District shares updates on office relocation and Yeomchang Neighborhood Park development; Jin addresses housing construction concerns directly during livestreamed meeting
Gangseo-gu held an expanded senior staff meeting at the district office on Tuesday, livestreaming the entire proceedings on YouTube for the first time.
District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon chaired the meeting, attended by all senior civil servants. Key agenda items included the relocation plan for the new integrated Magok office complex and the conversion of the existing district office building into a mixed-use cultural facility.
Jin reviewed staffing arrangements for the transition period and the frequency of shuttle bus service to the new building, urging officials to minimize inconvenience to residents.
"Since public funds have gone into the new integrated office, we must reuse furniture and office equipment and keep waste to a minimum so that not a single won of taxpayer money is squandered right up to the end," he said. "The relocation will take more than a month, and residents may face inconvenience during that time, so please pay close attention to every detail."
As the first public meeting of its kind, it drew strong interest from residents. When comments opposing the construction of apartment housing on degraded land within Yeomchang Neighborhood Park began appearing in the chat, Jin addressed the concerns directly, explaining the background of the project and its planned next steps.
"Yeomchang-dong was formerly a semi-industrial zone, and housing was built there before roads, parks and other infrastructure were properly secured — which is why the area now suffers from narrow roads and inadequate infrastructure," Jin said. "I understand the difficulties residents are experiencing."
On concerns about the development, he said, "We will hold a public information session as soon as possible to explain the plans of Gangseo-gu, the Korea Land and Housing Corp. and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and to present measures to address residents' concerns."
He also stressed that "it is very important to listen carefully to residents' views on traffic and safety issues, as well as the need to secure adequate infrastructure, that could arise if around 1,000 housing units are built, and to find solutions."
Addressing what he called misconceptions about the project, Jin said, "This is not development that damages a park — it is the construction of apartment housing on land that has already lost its function as parkland."
Yeomchang Neighborhood Park covers a total area of 111,769.4 square meters, of which the degraded land targeted for development spans 50,711 square meters. The district plans to create an open green space linked to the existing park for shared use by both current and future residents.
Future senior staff meetings will also be livestreamed. A link to the live broadcast will be posted on the district office website one hour before each meeting. Anyone can watch and is welcome to leave comments or submit policy suggestions.
"We decided to open the senior staff meetings to make the policy decision-making process fully transparent to residents and to strengthen communication with the community," Jin said. "We will listen closely to residents' voices and actively reflect them in how we run the district."
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