Commuter routes and high-traffic pedestrian paths to get intensive cleanups; District Mayor Ryu to tour all 15 neighborhoods starting Wednesday, with year-end awards and incentives for top performers
Dongjak-gu has designated October as the month of its "Clean Dongjak, Take Action" campaign, mobilizing residents to carry out intensive cleanups along major pedestrian routes to create a more pleasant walking environment.
The campaign is the first phase of a broader initiative called "Brighten Dongjak," which aims to transform the streets residents walk every day into what the district describes as "healing roads in everyday life."
All 15 neighborhoods will hold their own cleanup launch ceremonies on Friday before beginning full-scale environmental improvement work.
Patrol and maintenance teams drawn from neighborhood association heads and civic organizations will conduct at least one daily inspection of commuter routes and high-traffic walkways. The teams will also identify sites suitable for LED lighting installations, CCTV cameras and rest areas for elderly residents.
Illegally dumped trash and neglected flower beds that obstruct pedestrians will be cleared promptly. Items that cannot be removed on the spot — such as objects left on the roadside or fallen leaves along main roads — will be logged through the district's "Administrative Comprehensive Observation System" app, which routes reports to the relevant department in real time.
The app allows civil servants to photograph and register residents' complaints encountered during their commutes or field visits, with reports forwarded instantly to the responsible department. The district plans to use the system to make street-environment improvements more effective.
District Mayor Ryu Sam-young will begin touring all 15 neighborhoods on Wednesday, joining residents on patrol and inspection walks along major commuter routes.
Ryu will personally check the condition of walkways throughout each neighborhood and ensure that areas requiring improvement receive follow-up action, with the goal of delivering cleaner streets that residents can see and feel.
At year-end, the district will hold a "Brighten Dongjak — Streets Worth Walking" results showcase, where before-and-after records and best practices from all 15 neighborhoods will be shared. Neighborhoods that post the strongest improvement results will receive incentives, a measure the district says is intended to boost engagement and participation in environmental upkeep across all areas.
Dongjak-gu is also pursuing a range of other projects to improve residents' quality of life and living environment, including installing pet waste bag dispensers, expanding public restrooms inside traditional markets and upgrading the underground walkway at Noryangjin Fish Market.
"When the streets people walk every day are clean and safe, their daily lives become that much more comfortable," Ryu said. "We will work together with residents to address sources of inconvenience throughout the neighborhood and build a walking environment where everyone can move around with peace of mind."
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