"The Answer Lies On-Site"... Heeyoung Park, Mayor of Yongsan, Meets with 1,600 Class Leaders

On-Site Communication Meetings Held Across 16 Neighborhoods
District Officials Join to Address Community Concerns

“Capillaries may not be easily visible, but they deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout every corner of the body. Like capillaries, you quietly support and watch over our community, ensuring that local projects succeed.”

Heeyoung Park, mayor of Yongsan District (center front row), and the heads of Cheongpa-dong are taking a commemorative photo after the on-site communication meeting held on the 5th. Provided by Yongsan District Office.

On the morning of September 5, more than 40 class leaders from Cheongpa-dong and over 10 senior officials from the district office gathered in the auditorium on the fourth floor of the Cheongpa-dong Community Center in Yongsan District, Seoul. On this day, Heeyoung Park, mayor of Yongsan District, hosted an on-site communication event under the theme “Class Leaders Running Together, Creating Yongsan Together.”

This was the fourth such event. Starting in Huam-dong on September 2, Mayor Park has held similar meetings in Ichon 2-dong and Namyeong-dong, and will continue to visit all 16 neighborhoods in the district to hold on-site communication events until October 22. Mayor Park said, “Class leaders have quietly worked as community stewards for many years, often handling difficult tasks, but there have been few opportunities to gather and communicate together,” adding, “Through open conversations, I want to listen to your valuable opinions and reflect them in district policies.”

In Yongsan District, which consists of 16 neighborhoods, approximately 1,600 class leaders are active. While community representatives serve as an “administrative channel” linking the community center and residents, class leaders are the “caretakers at the alley level.” Unlike community representatives, who receive a small stipend for their activities, class leaders serve on a voluntary, unpaid basis.

Questions poured in. Oksoon Son, a class leader, requested, “Since this is a redevelopment area, nighttime safety is vulnerable, so please install an emergency safety system.” Gyuyoung Lee, another class leader, said, “We need handrails on the uphill paths in the neighborhood.”

Mayor Park responded to the specific concerns of Cheongpa-dong’s alleys, such as securing closed-circuit (CC) TV cameras, expanding resident-priority parking zones, and installing convex mirrors. She gave work instructions to senior officials on the spot or explained various situations directly to the class leaders. Attending the meeting were the head of planning and coordination, the chief of the road department, the chief of the parks and green spaces department, and the chief of the safety and disaster department, who each provided direct explanations or promised immediate action.

This year, Yongsan District developed a capacity-building program for class leaders, conducting six sessions that included tours of major local facilities such as the rainwater pumping station, detention basin, and Yongsan Museum. The district also recently revised an ordinance to secure funding for health checkups for class leaders. Next year, a separate workshop is also planned.

Park Heeyoung, mayor of Yongsan District Office, is answering the class leaders' questions. Provided by Yongsan District Office.