Ryu Sam-young, mayor-elect of Dongjak-gu, says expanding road networks during redevelopment is key to joining the 'Gangnam 4' tier
Residents of Gangdong-gu and Dongjak-gu are locked in a quiet rivalry over which district deserves to be named the fourth member of Seoul's prestigious "Gangnam 4" cluster, alongside Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu.
The June 3 local elections are widely seen as having cemented Gangdong-gu's claim to that coveted designation, yet Dongjak-gu is showing signs of its own ambitions. With apartment prices in both districts running extremely high, residents on either side would welcome being counted among the Gangnam 4 — or even a Gangnam 5.
Against that backdrop, Ryu Sam-young, the mayor-elect of Dongjak-gu, identified expanding the transport network as the single most important change the district needs. In an interview Wednesday morning, Ryu was asked what Dongjak-gu required most urgently, and his answer was unequivocal: better transport links.
"One of the reasons Gangnam is so sought-after is that it has an excellent transport network," he said. He added that "Dongjak-gu must also build out its road and transport infrastructure — for instance by widening roads — whenever redevelopment projects move forward."
Ryu had made "swift redevelopment on residents' terms" his top campaign pledge during the ninth nationwide simultaneous local elections. He also publicly committed to making the formation of a task force for each urban renewal zone his first official act in office.
He further pledged to establish a conflict-mediation committee to resolve disputes among stakeholders that have been holding up redevelopment.
The Dongjak-gu district office plans to present the mayor-elect with a report on an "accelerated redevelopment and reconstruction plan" reflecting his priorities before he takes office.
Dongjak-gu currently has 90 redevelopment and reconstruction projects under way, including urban complex development projects and small-scale maintenance projects.
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