Closure of Privately Operated Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center... Accelerating Construction of 'Gwanak Culture Welfare Town' Combining Social Welfare Center, Sports Facilities, and Living Culture Center in One Location... Temporary Social Welfare Center to Be Established and Operated Until Completion

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) has decided to establish and operate a new district-run social welfare center to address the reduction of local welfare services and employment insecurity of facility workers caused by the bankruptcy crisis of a privately operated social welfare center.

Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, located in Seonghyeon-dong, Gwanak-gu, has been a comprehensive social welfare center established and operated by the Korea Seonui Welfare Foundation, a social welfare corporation, since 1987.

Due to operational negligence in 2018, the Korea Seonui Welfare Foundation incurred a massive debt exceeding 10 billion KRW, and as the welfare center was included in the Bongcheon 4-1-2 redevelopment zone, it had to bear additional redevelopment contributions worth several hundred million KRW and tens of billions of KRW in social welfare center construction costs.

Having lost financial capability, the Korea Seonui Welfare Foundation expressed its intention to cease operations of Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center in the first half of 2020, putting welfare services used annually by about 125,000 people at risk of suspension or reduction.

In response, since May last year, Gwanak-gu formed a task force (T/F) involving Seoul City, Gwanak-gu, the foundation, the welfare center, and residents, and after multiple rounds of opinion gathering and discussions, decided to build a new district-run social welfare center with the goal of providing welfare services without reduction.

Accordingly, the district secured two nearby buildings (70 Yangnyeong-ro, 74 Yangnyeong-ro) near Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, remodeled them, and will operate them as a district-run social welfare center starting this May. All existing programs will be operated without reducing the services previously provided by Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center to ensure no inconvenience to users.

Additionally, the district plans to build the ‘Gwanak Cultural Welfare Town (tentative name)’, selected as a government Life SOC project, near Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center (478-26 Bongcheon-dong), aiming to open it in 2023 as a key institution for local welfare.

The ‘Gwanak Cultural Welfare Town (tentative name)’ is a complex facility combining a social welfare center, sports facilities, and a living culture center, with a total floor area of 3,670㎡, consisting of 2 basement floors and 6 above-ground floors.

Furthermore, to resolve employment insecurity of existing workers at Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, the district will fully succeed the employment of current employees, allowing them to work stably at the social welfare center to be established and operated in May.

A district official explained, “Although Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center is a private facility and the district has no responsibility for employment succession, we decided to fully succeed employment to prevent problems such as employment insecurity and livelihood instability for facility workers who would lose their jobs.”

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “We will do our utmost to ensure that residents do not feel a gap in welfare services due to the termination of Seonui Gwanak Comprehensive Social Welfare Center operations by establishing and operating a new district-run social welfare center. Also, we will accelerate the construction of Gwanak Cultural Welfare Town to provide stable cultural and welfare services to residents.”