This complex played a pivotal role in the economic growth of the South Korea's development era, referred to as the "Miracle on the Han River", and also contributed 10 percent of national export in the 1970s.
Twenty-one percent of the total area of Guro District is a restricted zone to be used as a greenbelt with the only arboretum in Seoul.
An "e-government" system based on this hosted the international e-participation forum[3] from February 7 to 9, 2007, with the participation of more than thirty-seven countries.
The forum was launched with the theme "Promoting Democracy and Regional Development" and twenty-five mayors including André Santini (Issy-les-Moulineaux, France), Kevin Foy (Chapel Hill, US), Apirak Kosayothin (Bangkok, Thailand), Uvais Mohamed Emthiyas (Colombo, Sri Lanka), and world experts such as Dr William H. Dutton (Director of Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, UK) and Dr Ari-Veiko Anttiroiko (professor at the University of Tampere, Finland) participated in the forum.
The Guro Declaration,[4] adopted during the forum, aims to set up a portal site for e-government development and to establish a concrete project in order to bridge the digital divide among the world's cities.
The e-participation forum was a key factor for Guro to play the leading role in bridging the digital divide among cities, to provide I.T.
enterprises located in Guro Digital Industrial Complex the opportunity to launch into the international market, to improve its image and become a global leader to concrete e-democracy.
Following a complete reorganisation of the district in 1413, it changed to Geumcheon-hyeon (衿川縣), later into Siheung-hyeon (始興縣) in 1795, and became part of Siheung-gun(始興郡), Gyeonggi Province, until 1949.
Meanwhile, many apartments were built replacing the old textile manufacturing factories to become a new, attractive residential area for south-west Seoul.
The Development of Guro District's Four Zones is intended to be the centre for environmentally friendly residences, cutting-edge digital industry and logistics.
Towards Sindorim station the stream reverts to a natural state and the surrounding area has been restored to provide habitats for wildlife and recreational facilities for the public.
D-Cube City is a large, integrated leisure complex immediately adjacent to Sindorim Station and modeled on the Roppongi Hills development in Tokyo.
[9] It contains a Hyundai department store, a Sheraton hotel, a Lotte Cinema and arts center, a park and apartment buildings.
Guro District hosts one of the, large Techno Marts in Seoul, the other being in Gangbyeon on the north east side of the city.
[10] The Guro Techno Mart is next to Sindorim Station and is home to large number of electronics stores, as well as other facilities including a wedding venue and an Emart.
[11] The large complex is primarily wholesale in nature but caters to a diverse range of customers from factories to individuals.
The degree of air pollution in Guro District is about 0.004ppm of sulphuric acid gas and 0.4ppm of nitrogen monoxide, much lower than the average level of Seoul Metropolitan area and the WHO standard.
The u-healthcare system is the service provided by Guro Public Health Centre's doctors through mobile phones or PDA to patients with diabetes, blood pressure, obesity, respiratory disease and other conditions.
Dongyang Technical College provides education with a specialised curriculum focused mainly on high-tech practical training courses and supplies manpower to the companies located at the Guro Digital Industrial Complex.
Sungkonghoe University trains students who will work for public welfare, social services, human rights and peace of the world.
Seoul Hanyoung University is a postgraduate education provider with an academic focus on theology, divinity and counseling & psychology.
Some typical events of Jump Guro Festival are the Venturers' Necktie Marathon, e-sports tournament, performing entertainments and many other activities.
Furthermore, Guro District has a wrestling team and has won a silver medal at the Olympics and a gold at the Asian Games.
The stadium has also hosted numerous international music concerts with performers such as Sam Smith, Queen and U2 all playing at the venue.