while continuing policies to support victims of rental fraud.
Support for Happy Families and Lives
To respond to social issues such as declining birth rates and childcare burdens, the district has established a comprehensive support system. A budget of 12.5 billion KRW has been allocated for childbirth and childcare support to increase the birth rate. Support includes medical procedure costs and traditional Korean medicine treatment for infertile couples, postpartum care expenses, and housekeeping care services.
Public childcare will also be strengthened by providing various care spaces and services for children. Seoul-style kids cafes will be expanded to three locations, and Our Neighborhood Care Centers to nine locations.
Additionally, various supports for happy families and lives include employment and entrepreneurship education for women with career breaks, operation of the Seoul Youth Center for young people, and operation of the Labor Welfare Center, a counseling space for labor and employment.
Autonomous Administration through Communication and Participation
The district has set resident participation as a core value of district administration and allocated a total of 1.5 billion KRW for the resident participation budget to reflect residents’ opinions in district administration. Fifteen projects proposed by residents, including the Gangseo Starlight Night Festival, mobile small business owners’ air conditioner cleaning project, and the creation of a red clay path on Bongjeosan Trail, have been included in this year’s district policies.
Along with this, the district plans to further activate resident-centered participatory administration by supporting activity expenses for senior center volunteer guides and increasing activity allowances for secretaries of resident autonomy committees.
Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon said, “Currently, Gangseo-gu is emerging as the center of the southwest area of Seoul and is at a time of change to transform into a future city with great growth potential. The year 2025 will be a significant turning point opening a new future for Gangseo-gu as major projects for the district’s future and development become concrete.”
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