[Seoul District News] Gangnam-gu Hosts Live Commerce via WeChat from 31st with 12 Domestic Companies Including Cosmetics... Dongdaemun-gu Implements View Box Rental for Proper Handwashing Education at Schools, Daycares, Kindergartens, Hospitals with Group Meal Facilities... Seongdong-gu Supports '080 Safe Call' for Facilities Mandated to Keep Visitor Logs... Yongsan-gu Opens Triangular District Public Daycare Center
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) will operate an online channel ‘Live Commerce’ from the 31st, selling products through real-time video and chat to help local small and medium-sized enterprises develop sales channels in China.
As COVID-19 prolongs, ‘Live Commerce’ is rapidly growing as a new distribution market for non-face-to-face consumption.
The ‘China Live Commerce Export Marketing’ broadcast to China will be held 8 times over 3 weeks at the COEX studio in Samseong-dong through famous Chinese platforms such as ‘WeChat.’ Twelve companies manufacturing and selling cosmetics and clothing accessories will participate, with Chinese influencers directly selling the products.
The district previously signed a business agreement with the Korea International Trade Association and selected companies to participate in ‘Live Commerce’ through screening.
Lee Gi-seon, head of the Regional Economy Division, said, “During the 7th local government term, Gangnam-gu is focusing administrative power to support local small business owners and self-employed people suffering from COVID-19,” adding, “We hope this Live Commerce, inspired by the Gang Sora (Gangnam-gu Small Business Live Commerce) project, will help companies secure overseas sales channels.”
Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) will conduct a View-Box rental project to promote proper handwashing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and food poisoning.
Handwashing is effective in blocking the transmission of food poisoning bacteria, preventing food poisoning, and blocking various infectious diseases. Its importance has been emphasized especially as personal hygiene rules have become crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accordingly, the district launched a project to widely promote proper handwashing by renting View-Boxes that allow visual confirmation of bacteria remaining after handwashing.
The View-Box education involves applying fluorescent lotion that acts as bacteria on hands, washing hands as usual, and then checking under the View-Box how much fluorescent lotion (bacteria) has been removed.
The View-Box rental targets schools, daycare centers, kindergartens, hospitals, etc., where group meal facilities are installed, with a rental period of 3 days. Facility managers receive device rental and education guidance from Dongdaemun-gu Public Health Center and then conduct in-house education.
Applications can be made by downloading the application form from the Dongdaemun-gu Public Health Center website and submitting it via FAX or email (hjy2817@ddm.go.kr). Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “As personal hygiene compliance is crucial amid COVID-19 and food poisoning situations, we hope the View-Box rental project will help form healthy handwashing habits among residents and contribute to their health promotion.”
Yangcheon-gu Mayor Kim Soo-young attended the inaugural general meeting of the Anyangcheon Beautification and Advancement Administrative Council held online at 10 a.m. on the 31st at the Yangcheon Digital Media Center on the 3rd floor of the district office.
The inaugural general meeting, held via online video conference, was attended by representatives of eight local governments including Kim Soo-young, Yangcheon-gu Mayor; Lee Seong, Guro-gu Mayor; Yoo Seong-hoon, Geumcheon-gu Mayor; Chae Hyun-il, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor; Park Seung-won, Gwangmyeong Mayor; Choi Dae-ho, Anyang Mayor; Han Dae-hee, Gunpo Mayor; and Kim Sang-don, Uiwang Mayor.
The eight local governments sharing Anyangcheon held the inaugural general meeting to jointly cooperate on the ‘Anyangcheon Beautification and Advancement’ project and to lay the foundation for designation as a national garden by forming a local government administrative council.
Seongdong-gu (District Mayor Jung Won-oh), which pioneered COVID-19 response by introducing the nation’s first mobile electronic entry log, will support the implementation of the ‘080 Safe Call Entry Management Service (hereinafter Safe Call)’ targeting multi-use facilities frequently used by residents such as restaurants and religious facilities from September.
Safe Call is a system where users call a unique number assigned to each facility (business) when entering mandatory entry log facilities such as academies, private institutes, karaoke rooms, and small stores, automatically recording the visitor’s contact information and entry time, allowing easy verification of entry with a single call.
From September, Safe Call will be actively introduced to mandatory entry log facilities in the region, with the district fully covering the communication fees.
