Interview with Yangcheon District Mayor Lee Gijae
Transforming from a Residential City to a Vibrant, Livable City
"Expanding Educational and Cultural Infrastructure to Areas like Sinwol-dong"
"Housing Development Authority Should Be Given to Dist
Yangcheon District has seen more than half of its long-awaited projects come to fruition, including the rezoning of Mok-dong Apartment Complexes, the relocation of the Sinjeong Train Depot and the planned extension of the Sinjeong Branch Line to Gimpo, as well as the development of the Western Truck Terminal site. Educational and cultural infrastructure in non-Mok-dong areas such as Sinwol-dong has been expanded, and support measures for residents affected by airport noise, such as property tax reductions, have also been significantly increased. The district has also introduced new signature festivals, such as the Yangcheon Family Street Festival and the Rock Festival, which were unprecedented in the area.
Lee Gijae, Mayor of Yangcheon District in Seoul, stated, "The rezoning of Mok-dong Apartment Complexes 1 to 3 and the relocation of the Sinjeong Train Depot, both of which were long-standing goals, are among the most rewarding achievements of my term," adding, "Next month, we will hold groundbreaking ceremonies for the mixed-use development of the Western Truck Terminal and the Daehang Hongdae Line, which will pass through Sinwol-dong in Yangcheon District."
Mayor Lee emphasized, "A city where people live should be joyful," and noted, "Recently, Yangcheon District has been transforming from a residential and education-focused city into a city where leisure and culture thrive."
Lee Gijae, Mayor of Yangcheon District, smiled brightly in an interview with The Asia Business Daily, saying, "A city where people live should be joyful." Provided by Yangcheon District.
"A City Should Be Joyful and Vibrant"
In his first year in office, Mayor Lee attended all local festivals and planned a complete overhaul. While there were many festivals, they lacked unique characteristics and were quite similar. He established a framework for festivals by neighborhood, region, and district, created an evaluation system to further develop outstanding festivals, and improve those that were lacking.
"Instead of being a city where people just sleep and go to work, our community should offer spaces for hobbies, leisure, and enjoyment, but our area was lacking in these aspects," he explained. "After attending various festivals, I realized things needed to change, so I worked with experts to establish order and highlight the unique features of each festival."
This led to the creation of the "Yangcheon Family Street Festival." Now in its second year, the festival will be held on the 26th as the district's signature event. It is designed as a "generational empathy family festival" for all residents to enjoy. Last year, a 600-meter stretch of the six-lane road near Sinjeongnegeori Station was closed for the event, and this year, the festival area will be expanded to a 900-meter section, which will be fully closed for the festivities.
Mayor Lee said, "The first festival drew more than 62,000 attendees and received an enthusiastic response. This year, we have expanded the event area and increased its scale," adding, "This will further enhance residents' enjoyment and help stimulate the local economy."
The "Yangcheon Rock Festival" was also his idea. He took the unique characteristic of severe airplane noise in the Sinwol area and turned it into a positive, using the concept "Even white noise can be enjoyable." In the Sinjeong area, the "Rodeo Fashion Festival" was held, and in Paris Park in the Mok-dong area, a festival was remodeled to "bring out the scent of France" in celebration of the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France.
Dedicated Efforts for Sinwol-dong's Development
Mayor Lee stressed, "We have worked hard to ensure that educational, cultural, and leisure facilities, which were concentrated in Mok-dong, are now spreading throughout Yangcheon District for balanced development." He pointed out that the establishment of the Sinwol Lifelong Learning Center, the Sinwol Future Education Center (Neolbeundeul Future Education Center), and the Sinwol Cultural and Arts Center, as well as the creation of a summer water park in West Seoul Lake Park and the hosting of the Rock Festival in Sinwol-dong, are all results of these balanced development policies.
The Sinwol Lifelong Learning Center, a technology-specialized educational space, opened in July last year. Since April this year, an annex has also been operated using a donated space near the main building. The Neolbeundeul Future Education Center, located in Sinjeong 3-dong and the Sinwol area, offers artificial intelligence (AI) and coding education through digital play-based educational content. Previously, the Future Education Center was only available in the Mok-dong and Sinjeong areas. Mayor Lee laughed, saying, "It is disappointing to hear that the mayor only cares about Mok-dong and neglects Sinwol-dong."
Support for residents affected by airport noise has also increased. Yangcheon District was the first local government to implement a property tax reduction system for residents in airport noise-affected areas. He said, "Over the past two years, we have reduced property taxes by a total of 3.81 billion KRW for about 50,000 households," adding, "Although the reduction amounts to only tens of thousands of KRW per household, it was not an easy decision to cut nearly 2 billion KRW in taxes each year given the district's tight finances."
Yangcheon District has established a comprehensive airport noise support center, providing precision hearing tests, psychological counseling services, subsidies for purchasing hearing aids, and even Gimpo Airport usage fees. An airport noise monitoring system has also been set up. Mayor Lee stated, "The social benefits of airport use should be fairly returned to residents affected by noise," adding, "We have taken the initiative to implement various support measures."
Lee Gijae, Mayor of Yangcheon District, attended the residents' briefing session for the construction of Sinwol 2-dong Community Center. Yangcheon District decided to build a new community center three times the size of the current building, with a total floor area of 3,400㎡, at a budget of 17.6 billion KRW. Provided by Yangcheon District.
"Residential Development Authority Should Be Given to Districts"
All 14 Mok-dong Apartment Complexes are about to be designated as redevelopment zones. Within ten years, Mok-dong Apartments will be transformed into a "mini new city" with 50,000 households. Of the total 66 areas, 45 are designated for redevelopment, including Moatown and station area development projects.
Early next month, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for the mixed-use development of the Western Truck Terminal, marking the first step in nine years since the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport selected it as a pilot site for an urban high-tech logistics complex. The logistics facility, once considered undesirable, will be transformed into a complex combining residential, commercial, shopping, and logistics functions. In the same month, a groundbreaking ceremony will also be held for the Daehang Hongdae Line, a metropolitan railway. By around 2031, a subway station will be established in Sinwol-dong.
When asked about the government's October 15 real estate policy, Mayor Lee criticized it as "an extreme measure akin to morphine, a totalitarian regulation that should never be implemented," adding, "Where in the world do people need state approval to buy or sell a home?"
He emphasized the need to decentralize urban planning and permitting authority to local governments. Mayor Lee argued, "To ensure rapid and smooth housing supply, the authority for urban redevelopment should be delegated to the 25 autonomous districts of Seoul." He explained, "It takes several months for the Seoul Metropolitan Government to conduct an urban planning review, but if each district had its own review committee, the process would be much faster."
At the end of the interview, when the topic of running came up, his eyes lit up. He recently completed a full marathon in 3 hours and 50 minutes. "I enjoy running. Whenever I run faster during exercise, my distractions turn into determination. I believe that if you erase just one dot from the Korean word for 'distraction,' it becomes 'determination,' and that's how I approach my work." He said he relieves the stress that comes from things not going as planned by running.
Yangcheon District will hold the "2nd Yangcheon Family Street Festival" on the 26th. At the festival held for the first time last year, Lee Gijae, the mayor of Yangcheon District, gave a greeting speech. Provided by Yangcheon District.
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