The sixth Seongsu Forum, held Aug. 26, drew about 40 representatives from companies based in Seongsu-dong, including Sampyo and Krafton, to refine a master plan for town management and advance public-private cooperation and community partnership projects.
Seoul's Seongdong-gu held its first Seongsu Forum since the launch of the ninth elected-term administration, gathering input from businesses and the community to formalize a master plan for "Seongsu Town Management" and strengthen a public-private regional governance framework.
Seongsu Town Management is a public-private cooperative system designed to reflect the rapid growth and transformation of Seongsu-dong, bringing together local government, businesses and the community to address regional issues and chart a path toward sustainable development.
The district is currently drafting the Seongdong-gu Town Management Master Plan, analyzing the area's characteristics and conditions while mapping out an operational framework based on public-private cooperation, corporate participation, and specific initiatives for community benefit and social contribution.
The district has been using the Seongsu Forum — a practitioner-level cooperation platform for companies based in Seongsu-dong — as a key channel for sharing local issues and discussing long-term development strategies and public-private projects. Launched in April 2025, the forum now counts more than 20 companies across various sectors among its participants, including Sampyo, DSC Investment, Musinsa, SM Entertainment, Krafton and Hyundai Glovis. It also serves as a working subcommittee of the Seongsu Town Management Committee.
At the sixth Seongsu Forum, held Tuesday at PUBG Seongsu in Seongsu-dong, participants focused on gathering corporate and expert input for the master plan. About 30 representatives from companies based in Seongsu-dong attended, sharing updates on the town management initiative, key business plans from participating firms such as Sampyo and Krafton, and the direction for community benefit and corporate social responsibility projects planned for 2027.
The session then moved to a discussion of the Seongdong-gu Town Management Master Plan currently under development, facilitated by Ku Ja-hun, a professor at Hanyang University. Attendees — both corporate representatives and experts — offered a wide range of views on topics spanning management approaches tailored to Seongsu-dong's character, ways for companies to participate, and how to identify and operate public-private partnership projects.
Since its inaugural session in April last year, the Seongsu Forum has addressed a range of topics tied to Seongsu-dong's sustainable development, including urban competitiveness, the use of offline spaces, and global city growth strategies. The sixth session marked the forum's latest gathering in that series.
The district plans to incorporate the corporate and expert feedback gathered at the forum into the town management master plan, and will continue to identify and advance corporate participation and public-private partnership projects through the Seongsu Forum.
"For Seongsu-dong's sustainable development, the active participation and cooperation of businesses rooted in the area is just as important as the role of local government," Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said. "We will develop the Seongsu Forum into a genuine public-private cooperation platform that translates diverse corporate perspectives into policy and action, and build a sustainable town management model unique to Seongsu-dong."
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