Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon: "Geumcheon District to Rise as One of Seoul's Four Major Economic Hubs"

Expanding the D.N.A Industrial Ecosystem Centered on G Valley
Restructuring Industrial Complexes, Expanding Infrastructure, and Easing Regulations
"Development of Guro Customs and Air Force Base Sites"

"Jobs attract young people, and people bring vitality. Now, Geumcheon District’s identity is to become one of Seoul’s four major economic hubs. While the Guro Industrial Complex, established in 1964, laid the foundation for South Korea’s economic growth, Geumcheon District and G Valley, now matured into a vibrant community, will advance as the core of high-tech industry in southwestern Seoul."

Geumcheon District in Seoul is actively expanding the D.N.A (Data, Network, AI) industrial ecosystem centered around G Valley (Seoul Digital Industrial Complex). The strategy is to become the hub of advanced industries in southwestern Seoul through industrial complex restructuring, infrastructure expansion, and regulatory easing, supported by administrative measures.

On October 23, Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon District, met with reporters at G Valley in Gasan-dong and stated, "We will establish an innovation hub for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry through the development of public sites such as the Guro Customs site and the Air Force base, and provide proactive administrative support."

Geumcheon District held a report meeting on the major business plans for 2026 last month and established a total of 454 business plans, including 129 new projects. Provided by Geumcheon District.

15,000 Companies and 140,000 Jobs in G Valley Sectors 2 and 3

Covering 1.92 million square meters (approximately 580,000 pyeong), G Valley is Seoul’s only national industrial complex. The first sector (Guro Digital Complex) is located in Guro District, while the second and third sectors (Gasan Digital Complex) are in Geumcheon District. The Geumcheon District area accounts for 77% of the total area and is home to 15,000 companies employing 140,000 people. There are 44 knowledge industry centers in the first sector and 109 in the second and third sectors (as of the end of 2024), each around 20 stories tall. Annual production reaches 14 trillion won, and exports total 3.3 billion dollars.

This area has established itself as an advanced industry cluster based on an industrial structure that merges information technology (IT) and manufacturing. There are 2,754 AI and IT-related companies, accounting for 71% of Seoul’s total and 35% nationwide.

G Valley companies are also achieving notable results globally. JD Solution, a company specializing in sound solutions, won the "Best Audio Innovation Award" at the IFA International Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin, Germany last month. Resident companies such as AFS and Otiton Medical also proved their technological capabilities by winning Innovation Awards at CES, the world’s largest IT and electronics exhibition, earlier this year.

Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon stated, "With 2,494 D.N.A. companies located in G Valley, it ranks second in Seoul for the number of DNA-related firms. Through proactive administrative support, we will help existing companies grow and develop, attract a continuous influx of new businesses, and establish ourselves as one of Seoul’s four major economic cities."

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon District, is explaining the aerial perspective of the Air Force base development plan. Provided by Geumcheon District.

Development of Guro Customs and Air Force Base Sites

Geumcheon District is also accelerating the use of public land to enhance industrial competitiveness. Through the "Guro Customs Site Development," the district plans to establish a high-density business growth support facility that will bring together an AI sandbox, shared offices, startup spaces, a convention hall, and business support organizations.

The district is also pursuing the "G Valley AI Innovation Center" project, which will transform the Air Force base site into a hub for fostering new AI industries. Plans include easing entry restrictions, attracting young entrepreneurs, and improving residential conditions to enhance the competitiveness of the industrial complex. In December, the district will hold the "G Valley Industrial Development Forum" to discuss strategies for advancing the industrial complex and propose related policies.

Additionally, the district is steadily pushing forward with four major development projects in the Seoksu Station area, including the Central Steel Market, as well as mixed-use development around Geumcheon District Office Station.

Honoring G Valley’s Past While Moving Toward the Future

Geumcheon District is also working to preserve the industrial heritage value of G Valley. To commemorate the history of G Valley, which served as the foundation for Korea’s export industry in the 1960s as the country’s first national industrial complex, the district operates "Geumcheon Suni’s House," a living experience center for Guro Industrial Complex workers.

The facility reproduces the "jjokbang" (honeycomb rooms), which were the actual living spaces of workers, and introduces content utilizing advanced technologies such as augmented reality (AR), allowing visitors to vividly experience the daily lives of female workers in the 1970s and 1980s. The center opened in May 2013 after renovating a house built in 1985. Designated as a Seoul Future Heritage and an accredited institution for career experience education, it attracts over 10,000 students and citizens annually. At the adjacent "Garibong General Store" exhibition, visitors can experience the atmosphere of old times.

The basement jjokbang experience center features six themed rooms-living room, sewing room, memory room, study room, and more-offering glimpses into the lives of the era. In the so-called "honeycomb" rooms, each about 10 square meters, five to six female workers endured harsh living conditions together.

Earlier this month, Geumcheon District appointed former National Assembly member Choi Soon-young as honorary director of Geumcheon Suni’s House. Choi, who served as head of the YH Trading Union and president of the Democratic Workers’ Association in the 1970s, emphasized, "The foundation of our country’s prosperity lies in the lives of female workers who endured low wages and long hours. We must never forget that."

Mayor Yoo stated, "It is said that a nation that forgets its history has no future. We will spare no effort to support Geumcheon G Valley in remembering its past and using it as a foundation to become the center of the D.N.A industry."

Shared washroom at 'Geumcheon Suni's House,' a living experience center for workers in Guro Industrial Complex. Provided by Geumcheon District Office.