Seongbuk-gu Selected as Top Grade in Seoul City Clothing Manufacturing Workplace Improvement Project Competition

Secured 245 Million KRW for Disputes, Supporting Work Environment Improvement at 35 Local Clothing Manufacturers

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) was selected as the highest grade, S grade, in the Seoul City Clothing Manufacturing Industry Work Environment Improvement Project contest on the 3rd.

The clothing manufacturing industry in Seongbuk-gu accounts for 54% of the manufacturing businesses in the area, representing more than half of the total.

However, recently, the workforce in the clothing manufacturing industry has been aging, and the work environment has become outdated, leading to a decline in profitability and competitiveness. To make matters worse, the export routes have been blocked due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), causing difficulties.

To improve the difficult situation of local clothing manufacturing companies, Seongbuk-gu applied for the Seoul City Clothing Manufacturing Industry Work Environment Improvement Project contest in May.

The district was selected as an S group and plans to support work environment improvement construction for 35 businesses in the area with the secured city support fund of 245 million KRW.

To improve the poor work environment, if self-employed workers bear 10% of the construction costs, the city and district will cover the remaining 90%, supporting costs for industrial vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, heating and cooling devices, LED lighting, wiring organization, and replacement of circulation boilers. The project is scheduled to proceed until the end of September.

Seongbuk-gu currently operates fashion sewing support organizations such as the ‘Jangwi-dong Fashion Sewing Support Center’ and the ‘Bomun-dong Shared Workshop,’ promoting workforce training in the clothing manufacturing industry, increasing production efficiency, and supporting distribution channels.

In the first half of next year, the district plans to build the (tentative name) ‘Fashion Industry Support Center’ equipped with smart equipment, focusing on supporting the fashion sewing industry and revitalizing the local economy.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “We will continue to actively support the clothing manufacturing industry, which accounts for the largest share of urban manufacturing in our district, and will cooperate with Seoul City and other regions as needed to implement various policies to revitalize the local economy, which has been depressed due to COVID-19.”