Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has unveiled plans to transform G-Valley, once a symbol of gray industrial zones, into a 'Green Innovation' space where young people want to work and live. The initiative aims to enhance the quality of life for youth by integrating green spaces with cultural and artistic elements.
On July 7, Mayor Oh stated on his Facebook page, "Guro and Gasan Digital Complex (G-Valley) has played a pivotal role in South Korea's industry for over 60 years since its inception as the Guro Industrial Complex in the 1960s. However, despite being a workplace for 160,000 young people, the park green space ratio remains at 0%."
He shared that he became aware of the issue after reading a post in an online community where a young person expressed feeling inexplicably down when visiting the area and wanting to leave immediately after work.
Mayor Oh remarked, "This indicates a problem that urban planning has long neglected," and he announced that measures would be implemented promptly.
He emphasized that this project is not merely a landscaping effort but a new urban philosophy aimed at realizing 'green space and cultural and artistic rights.'
"Humans instinctively gravitate towards nature," he said, adding, "A space devoid of greenery is not a workplace but a space of exhaustion."
He acknowledged that while there has been sensitivity to income and housing disparities, the environmental and emotional gaps that people experience daily have been overlooked for too long. He defined these issues as matters of green space and cultural and artistic rights.
On the same day, the Seoul City government announced the completion of the Guro Forest Garden, marking the creation of green space equivalent to one soccer field just six months after the commitment was made. In the second half of this year, an additional 10,000 square meters of green space will be developed in Geumcheon-gu, with plans to secure a total of 100,000 square meters of green space across G-Valley by 2030.
Alongside this, the city plans to gradually expand spaces where culture and art can be enjoyed in daily life, aiming to transform G-Valley into a representative green industrial area of Seoul.
Mayor Oh concluded, "Regardless of where one works or what job one has, everyone should have equal quality of life without disparities," and he pledged to turn G-Valley, once synonymous with gray urban landscapes, into the 'heart of green innovation and quality of life' for young people.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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