The Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 12th additionally selected 10 sites for installing "mobility-vulnerable convenience facilities" tailored to local characteristics to improve walking convenience in steep highland areas. As a result, facilities will be installed in a total of 15 locations.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon inspected the site of the mobility-vulnerable convenience facility in a highland area at 10:30 a.m. that day in Yeongcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu (near Doknipmun Samho Apartment, Yeongcheon-dong 101-2). The location has a steep stairway about 127 meters long with a gradient of around 31 degrees that connects from Doknipmun Station to the Ansan Dulle-gil.
Including this location, the city selected 10 sites as phase-two installation targets, with relatively many highland and mobility-inconvenient areas: six in the Gangbuk area of Seoul and four in the southwestern area. The target sites are ▲ Gocheok-dong, Guro-gu ▲ Sadang-dong, Dongjak-gu ▲ Siheung-dong, Geumcheon-gu ▲ Singongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu ▲ Oksu-dong, Seongdong-gu ▲ Cheongam-dong, Yongsan-gu ▲ Muak-dong, Jongno-gu ▲ Hawolgok-dong, Seongbuk-gu ▲ Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu.
At these sites, vertical, inclined, and hybrid (vertical + inclined) elevators will be installed to fit local characteristics. The city will improve access to elementary schools, subway stations, and bus stops, and create "open facilities" that anyone can use, including people with disabilities, older adults, and children as well as the general public.
About 40% of Seoul's terrain consists of hilly areas at least 40 meters above sea level. As of 2023, "mobility-vulnerable" residents such as older adults and people with disabilities make up more than one in four Seoul citizens.
In response, the city is promoting a project to install mobility-vulnerable convenience facilities in highland areas. To safely and conveniently connect residential areas with public transit, parks, and daily amenities, the city will install everyday mobility facilities such as elevators and monorails tailored to local characteristics. Previously in May last year, ▲ Junggok-dong, Gwangjin-gu ▲ Hwagok-dong, Gangseo-gu ▲ Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu ▲ Sungin-dong, Jongno-gu ▲ Sindang-dong, Jung-gu were selected as priority sites.
The newly added sites were finalized after a citizen call in September last year, followed by district-level reviews, on-site surveys, and demand analyses.
The city will invest a total project cost of 40 billion won in the 10 phase-two sites, complete administrative procedures such as establishing the basic plan and conducting investment reviews within the year, and then begin design. For the five phase-one sites selected last year, construction will begin in April as soon as design is completed.
This project is also part of "accompanying the underprivileged," a priority of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in his eighth popular election term. At a New Year's meeting with the city hall press corps on the 10th, Oh, when asked what administration gives a sense of fulfillment during the term, said it was "accompanying the underprivileged," adding, "Among the biggest reasons for doing politics is that, in retrospect, I want to be evaluated as having changed many people's lives in a positive direction through city administration."
Oh said, "The selection of 10 sites for the second phase is meaningful in that it started from the voices of citizens experiencing inconvenience," adding, "We will continue to expand the target sites based on citizen experience and safety so that no one loses everyday opportunities because of stairs and slopes, and make Seoul a city where getting around is convenient and opportunities open up."