Kim Gyeong-dae was officially inaugurated as the 42nd Yongsan-gu district mayor on Wednesday and has been making daily site visits since taking office, positioning safety and development as the two pillars of his administration under the ninth round of civilian-elected local governance.
His hands-on approach — inspecting disaster response systems and touring key development project sites in person — has drawn early praise as a smooth start to his tenure.
At the stroke of midnight Wednesday, the moment his term began, Kim visited the duty office, the disaster safety operations center and the integrated control center in succession, reviewing emergency response systems and encouraging staff on duty.
"Protecting the lives and safety of residents is the top priority of this district administration," he told staff. "Please do your utmost to ensure airtight situation management and swift initial response."
Back in his office, Kim presided over a formal transfer-of-duties ceremony and signed his first official document — an order to establish a dedicated task force for "accelerating Yongsan's development and strengthening safety." The move was seen as a symbolic statement of his governing philosophy for the new term.
On Wednesday, his first full day after the inauguration, Kim made a series of visits to major development sites that will shape Yongsan's future.
He toured the Hannam Zone 3 demolition site, the officers' housing complex No. 5 and children's garden at Yongsan Park, and the Yongsan International Business District, reviewing the progress of each project and examining key pending issues on the ground.
The three projects — representing residential environment improvement, national park development and international business district construction, respectively — are considered critical to Yongsan's long-term competitiveness.
At Hannam Zone 3, where demolition work is nearing completion, Kim received a progress briefing from officials and stressed that safety must come first. "Development is important, but preventing accidents is the top priority above all else," he said, calling for rigorous safety management.
On Thursday, Kim continued his safety-focused tour with visits to sites being prepared for heat waves and heavy rainfall.
He inspected the Hannam stormwater pumping station, a smart cooling shelter in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Yongsan Senior Welfare Center, the Sinyongsan underpass and the Seoul Station jjokbangchon (a neighborhood of low-cost single-room lodgings), checking summer disaster preparedness and protection measures for vulnerable residents.
At the Hannam stormwater pumping station, he reviewed flood response systems and equipment operations, urging staff to "be thoroughly prepared to respond immediately when an emergency occurs."
At the smart cooling shelter, he checked the operation of heat-mitigation facilities and asked staff to "manage them carefully so residents can get real help even in extreme heat."
At the Sinyongsan underpass, Kim inspected flood response systems and said that with localized heavy downpours becoming more frequent, advance inspections and rapid response at disaster-prone facilities are more important than ever. "Detect warning signs early and do everything possible to prevent casualties," he said.
At the Seoul Station jjokbangchon, Kim joined staff from the Seoul Station Jjokbang Counseling Center to review heat-wave protection measures for vulnerable residents, checking the distribution of cooling supplies and food and the operation of heat-relief shelters. He also encouraged members of Yongsan-gu's homeless street outreach team working in the area and listened to their firsthand accounts.
"Preparation before a disaster strikes is far more important than responding after the fact," Kim said. "Protecting the lives and safety of residents from heavy rain and extreme heat is the most fundamental duty of this district administration. I will personally examine risk factors in the field and respond proactively, leaving no gaps."
A three-term Yongsan-gu Assembly member before taking office, Kim is regarded as a field-oriented politician with an unusually deep knowledge of the district. Having witnessed the pain of the Itaewon crowd crush up close, he has made safety the foremost value of his administration while also signaling a clear intent to push large-scale development projects — including the Yongsan International Business District and the Hannam New Town redevelopment — forward at pace to boost the district's urban competitiveness.
Even in just his first three days in office, observers say Kim's governing philosophy — rigorous on safety, swift on development — is already coming into sharp focus.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
