Dongdaemun, all in on education… Heo Jun will create a math classroom

“I will focus my remaining term on creating a ‘good educational city to raise children’ so that parents do not have to leave Dongdaemun-gu for their children’s education.”

In an interview with the Korea Economic Daily on the 29th, Lee Pil-hyung, head of Dongdaemun-gu District Office in Seoul (pictured), emphasized that he would pour all his capabilities into improving public education during his remaining one year and eight months in office. Recently, with the construction of rebuilt apartment complexes such as Cheongnyangni District 4 (Lotte Castle SKY-L65) in Dongdaemun-gu, there is a rapid influx of young people with relatively young children. In order to revitalize an aging city where there are over 68,000 people over the age of 65, which accounts for over 20% of the total (about 340,000 people), an environment where this young population can stay for a long time must be created, and the answer to this is education. This is Mayor Lee’s diagnosis.

He said, “5% of families with children in the 6th grade of elementary school go to places like Daechi-dong or Nowon to prepare their children for secondary school entrance exams.” He added, “In the future, we will upgrade the educational environment to the point where people think of education when they think of ‘Dongdaemun.’” emphasized.

The district has previously spared no investment, including improving old facilities around the school. The education expense subsidy was drastically increased by 2 billion won every year. The subsidy, which was 8 billion won in 2022, jumped to 12 billion won this year. With the resources including this, 42 smart poles equipped with voice guidance, CCTV, and Wi-Fi functions were installed along the school routes of 13 schools, including in front of Jangpyeong Elementary School. The electronic display board in front of the right-turn crosswalk allows drivers to be notified in advance whether pedestrians will pass, and is evaluated to be effective in preventing traffic accidents.

District Mayor Lee also announced plans to expand education infrastructure. The plan is to create a ‘Science Street’ between Hoegi-dong and Anam-dong and invite Professor Heo Jun-i, winner of the Fields Medal, known as the Nobel Prize in mathematics, to open a mathematics classroom. An expanded municipal education center is scheduled to open in Sinseol-dong in January next year.

The greatest achievement during his term was the reorganization of 175 of the 562 street vendors in the Cheongnyangni Station area. District Mayor Lee said, “We had some friction with street vendors, but we were able to carry out the project smoothly with the support of the residents.”

The district is also pursuing the ‘Cheongnyang Market Mall’ project, which will integrate and develop 9 traditional markets, including Gyeongdong Market and Yaknyeong Market, and foster them into the top 5 global traditional markets. The eastern part will be decorated as a popular attraction for young people with traditional food, while the western part will be developed into a market with cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and robots, centered around the traditional market promotion center. District Mayor Lee expected, “Once the Jegi-dong Hanok Village development project is completed, tourists will be able to stay in hanoks, visit Cheongnyang Market Mall, and enjoy the night market at night.”

Reporter Haeryeon Choi [email protected]