Seongbuk-gu and GS Retail Sign MOU to Identify Vulnerable Households and Promote Donation Culture... Utilizing Over 110 GS25 Convenience Stores as Secondary Community Centers
Seongbuk-gu has started to identify and support vulnerable households by utilizing convenience stores that protect every corner of the neighborhood. To this end, on the 30th of last month, a business agreement was signed with the GS Retail Convenience Store Division to discover welfare blind spots and promote a culture of donation. The photo shows Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu (right), and Jeon Seung-ho, Head of GS Retail Convenience Store Division, taking a commemorative photo after the agreement. Photo by Lee Seung-ro
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) has taken steps to identify and support vulnerable households by utilizing convenience stores that protect neighborhood alleys.
On the 30th of last month, Seongbuk-gu signed a business agreement with GS Retail's convenience store division to discover welfare blind spots and promote a culture of donations.
The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, and Jeon Seung-ho, head of GS Retail's convenience store division, among other officials. Both parties agreed on a system for identifying and supporting vulnerable households using convenience stores and ways to activate donations, which had been discussed in advance.
The main points include ▲ posting promotional materials inside convenience stores to support vulnerable households ▲ immediate reporting upon discovering vulnerable households ▲ supporting donation activities at convenience stores.
Jeon Seung-ho, head of GS Retail's convenience store division, said, “There are over 110 GS25 convenience stores in Seongbuk-gu maintaining smooth communication with the community. Especially, most convenience store owners have operated in Seongbuk-gu for a long time and are well aware of local circumstances, so we expect this to greatly help in identifying vulnerable groups such as households in crisis.”
Seongbuk-gu plans to appoint convenience store owners as 'Honorary Social Welfare Officers' to establish a faster reporting and support system.
Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “By utilizing convenience stores located in every alley, closely connected to our lives, we have established a more detailed community safety net to identify and support households in crisis. Although many have faced difficulties in their livelihoods due to COVID-19, I express my gratitude to GS Retail and local convenience store owners who willingly rolled up their sleeves as honorary social welfare officers for their neighbors.”
Additionally, Seongbuk-gu plans to operate an Integrated Support Center for Households in Crisis starting on the 11th, in cooperation with the police and Seoul city, as the possibility of violence and abuse in households is high due to economic difficulties caused by COVID-19.
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