"The residents own Dongjak" ... District office opens all floors to the public from July 1, with an 'open mayor's office' planned for the first floor
Dongjak-gu held the inauguration ceremony for its ninth elected district mayor at the grand hall on the fourth floor of the district office on Tuesday afternoon, with about 700 residents in attendance.
The ceremony was focused from start to finish on resident-centered governance and open communication.
Before the formal proceedings began, District Mayor Ryu Sam-young personally greeted residents as they entered, shaking hands and offering words of thanks to each one.
The ceremony opened with a lively pre-program performance by the Dongjak-gu Youth Symphony Orchestra, followed by a "resident appointment ceremony" in which five community representatives — drawn from children, teenagers, youth, middle-aged adults and senior citizens — personally presented Ryu with his letter of appointment.
The inauguration oath followed, along with a reading of a congratulatory message from President Lee Jae-myung and a segment titled "What We Hope for from Our New District Mayor." The Dongjak District Choir closed the event with a celebratory song.
In his inaugural address, Ryu laid out the core vision and a concrete roadmap for governing Dongjak-gu during the ninth elected term.
He led with a pledge to fast-track development projects. "The No. 1 campaign pledge of the ninth elected term — and the first document I will sign after taking office — is a plan to accelerate redevelopment and reconstruction projects," Ryu said, promising to set up task forces for each zone and manage conflicts in improvement projects to push forward the redevelopment and reconstruction residents want.
He also said the district would introduce an "AI administrative innovation system" across all government operations, using AI-driven analysis to automate workflows and dramatically improve both the speed and accuracy of administrative processing. He added that the district plans to develop Dongjak Tower on the Yongyangbongjeojeong park site and roll out a range of cultural and tourism assets to make Dongjak a landmark destination drawing visitors from across the country.
Ryu closed by emphasizing that "the residents are the owners of Dongjak," announcing that the district had already abolished its building access-control system and opened all floors of the district office to the public as of July 1 — the day of the inauguration — and that an "open mayor's office" accessible to anyone would be established on the first floor.
To hear a wide range of resident opinions, Ryu plans to hold community dialogue sessions at all 15 neighborhoods in the district, starting in Noryangjin 2-dong, from July 8 through July 20.
"Regardless of whether residents supported me, I will work for every resident and do my utmost to be a district mayor for everyone — one who lights up Dongjak," Ryu said. "I will carry the weight of the letter of appointment given to me by the residents deep in my heart, and open a new future for Dongjak as a steadfast public servant for all 380,000 residents."
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