Park Jung-hyun, a former environmental activist and a female head of Daedeok-gu Office in Daejeon, expressed her ambition to turn the soft zone into an energy-independent smart city.

As the Yeonchuk district, which is the Land of Opportunity in Daedeok-gu, has been selected as the location of the innovative city in Daejeon, it plans to build a new growth engine and innovation growth base.

In particular, the government is planning the nation's first model that can simultaneously supply renewable energy and solve the climate crisis through urban development based on energy plans.

In line with the innovative city project, the government plans to provide high-quality jobs to local people by working hard to attract energy-related public research institutes, and Chungcheong News met with Park to hear about the plan to create a self-reliant city for energy in the soft zone, its performance in the first half of the year, and its future direction on July 23, 2020. [Editors]

 

 

Q. Self-evaluation and representative achievements of the 7th popular election in the first half of the year.

 

 

We have played hard to create new Daedeok residents and new Daedeoks over the past two years, and we have made tangible results. First of all, the long-cherished project, the "Urban Development Project in Yeonchuk District," is being carried out in earnest, and large-scale urban renewal New Deal projects in the three regions are also proceeding smoothly. As a result of the successful settlement of the local currency Daedeok Eroum, which was introduced for the first time in the region, and the childcare and education policies, the mother's local excellent agricultural products package support project, the first childcare support center in Daejeon's autonomous region, and the care center together received a great response from residents. Other major achievements include the first operation of the second energy cafe in the country and the selection of the first labor-management win-win regional job consulting project in the nation's autonomous regions.

 

 

She was also recognized as a "head of a group that fulfills its commitments" in various external evaluations. It won the highest grade of "SA" in 226 "Promotion Implementation and Information Disclosure Assessment" organized by the Korea Manifesto Implementation Headquarters. A total of 24 (47%) projects, including 11 completed projects (22%) and 13 continued projects (26%) after implementation, were completed and carried out among 50 pledges in the 7th popular election. In particular, 'Creating an Extended Administrative Residential Town' with the largest financial requirement (134.64 billion won) has also paved the way for construction within the 7th term of the popular election."

 

 

Q. What's the key to the Daedeok E-roum craze?

 

 

We have laid the foundation for the establishment of a virtuous circle structure that leads to the revitalization of the local economy through the successful settlement of the local currency Daedeok E-roum, which was issued in July last year for the first time in the Great War. In the second half of 2019, the company achieved 16 billion won, more than three times the initial target of 5 billion won. This year, the company issued 33.6 billion won in just five months after its issuance, and has now reached 50 billion won, setting a new record.

 

 

It also means a lot to win the "2020 National Brand Awards." Daedeok-gu received the first local currency award among 229 local governments. The secret to the success of Daedeok E-roum was active participation by residents in the process of publishing and distribution revitalization. This is the result of the residents themselves acting as a marketer for Daedeok E-roum, with the residents-oriented issuance committee, the distribution revitalization movement headquarters consisting of 344 representatives, and the operation of a public relations group of 1,000 people, including bank accounts, small business owners, university students and teenagers.

 

 

In particular, the Daeco Beer Festival with Daedeok E-roum, which was promoted as a launching event to spread Daedeok Eroum users and revitalize the alley business district, has become a representative Alley Business Festival in Korea beyond the region with more than 200,000 tourists from all over the country."

 

 

Q. Plans for the Contraction Urban Development Project selected as a candidate area for innovative cities.

 

 

The project is to invest 160.7 billion won (241,650 square meters) in 249 Yeonchuk-dong to create jobs, create residential land, and accommodate about 3,000 people. In March of this year, the government decided on a facility for the project's driving force and announced the lifting of the restricted development zone and the designation of an urban development zone in May.

Following the development plan for urban development projects by the second half of this year, the government plans to start compensation and projects by 2024, along with the approval of the implementation plan for urban development projects in the first half of next year(LH).

 

 

Development plans for neighboring areas are also going smoothly. The opening of Hoedeok IC in 2023, the reconstruction of Wadong Jugong Apartment, and the opening of the Chungcheong metropolitan railway including Hoedeok Station in 2024, and the Northeast Circulation Road and Daedeok Special Zone East Side Entrance will be opened in 2025.

 

 

The expected effects are also significant. When selecting and relocating Daejeon Innovation City, it will contribute to improving the residential environment such as population inflow, job creation, provision of transportation convenience, and education and culture, as well as boosting the population inflow and the local economy through the development of soft zones. On top of that, the connection between the Ojeong and Songchon living zones and the Sintan living areas separated from the north and south of Daedeok-gu will allow balanced regional development."

Q. The direction of the administration in the second half of the 7th popular election.

 

"Our district has set 'realization of the true happiness of the residents' and 'overcoming the crisis after Corona 19' as the top priorities of the district administration. We will restore local communities and strengthen the foundation of sustainable communities in order to realize sustainable residents' well-being by transforming "economic-centered growthism" into "people-centered development."

 

 

In addition, the government will strengthen the role of local governments to preserve the environment and focus its efforts on coping with the climate crisis through public-private partnerships. In line with the government's Green New Deal policy, the government will come up with comprehensive measures to cope with the climate crisis, along with the spread of awareness of environment and energy conversion, and make it a sustainable city by promoting renewable energy and resource circulation.

 

 

We will also make efforts to revitalize the social economy centered on the economy-based community to realize social values. △We will lead a definite change through the establishment of a system and space to create a foundation for social economy, expansion of local currency Daedeok Eroum, promotion of a safe food plan, the establishment of a fair ecological tourism city brand, creation of a culture where labor and management coexist, and new deal projects for urban regeneration in Sintanjin and Ojeong-dong."

 

 

Q. The emphasis task for the second half of the 7th popular election.

 

 

"The first task is to bear the fruits of projects that laid the foundation in the first half of the 7th popular election, including projects to develop joint zones and create innovative cities, urban regeneration projects in Sintanjin and Ojeong-dong, and the construction of a complex cultural community center.

 

 

In particular, we will design soft zones as eco-friendly energy cities and establish a new identity as smart cities based on science and technology such as big data and the Internet of Things. If the softening district is designated as an innovative city, it plans to attract science and technology public institutions linked to the Daedeok R&D Special Zone and infrastructure in the international science business belt to make it a base for regional innovation growth.

 

 

We will closely analyze and reorganize the past two years, the first half of the 7th popular election, and bear the fruit of new changes for the remaining two years, the second half of the 7th popular election."

 

 

Q. A project that you want to complete within your term of office.

 

 

"It is to create a self-reliant smart city. Daedeok-gu is the first in the country to conduct urban development on the basis of energy planning. First, it will make it a city that can supply and demand energy with renewable energy without carbon emissions, and will build hardware by attracting energy-related public research institutes in line with the innovative city project.

 

 

Energy conversion must be done to solve the climate crisis, and I will continue to suggest to the city that Pyeongchon Industrial Complex can become an energy self-reliant industrial complex. Above all, we will do our best to improve laws and systems so that Daedeok-gu can have the authority to set up regional energy plans on its own, as it is important to strengthen the local government's energy planning authority."