Gangseo Branch of 'Our Neighborhood ESG Center' Opens in Sustainable City Busan

Remodeled Senior Daycare Center Becomes Sixth Branch
Public-Private Collaboration to Expand to 16 Branches This Year

The Gangseo branch of the "Our Neighborhood Social Value Management (ESG) Center," a project aimed at creating a sustainable city in Busan, is set to open.

The Busan Metropolitan Government announced that it will hold the opening ceremony for the Gangseo branch of the "Our Neighborhood ESG Center" at 2 p.m. on January 29 in Myeongji-dong, Gangseo-gu.

The event will be attended by Busan Mayor Park Hyungjoon, Gangseo District Mayor Kim Hyungchan, Hyundai Department Store CEO Jung Jiyeong, Lotte Chemical Head of Communications Kim Youngbeon, representatives from BNK Busan Bank, and the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged.

Our Neighborhood ESG Center Gangseo.

The Gangseo branch, the sixth location of the "Our Neighborhood ESG Center," was newly established by remodeling the closed Nakdong Senior Daycare Center. The city transformed this unused facility into a hub for environmental protection and the realization of social value by repurposing idle spaces.

The center will be operated with a focus on environmental action and community engagement, reflecting the characteristics of the Myeongji District and the nearby Eco Delta City. It plans to encourage residents to put ESG practices into their daily lives by providing education on environmental protection and carbon neutrality, hands-on experiences in resource circulation and eco-friendly living, resident-led ESG activities, and community programs aimed at solving local issues.

In response to the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will be implemented this year, the city plans to expand the "Our Neighborhood ESG Center" network to 16 branches within the year through collaboration with local public and private enterprises. The city also aims to strengthen environmental education and promotional functions tailored to each center and region, and to promote the spread of ESG culture through cooperation with district offices and the private sector.

Interior view of the ESG Center Gangseo in our neighborhood.

The "Our Neighborhood ESG Center" is a resident-participation-based education, experience, and communication space designed to create a sustainable local community as part of a lifestyle-oriented policy for building a "15-minute city." Through the operation of these centers, the city has achieved results such as creating over 3,500 senior jobs, collecting 126 tons of plastic, and engaging more than 20,000 people in environmental education and hands-on programs.

Mayor Park Hyungjoon emphasized, "The ESG Center serves as a hub for practicing carbon neutrality in daily life and as a community model that connects generations. We will continue to expand social value management policies to create a sustainable city of Busan together with citizens."