Joint pest control conducted and love bug pilot project inspected ahead of monsoon season
Geumcheon-gu District Mayor Choi Ki-chan made residents' everyday concerns the focus of his first official schedule after his inauguration ceremony Wednesday.
The move put action behind the governing philosophy he outlined in his inaugural address, in which he pledged to "communicate constantly and work together so that small inconveniences in daily life are not overlooked but resolved."
That day, Choi joined the district health center's pest control unit and a community volunteer pest control team for a "special summer joint pest control" operation around Geumcheon Sports Park, aimed at reducing residents' discomfort from summer sanitary pests including mosquitoes and love bugs (Plecia nearctica).
He also inspected the operating status and catch rates of attractant-based love bug traps installed across the district, reviewing the field-centered pest response system amid a recent surge in love bug activity.
The district currently operates 265 love bug attractant traps. The health center's pest control unit and the community volunteer team are working together to carry out rapid pest control operations, focusing on areas with frequent complaints and those vulnerable to pest outbreaks, with the goal of minimizing residents' discomfort from summer sanitary pests.
Earlier that morning, before the inauguration ceremony, Choi received a briefing from the flood control division at the Flood and Storm Disaster Safety Headquarters on the district's 2026 flood and storm disaster safety measures. Under the goal of making Geumcheon-gu a "safe city," he personally reviewed the district's preparedness for summer flood damage ahead of the full onset of the monsoon season.
The district is strengthening its field response capacity through a range of on-the-ground measures: building a 24-hour effective response system, preventing isolation accidents along the Anyang River, establishing a flood-control governance framework, and organizing 19 emergency response field teams.
The district is also conducting regular dredging of sewer lines and storm drains to ensure smooth water flow, while installing flood-prevention facilities and pre-positioning flood-control materials.
Flood-prone areas such as Gasan-dong and Siheung 1-dong are receiving intensive management. Civil servants, community partners and other relevant personnel are also undergoing capacity-building training and hands-on disaster response drills, with the district targeting zero casualties among households vulnerable to flooding.
"From my very first day in office, I wanted to personally check on the sites most closely connected to residents' daily lives," Choi said. "Going forward, I will continue to identify residents' inconveniences on the ground and build a safe and pleasant urban environment through community-focused district administration."
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