Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong: “Yeonchuk District Is a Key Hub for Attracting Public Institutions”

[Financial News, Daejeon—Reporter Kim Won-jun] Daejeon City is strengthening cooperation with Daedeok District and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) to develop Yeonchuk District in Daedeok District into a hub for attracting public institutions from the Seoul metropolitan area.
 Daejeon City said Mayor Heo Tae-jeong held the fourth “Mutual Growth and Empathy Tour” of the 9th popularly elected administration in Daedeok District on the 26th, inspecting sites for key projects and engaging with residents.
 Before meeting with district residents, Mayor Heo reviewed progress on construction of the new Daedeok District office. The site, covering about 240,000 square meters in and around Yeonchuk-dong, is designated for an urban development project that will include public offices, housing and commercial facilities. With about 30,000 square meters set aside for public institutions relocating to the area, it is expected to become a major hub for attracting public institutions from the Seoul metropolitan area.
 Mayor Heo said, “Yeonchuk District is Daedeok District’s new administrative center and a key hub that will drive local development by attracting public institutions. The city, district and LH will work closely together to proactively respond to the relocation of public institutions and actively support construction of the new district office so it proceeds without disruption.”
 The Daejeon Yeonchuk urban development project got on track for the first time in 15 years after receiving approval for its implementation plan in April 2024, overcoming hurdles including the lifting of development restrictions. Development of the district is now gathering pace, and aligning the schedule for establishing relocation plans with the development timeline is seen as a challenge in turning the site reserved for relocating public institutions into actual arrivals.
 At a dialogue with citizens held at Seo Ui-pil Hall at Hannam University, he explained the key policies of the 9th popularly elected administration and plans for Daedeok District’s development, and listened to residents’ views.
 At the meeting, Daedeok District requested the swift implementation of the Northeast Link Road project and support for the Gyejoksan Four-Season Ecological Landscape project. Mayor Heo agreed on the need for a connecting road between Sindae-dong and Yeonchuk-dong, saying, “We will adjust the timing of the project in light of the city’s fiscal conditions, while ensuring the road can be built in time for the completion of the Yeonchuk District development project.” He called for the Gyejoksan project, a nationally renowned walking destination, to be carried out effectively and decided to provide the full 1 billion won needed for the project through a special adjustment grant.
 Requests closely related to daily life also followed, including improvements to recreational sports facilities and better arrangements for household waste disposal. Daejeon City decided to provide 700 million won through a special adjustment grant to upgrade facilities such as the swimming pool and fitness center at the aging Daedeok National Sports Center, and 300 million won to build an integrated waste-disposal facility to address household waste issues around the shops in Songchon-dong.
 The discussions also covered providing different levels of local currency cashback by district, bringing a Daejeon municipal public postpartum care center to Daedeok District, and using the long-neglected Songchon Sporex as a public facility. They agreed to seek a reasonable approach to differentiated cashback support that considers both fairness in benefits for residents and balanced regional development. Citing the limited number of users of a public postpartum care center and the concentration of its benefits among some mothers, the city said it would pursue a 9th-term pledge to provide public postpartum care and recovery-cost support so that all families having a child can benefit. The city explained that ownership and other rights issues concerning Songchon Sporex must first be resolved, and that it would consider options for its use in cooperation with the district while monitoring the progress of related litigation.
 The cost of constructing a new district office is another challenge for Daedeok District. Concerns have been raised that, with the completion date pushed back, construction costs for the new Daedeok District office are expected to rise by around 77 billion won from the original estimate.
 Mayor Heo said, “Daedeok District has helped lead Daejeon’s industrial development and is home to outstanding tourism resources such as Gyejoksan Mountain and Daecheong Lake. We will build on these strengths to expand the region’s growth drivers and work together to ensure residents can feel the results in their daily lives.”

[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter