Choi Ho-kwon, the outgoing district mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, has continued looking after residents' daily lives until the final days of his term — even after being abruptly cut from the candidate list ahead of the June 3 local elections, losing any chance to seek reelection.
His commitment to seeing out his responsibilities regardless of the election outcome has drawn praise from staff and residents alike, with some saying he will be remembered as "a district mayor who kept his eyes on residents until the very end."
In the weeks before his departure, Choi has wrapped up a series of practical, resident-focused initiatives: improving working conditions for sanitation workers, opening Seoul's first 36-hole park golf course at the district level, and launching a public online food delivery voucher program to ease delivery costs.
The district opened a dedicated rest facility for sanitation workers in Yeongdeungpo-dong on June 25, offering improved welfare and working conditions for the staff who keep the neighborhood clean.
The previous facility in Yangpyeong-dong was a deteriorating prefabricated panel building that leaked during rain and offered little usable space.
The district set up a new dedicated rest space spanning about 330 square meters on the second floor of the Yeongdeungpo Regional Self-Sufficiency Center. It is a rare example of a dedicated on-site rest facility for field workers within a public building in Seoul.
The new space is equipped with a lounge, changing rooms, showers, a laundry room, and heating and cooling systems. The layout was designed so workers can move directly from changing out of their work clothes to showering and doing laundry, with both convenience and hygiene in mind.
"Even after wrestling with dust in the scorching heat, having a place where we can comfortably wash up and rest makes it so much easier to head back out for the next shift," one sanitation worker said.
Last year, the district also invested 70 million won ($45,300) across six rest facilities to complete waterproofing and leak repairs, electrical upgrades, and restroom renovations, reflecting sustained commitment to improving conditions for field workers.
"We set up this rest facility so that the sanitation workers who quietly start their days before dawn to keep Yeongdeungpo clean can rest in a better environment," Choi said. "I hope it contributes to greater job satisfaction and a safer working environment."
Yeongdeungpo-gu also held a dedication ceremony Friday along the Anyang Stream to mark the completion of its second park golf course, ushering in the first 36-hole park golf facility at the district level in Seoul.
The new 18-hole second course joins the existing 18-hole course, bringing the combined facility to 39,033 square meters — the largest park golf complex in Seoul.
The path to completion was not smooth. Repeated requests from relevant agencies over river management and flood-control safety concerns threatened to stall the project, but the district persisted, relaying the views of more than 2,000 park golf enthusiasts and holding sustained consultations with the agencies involved. The effort paid off in January, when the district secured a river-use permit and cleared the way for the project.
Yeongdeungpo holds a special place in the sport's history: the country's first park golf course opened at Yeouido Han River Park in 2004, making the district the birthplace of park golf in Korea. The completion of the 36-hole complex is expected to further cement its standing as the hub of park golf in the greater Seoul area.
Choi has also put the finishing touches on a policy aimed at easing the cost-of-living burden on residents during a period of high inflation.
Starting July 1 at 10 a.m., Yeongdeungpo-gu will issue 2.5 billion won worth of "Yeongdeungpo Ttangyeoyo" vouchers for use on the public online food delivery app Ttangyeoyo.
The vouchers come with a 15 percent upfront discount at the time of purchase, and users receive an additional 5 percent cashback when spending at participating local businesses — a combined discount of up to 20 percent.
Residents stand to cut their delivery and dining costs, while small business owners benefit from lower commission fees compared with private delivery platforms. Some describe the program as a model win-win policy that benefits both consumers and self-employed business owners.
Though his bid for reelection never materialized, Choi is closing out his term with tangible results — improved welfare for field workers, expanded recreational infrastructure, and support for the everyday economy — staying by residents' side until his final day in office.
In the community, some say he will be remembered as "a district mayor who put people before administration, right up to the moment he left."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