Facilities (businesses) in Seongdong-gu wishing to use Safe Call can access the Seongdong-gu website, enter facility information such as business registration number, receive a dedicated number, print a poster displaying the number, and post it at the facility entrance for use.
Information stored in the system is used only for contact tracing with confirmed cases and is automatically deleted after 4 weeks, ensuring safe use.
Accordingly, it is expected to gain great response from facilities and users by eliminating inconveniences for visitors unfamiliar with smart devices who had difficulty using electronic entry logs, as well as concerns about manual logbooks causing personal information exposure and false information.
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “We hope Safe Call will reduce communication cost burdens for facilities struggling due to COVID-19 and alleviate inconveniences for visitors,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to build a trusted quarantine system for residents.”
Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Park Gyeom-su) held a demonstration event on the 31st at the Gangbuk Recycling Sorting Facility to compress transparent PET bottles in collaboration with BYN Black Yak.
On the day, Gangbuk-gu Mayor Park Gyeom-su and Black Yak Chairman Kang Tae-seon inspected the recycling sorting site and the transparent PET bottle compression demonstration. Transparent PET bottles collected from all over the country were gathered. About 250 boxes filled with transparent PET bottles were neatly stacked in a dedicated space prepared at the sorting site.
Previously, in December last year, Gangbuk-gu signed a multilateral business agreement with a private company to establish an ‘Integrated System for Transparent PET Bottle Resource Circulation.’ According to the agreement, transparent PET bottles from Gangbuk will be recycled into high-quality eco-friendly clothing products.
Dongjak-gu (District Mayor Lee Chang-woo) announced on the 31st that it will operate a special cleaning plan for the Chuseok holiday from September 15 to 23 to ensure residents can spend the holiday in a pleasant environment.
The special cleaning plan is divided into three stages: before the holiday, during the holiday, and after the holiday.
First, from September 15 for three days, joint patrols and Chuseok cleaning will be conducted targeting major roads, streets around the National Cemetery, and residential alleys by all district senior officials and functional groups of the community service centers.
During the Chuseok holiday from the 18th to 22nd, the district office will operate a cleaning complaint situation room, handle cleaning complaints, and the Clean Mobile Team will work to conduct special collection on major roads and complaint-prone areas.
Also, waste collection will be suspended on September 20-21, and garbage can be disposed of from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on September 22.
After the holiday, the district plans to collect accumulated garbage and conduct final cleaning.
Additionally, to prevent environmental pollution and resource waste, until September 10, the district will focus inspections on medium and large distribution companies regarding repackaging, excessive packaging, and proper labeling of packaging container separation.
The inspection focuses on gift sets of health functional foods, cosmetics, miscellaneous goods, alcoholic beverages, and primary foods (composite products), conducted by a joint inspection team composed of district officials and the Korea Construction Living Environment Test Institute.
Main inspection items include compliance with packaging space ratio, number of packaging layers by item, packaging materials (prohibition of PVC laminated packaging materials) for excessive packaging, additional bundled packaging during sales of finished products, planned packaging in the form of gifts or giveaways, and repackaging of fewer than three individual packaged products together.
After inspection, violations will be judged according to the ‘Standards for Packaging Materials and Methods’ and ‘Guidelines for Reducing Packaging Waste,’ with fines up to 3 million KRW imposed for violations.
Choi Seung-baek, head of the Cleaning Administration Division, said, “Excessive packaging is a major cause of unnecessary waste generation, so we ask distribution companies to voluntarily reduce packaging use, and residents to comply with garbage disposal dates during Chuseok and actively cooperate in proper separation by removing tape and address labels when disposing of Styrofoam boxes.”
Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) held the ‘Buffle Challenge’ for two days on the 30th and 31st in the front yard of the Gangnam-gu Office main building, exchanging collected discarded plastics for eco-friendly bamboo toothbrushes.
Gangnam-gu Mayor Jung Soon-gyun encouraged children and staff who participated in the challenge on the 31st.
Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Chang-hyun) will open the public Samgakji Daycare Center on September 1 as part of the 7th local government mayor’s pledge project to secure public childcare and provide high-quality childcare services.
The district remodeled and created the space free of charge within the Yongsan Verdiem Friends complex, completed in February 2021 by Yongsan PFV, investing a budget of 180 million KRW. The Presbyterian Church of Korea Shinheung Church (representative Lee Gil-won), selected through an open recruitment of consignment bodies in February, will operate the center.
