[Interview] Park Junhee, Gwanak-gu Mayor, "We Will Create a Healthy and Happy City for Children"

Entering the First Year of Child-Friendly City Certification with 16.5 Billion Won Invested in 55 Projects... Expanding 20 Public Childcare Centers During Term, Planning to Build Gwanak-gu Family Culture Welfare Center Next Year... Leading Efforts in Improving Educational Environment and Supporting Marginalized Children

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] "It breaks my heart to see children who cannot run and play all day wearing masks due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). We will create a city where children can freely pursue their dreams and grow up healthy."

Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, recently met with reporters and said, "We will put more effort into creating an environment where about 40,000 children in Gwanak-gu can grow up safely and happily." Since January last year, Mayor Park has established a dedicated organization and laid the administrative foundation for promoting a child-friendly city through the enactment and revision of ordinances. A four-year mid- to long-term plan has also been established. Efforts were made to increase children's participation in district administration and raise awareness of children's rights. As a result, in March, Gwanak-gu achieved a meaningful milestone by being certified as a child-friendly city by the UNICEF Korea Committee.

This year, Gwanak-gu will invest 16.5 billion KRW in projects, an increase of about 2.8 billion KRW from last year, to actively promote 55 strategic projects across 7 key areas. Mayor Park emphasized that helping children in need of care and creating a safe childcare environment are of utmost importance. The number of public daycare centers has been increased by 11, with a goal to expand to a total of 20 during his term, aiming to achieve a 50% utilization rate of public daycare centers.

The 'Gwanak-gu Family Culture Welfare Center' construction project, with an investment of about 23.6 billion KRW, broke ground in June last year and is progressing smoothly with the goal of opening in the first half of next year. The center will include an indoor play experience center for infants and toddlers, a library exclusively for young children, the Gwanak-style Mother Center "I-rang," and a comprehensive childcare support center.

"I-rang," a complex cultural rest space for parents and children, opened its Nanhyang branch in November last year and will open branches in Nakseongdae and Boramae this year. The plan is to expand to six locations during the term. Mayor Park said, "We operate the village-led children's restaurant 'Happy Mama Restaurant,' which is so renowned that other local governments benchmark it," adding, "We will focus on establishing a meticulous care system so that not a single child is left out."

Additionally, the 'SAM Mentoring' program, which provides mentoring for Seoul National University students and elementary, middle, and high school students, will be expanded to 320 mentors and 1,200 mentees by 2022, enabling more students to participate and fostering an educational environment where children's dreams can grow. Plans were also announced to establish a system for 13 integrated daycare centers for children with disabilities, where childcare teachers' smartphones and the CCTV integrated control center will be immediately notified in case children face dangerous situations. Mayor Park stated, "We will continue to do our best so that all children can overcome COVID-19 and grow up healthy through emergency childcare and strengthened quarantine measures, as well as support policies for disadvantaged children."