Daejeon City’s ‘Sangsaeng Gonggam Tour’ in Jung-gu’s Old Downtown: “Speeding Up Fire Station Construction and Expanding Welfare Services”

[Financial News, Daejeon = Reporter Kim Won-jun] Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong visited Jung-gu for the second district-level stop on his ninth-term “Sangsaeng Gonggam Tour,” engaging with residents to address local issues, including public safety and the revitalization of the old downtown.
Daejeon City said Mayor Heo visited the site of the Central Fire Station in Busa-dong, Jung-gu, on the 21st, then met with around 300 Jung-gu residents at the Christian Federation Volunteer Association Hall to share the vision and key policies of his ninth-term administration and hear residents’ views.
As his first stop, Mayor Heo visited the construction site of the Daejeon Central Fire Station, a long-standing wish of Jung-gu residents. Planning for the station and land acquisition began during the seventh popularly elected administration, and construction started last September. It will be built in the Busa-dong area, with four aboveground floors and a total floor area of approximately 3,518 square meters. Until now, Jung-gu has been served by the East, West and Dunsan fire stations despite having no fire station of its own. The new station is expected to provide a central hub for disaster response and help ensure rapid dispatch and a timely response during the critical golden hour.
After receiving a briefing on the project’s progress, Mayor Heo said, “We will rigorously manage safety and construction progress at the site to ensure the project is completed without delays by 2028.”
During a subsequent conversation with residents, Mayor Heo said the city would provide special adjustment grants of 1 billion won each, for a total of 2 billion won, toward the construction of the Munchang Public Library and the Jung-gu Senior Welfare Center, as requested by the district. The city will also consider providing city funds depending on the progress of the projects.
The Munchang Public Library will be built within Munchang Elementary School as a school-complex facility, with one basement level, four aboveground floors and a total floor area of approximately 3,790 square meters. It is expected to help address the shortage of public library facilities in Jung-gu, with reading and reference rooms, a multipurpose auditorium and cultural spaces.
The Jung-gu Senior Welfare Center will be built on the site of the former Nam Daejeon Registry Office in Busa-dong, with one basement level, three aboveground floors and a total floor area of approximately 2,537 square meters. To respond to the growing elderly population, Daejeon City also plans to provide city funds amounting to about 4.3 billion won—30% of the construction cost—in line with the project’s progress.
Residents called for the preservation and use of the Daejeon-bu Office Building, construction of cultural facilities in Seodaejeon Plaza, improved amenities at bus stops, and changes to the traffic signal system at Seongmo Five-way Intersection.
Regarding the Daejeon-bu Office Building project, Daejeon City said it was “not being suspended but is at a stage of reexamination and adjustment.” It added, “Before construction begins, we will renovate the courtyard and first put it to use as a cultural space for residents, then develop a specific plan for its use that reflects their views.”
The Daejeon-bu Office Building, constructed in Eunaeng-dong, Jung-gu, in 1937, was Daejeon’s first municipal office building. During the Japanese colonial period, it also served as a public hall. It was sold to a private owner in 1966 and later faced the threat of demolition, but Daejeon City purchased the building in 2024 and has been pursuing its restoration to its original form. The city’s earlier proposal called for a local-brand space on the first floor, exhibition space and a café on the second, and restoration of the public hall on the third, with opening targeted for the first half of 2027. With the city now saying the project is under “reexamination and adjustment,” attention is turning to how the existing plans may change.
Daejeon City said it would carefully consider the proposal to build cultural facilities in Seodaejeon Plaza, taking into account the plaza’s role as a place for residents to relax and legal issues related to the past purchase of the land. Heated and cooled seats at bus stops and bus information terminals will be included in next year’s budget and expanded according to conditions in each district. The city said it would keep the current signal system at Seongmo Five-way Intersection for pedestrian safety while monitoring traffic flow and looking for ways to improve it.
Mayor Heo said, “In my ninth term, I will strengthen cooperation between the city and its districts and actively reflect the voices of residents heard on site in our policies.” He added, “I will do my utmost to resolve Jung-gu’s long-standing concerns and bring new vitality to the old downtown so residents can feel the changes in their everyday lives.”
Daejeon City said it would continue working to resolve issues closely connected to residents’ daily lives through its district-level Sangsaeng Gonggam Tour, reviewing key projects in each area and reflecting residents’ requests in city policies.
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter