Yongsan District Mayor Kim Kyung-dae Hits the Ground Running With First-Day Site Visits

Kim Kyung-dae, the newly sworn-in mayor of Yongsan-gu, made a round of visits to the district's major development sites on Thursday — the day after his inauguration — marking the first field outing of his ninth directly elected term.

Having identified rapid development as the top priority of his administration, Kim toured the demolition site at Hannam Zone 3, Officer Housing Complex 5 and the Children's Garden at Yongsan Park, and the Yongsan International Business District in succession, receiving briefings on project progress and key pending issues at each stop.

The three sites represent the district's flagship efforts in residential environment improvement, national park creation and international business hub development — projects widely regarded as pivotal to Yongsan's future competitiveness as an urban center.

At Hannam Zone 3, where demolition work is nearing completion, Kim toured the site and received a briefing on the project's overall status, construction outline and demolition progress. He urged officials to make safety the top priority and to maintain rigorous on-site safety management throughout the remaining work.

At Officer Housing Complex 5 and the Children's Garden in Yongsan Park, Kim checked on the operational status of the temporarily opened grounds and the progress of sports and recreation facility construction.

He called for close coordination among relevant agencies to ensure Yongsan Park develops into an open space shared with residents, and specifically requested that more space and longer operating hours be secured so residents can make fuller use of the park's sports and recreation facilities.

At the Yongsan International Business District, Kim received a briefing on the development plan and construction schedule for the complex, and reviewed key issues and future plans for the project. He stressed that the district must be developed into a global business and commercial hub in line with its original vision, and pledged to monitor the project's direction and execution to ensure it achieves the function and stature befitting the central axis of an international city representing South Korea.

"Yongsan's major development projects are not only about improving residents' quality of life — they are the defining projects that will determine Yongsan's future," Kim said. "The district will actively fulfill its role to ensure these projects move forward swiftly and without disruption, and we will further strengthen cooperation with all relevant agencies."

He added, "The answers in administration are found not at a desk but in the field. Going forward, I will go to the field first and find answers there, creating changes that residents can feel through a field-centered approach to governance."