Jin Kyo-hoon, district mayor of Seoul's Gangseo-gu, said he will open senior staff meetings at the district hall to residents — much as Cabinet meetings are broadcast to the public. To expand cultural facilities in the district, he said he has proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that a K-pop dome stadium be built in Gangseo-gu, and that talks are ongoing. The proposed site is the land that will be vacated when the Line 5 depot in Banghwa-dong is relocated.
Jin won re-election, securing the helm of the district government for another four years under the ninth term of civilian-elected leadership. The vote was a verdict on his two and a half years in office following his initial by-election victory. He took 56.21 percent of the vote, defeating his closest rival — who received 40.42 percent — by a wide margin, and won in all 20 administrative neighborhoods. The lesson he drew from his first term was the centrality of residents' voices, which is why his first official act of the new term was signing the "Basic Plan for Realizing Resident Sovereignty Administration." The Herald Business sat down with Jin on Friday to hear his blueprint for governing Gangseo-gu in the ninth term. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.
— Why do you think residents chose you again?
"The thing I heard most often on the campaign trail was, 'You've done well so far — please see it through to the end.' I also frequently heard that residents felt the district mayor was approachable. I think there was a genuine assessment of how I worked, how I treated residents, and what I accomplished over the past two and a half years. Specifically, I believe the results we achieved on long-standing projects stalled for decades resonated with people. Right after taking office, I restarted the CJ Group site development project, which had been at a standstill. I became the first local government head to meet with the president of the International Civil Aviation Organization to confirm the possibility of early implementation of relaxed altitude restrictions. We also cleared the preliminary feasibility study hurdle for relocating the Banghwa vehicle depot and maintenance yard."
— Demand for transportation infrastructure is growing. Seoul recently announced it would revive the Gangbuk Crosstown Line project with a reduced number of stations. Could Gangseo-gu be affected?
"The city plans to cut the number of stations from 17 to 15 to improve the project's viability, so there is naturally strong interest in which stations will be dropped. In our district, a new station — tentatively named Deungchon 2-dong Station — is planned near the Deungchon 2-dong community center. That station cannot be removed. It affects not only Gangseo-gu's transportation needs but also those of Yangcheon-gu. It is also an area where urban renewal projects, including Moa Town redevelopment, are gaining momentum, meaning an influx of new residents is inevitable. I presented these arguments to the city. In addition, the Sinjeong branch line, which currently terminates at Kkachisan Station on Line 2, will eventually need to be extended to Gimpo. I have conveyed to Seoul that it would be desirable to extend the Sinjeong branch line toward Sinbanghwa Station."
— Why is Han River park development in the district necessary?
"When the Olympic Expressway was originally built, it was constructed too close to the riverbank, leaving little room for development along most of the Han River in our district. The only viable location is near Banghwa Bridge. Last year I drew up a development plan and submitted it to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Han River Headquarters. When I met with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, I also made the case that development was needed there. The plan did not pass the Seoul Metropolitan Council's budget and settlement committee last year, but I intend to push for it again this year."
— What are your plans for expanding cultural and mixed-use facilities?
"I would like to see a K-pop dome stadium brought to Gangseo-gu at the national government level. I have proposed this to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and we are in discussions with the ministry with the relocation site of the Line 5 depot in Banghwa-dong in mind. There is also the district hall site. Based on a survey in which about 4,700 residents participated, the district hall site is planned to be developed into a cultural complex featuring a performance hall, a library and sports facilities."
— Your first official act was signing the Basic Plan for Realizing Resident Sovereignty Administration.
"If my previous term was focused on building the engines of Gangseo's future, the time has now come to move to a stage where all residents can directly feel the results. The Hwagok 4-dong residents' autonomy committee proposed holding a town hall meeting with me for three days. The committee organized it and invited me. Previously, the format was typically a work-report session held by the district office, where I would present updates and answer questions. I expect this kind of town hall meeting to now take place at the neighborhood level as well. Alongside this, just as Cabinet meetings are made public, I plan to open our expanded senior staff meetings to the public through YouTube and other platforms. The goal is to ensure that the district's decision-making process reaches residents without distortion. There are cases where it gets distorted to look as though there is some political agreement or ulterior motive behind decisions."
— The gap between the Magok new town and older neighborhoods such as Hwagok and Banghwa has been a persistent concern. What is the most urgent task for balanced development?
"The starting point for balanced development is ultimately improving the residential environment. About 70 redevelopment and reconstruction projects are currently under way, and in the ninth term I intend to make the speed and balance of these urban renewal projects one of the district government's core priorities. I plan to get the public-private housing complex projects in Hwagok 2, 4 and 8-dong on track as quickly as possible, and to push ahead without delay on the redevelopment promotion district and Moa Town projects as well. The district office will be involved from the planning stage, and I will manage the entire process transparently through resident briefings and progress review meetings."
cook@heraldcorp.com
