Running from the 7th to the 9th elected term, the resident-driven morning cleanup initiative has logged 187 sessions, drawn 6,413 participants and covered about 148.8 kilometers of alleyways
Jungnang-gu District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi launched his morning alley cleanup program the moment he took office in the seventh elected term.
The initiative, carried out alongside residents, has earned Jungnang-gu a reputation as one of Seoul's cleaner districts.
By picking up a broom early each morning with his constituents, Ryu has helped foster a sense of community ownership — a shared commitment among residents to keep their own neighborhoods clean.
The program resumed Wednesday in the Piul Park area of Sinnae 1-dong.
That day, Ryu and residents walked the alleys and side streets around Piul Park, collecting litter, checking for areas in need of cleaning and noting residents' quality-of-life concerns. The group worked to tidy up the lanes and improve the local living environment.
The "Morning Alley Cleanup" began in July 2018 and has continued uninterrupted from the seventh through the ninth elected terms as a resident-participation environmental improvement activity. To date, 6,413 people have taken part across 187 sessions, clearing about 148.8 kilometers of alleyways. Participants have included market vendors, neighborhood associations, volunteers and local stakeholders, all walking the lanes together and surveying conditions throughout the district.
The program has grown into more than a cleaning exercise — it has become a field-based channel for direct communication with residents. Conversations during cleanup sessions give the district mayor a firsthand look at residents' views on local governance and everyday grievances, and problems spotted on the ground are shared with relevant departments to work toward solutions.
The resident-participation model and field-centered approach have drawn interest from other autonomous districts in Seoul, which have been reaching out to learn about how Jungnang-gu runs and organizes the program.
"The number 187 matters less than the conversations I have had walking the alleys with more than 6,000 residents over the years," Ryu said. "As the broom wore down and grew shorter, I was able to walk every corner of the neighborhood with residents and hear the big and small stories of this community up close."
"The morning alley cleanup is both an activity that makes our alleys cleaner and a time for communication — the closest I can get to hearing residents' voices," he added. "Going forward, I will keep seeking out where residents are, walking with them and thinking through problems together, guided by the belief that the answers are found in the field."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
