Students from Sinjeong Elementary School called Gangseo-gu's district office to request an interview with District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon; after meeting with him, they toured the new district office building, including the public service center and open library.
Gangseo-gu District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon sat down Thursday for an interview with sixth-grade students from Sinjeong Elementary School, the district office announced.
The meeting took place at the new Magok integrated district office building, which is set to hold its opening ceremony on Nov. 10.
The visit came about after four students, working on a group assignment, called the district office directly to request an interview with the district mayor. Jin agreed without hesitation and extended the invitation to all 19 students in the class.
One student explained the reason for the request: "I wanted to meet the person responsible for Gangseo-gu, where I live and go to school."
The students gathered with Jin in the third-floor conference room, where they asked questions and talked freely about topics they had long been curious about.
When a student from Hwagok-dong asked about the relocation of the district office, Jin said the move was made to consolidate offices that had been scattered across multiple locations, allowing the district to respond more effectively to an increasingly complex administrative environment and deliver resident-centered services.
Asked what challenge Jin most wanted to solve, the district mayor named balanced development across the district. "Magok is a well-planned city with a strong mix of housing, culture and industry," Jin said. "I will do everything I can to improve the living conditions in the older residential areas of the district, which lag behind by comparison."
On what makes a good district mayor, Jin said it comes down to working for residents. "You have to listen carefully to what residents are saying and make sure their wishes are reflected in how the district is run," Jin said.
Jin also briefed the students on major district initiatives, ranging from transportation infrastructure — including the ground-breaking of the Daejang-Hongdae Line, the push to build the Gangbuk Crosstown Line and the extension of Subway Line 2's Sinjeong branch — to safety, education and employment policies powered by AI.
The conversation ran for more than an hour, after which the students toured the building. They visited the open library, a rooftop garden and administrative work areas, deepening their understanding of how the district office operates.
"Through this experience, I learned in detail about what a district mayor does and what role the district office plays — things I never knew before," one student said.
Jin said watching the students ask questions and express their opinions left a strong impression. "Seeing how confidently they spoke made me feel proud of how well they are growing up," Jin said. "I hope what they saw and heard today at the new building will spark a greater interest in their community and inspire them to dream bigger."
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