Seoul Metropolitan Council Speaker Im Man-gyun reviewed the progress of the Gwanak Cultural Plaza complex project Tuesday afternoon and urged officials to ensure its smooth execution.
Im met with officials from the city's housing division, culture bureau and the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation to examine plans for the complex, which will include more than 270 public housing units, a city library and a public parking facility. Construction on the Gwanak Cultural Plaza broke ground last month, with completion targeted for 2029.
"Seven years after Seoul announced its plan to build district-level city libraries in 2019, the library project on the former Geumcheon Police Station site has finally broken ground," Im said, calling on officials to accelerate the project "so that residents who have waited so long can use the cultural complex as soon as possible."
Im has previously expressed concern over the slow pace of the project, repeatedly urging faster progress given the need to close gaps in cultural infrastructure and promote balanced access to information and culture across the city.
"Once the Gwanak Cultural Plaza opens, the area that has stagnated since the Geumcheon Police Station relocated will regain vitality, and it will mark a turning point for Gwanak to emerge as a hub of education and culture," Im said. He added that the partial opening of the parking facility was expected to ease chronic parking shortages in nearby residential neighborhoods, and asked officials to manage the project closely through to completion.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
