저작권자 © Korea IT Times 무단전재 및 재배포 금지
Boosted by its traffic revolution, the CheongGyeCheon Restoration Project, and the cutting-edge Digital Media City Plan, Seoul City is certainly undergoing a sea change.
The extensive and rapid changes that stand out include Seoul City's traffic system revolution and its pioneering e-government expertise, which is even being exported to foreign countries such as Turkey, and Vietnam. Thanks to these exponential changes happening in the city, Seoulites are expecting to be able to enjoy an even better quality of life in the years to come. First off, since July last year, Seoul City Mayor Lee Myung-Bak has introduced radical measures for the improvement of Seoul's public mass transport system including the bus system and subway system, and most citizens are giving it the thumbs up and commenting positively on its merits, particularly among the younger generation.
Before he was elected as Seoul mayor, Mayor Lee was already convinced that Seoul's public traffic system should be reformed, and that if Seoul didn't take radical steps to bring this about, the capital city would soon lose its competitive edge. The second noteworthy project is the CheongGyeCheon Restoration, with the city center stream scheduled to open to the public on October 1. On June 1, Seoul City held a successful water-flow test for the first time since its ground-breaking ceremony. The CheongGye stream, which had been covered with roads and concrete overpasses for a long time, glistened in the bright sunlight as the clear, clean water flowed. It seemed to open the hearts of Seoul citizens, washing away the darkness and sufferings of the hectic economic development period of the modern history of Seoul.
Thirdly, Seoul is attracting worldwide attention by building Digital Media City (DMC) in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, which is scheduled to be completed by 2010. Director Hong Seong Goh of Digital Media City Division, Industry Bureau, Seoul Metropolitan Government, stresses that it will be a kind of state-of-the-art media entertainment cluster equipped with worldclass information infrastructure, including super high-speed optical network and wireless LAN.
It is expected to be a test-bed where the digital media entertainment of broadcasting, movies, animation, games and music, and the R&D, production, distribution and consumption of the IT industry will be represented in this DMC.
In conjunction with this, Seoul City Special Edition, the Korea IT Times compiled an article on the Gangnam district office, in southern Seoul, which is taking the lead in introducing e-government. The feature comprises an interview with Kwon Yeong-gyu, chief of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Seoul City who is very busy with preparations for the launch of "Cultural Vision Seoul 2015," and an article about the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) which stands ready to be a partner with the capital city's SMEs to enhance its competitiveness as well as to act as a key player in the development of the city's strategic industries of the future.