The public Samgakji Daycare Center (40 Baekbeom-ro 99-gil, Yongsan-gu) is a two-story building with a total floor area of 560㎡. The first floor has five childcare rooms, a director’s office, kitchen, and storage, while the second floor has a playroom, rest area, teachers’ room, and laundry room.
The childcare target is infants aged 0 to 3 years, with a capacity of 48 children. After announcing recruitment on the 12th of this month, the district selected admission candidates through the Pregnancy and Childcare Comprehensive Portal and completed admission notifications on the 27th. No separate opening ceremony will be held due to the escalation of social distancing levels.
As of the end of July 2021, Hangangro-dong had 794 infants and toddlers and 678 waiting for public daycare centers. The public daycare center utilization rate is 34.1%, with a capacity fulfillment rate of 91%, indicating high demand for public childcare in the administrative district.
Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Chang-hyun said, “Last year, the number of births in Korea fell below 200,000 for the first time in history,” adding, “To increase the birth rate, a childcare environment where parents can safely entrust their children is most important.”
The utilization rate of public daycare centers in Yongsan-gu is 42.7%, slightly higher than the Seoul average of 39.4%. The district aims to achieve a 50% utilization rate by 2022 by discovering new public daycare centers.
This year, to help care for infants vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, the district is focusing on projects such as supporting ‘Dubinnae Growth Managers,’ introducing non-face-to-face video conferencing programs, and improving indoor air quality in daycare centers.
Chae Hyun-il, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor, attended the inaugural general meeting of the Anyangcheon Beautification and Advancement Administrative Council held via video on the morning of the 31st.
The meeting was attended by eight local government heads including Chae Hyun-il, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor, discussing the promotion of the Anyangcheon Beautification and Advancement project, national garden registration, discovery of public projects, and cooperation plans.
Mayor Chae said, “Based on close cooperation and communication with each local government in the administrative council, we will actively support Anyangcheon to become a healing spot in the city.”
Gangdong-gu (District Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) announced on the 31st that construction started on the 2nd section of the 4th phase extension of Subway Line 9, the section from ‘Daemyeong Elementary School Entrance Intersection to Godeok I-Park Apartment’ (1.289 km, tentatively named Hanyeong High School Station and Godeok Station).
The 4th phase extension of Subway Line 9 is a project to build four new stations over a 4.12 km section starting from Jungang Veterans Hospital Station in Gangdong-gu, passing through Gildong Ecological Park, Hanyeong High School, and Line 5 Godeok Station, extending to Godeok Gangil 1 District. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is overseeing the construction. The project is divided into three sections, with bidding starting in December 2020. The contract with the 2nd section contractor, Taeyoung Construction Consortium, was signed on August 30. Construction began on August 31, and progress is expected to accelerate in the first half of 2022, with completion planned for early 2028.
Sections 1 (1.348 km, tentatively named Ecological Park Intersection Station) and 3 (1.485 km, tentatively named Godeok Gangil 1 Station), which experienced delays due to three failed bids, are also advancing to reduce the gap with Section 2. Basic design and priority construction detailed design started in May for companies that participated alone in the third announcement, aiming for construction within the year.
Additionally, the district reported smooth progress on the additional extension section from Godeok Gangil 1 District to Gangil-dong (1.25 km, additional 4th phase extension of Line 9). This section was included in the Namyangju Wangsuk District Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Plan in December 2020 and was officially designated as a new project in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan (2021-2030) announced on July 5 (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Notice No. 2021-936). The project is currently undergoing a preliminary feasibility study by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, with results expected by the end of September. If economic feasibility is confirmed, the project will proceed through basic planning, basic and detailed design, and then construction.
Since the announcement of candidate sites for the National Housing and Urban Development Ministry’s housing site in 2011, Gangdong-gu has proactively demanded transportation measures, including the Line 9 4th phase extension in the Godeok-Gangil housing site metropolitan transportation improvement plan in 2012, inclusion in Seoul’s 10-year urban rail network plan in 2015, passing the preliminary feasibility study in May 2018, basic plan approval in April 2020, and turnkey construction confirmation in June 2020. The district has actively worked for over 10 years to promote the project.
In particular, a press conference by the district mayor in September 2011 proposed policy alternatives for the housing project, securing the feasibility of the Line 9 4th phase extension. Subsequently, more than 10 meetings with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul City, and SH, as well as meetings with the Seoul Mayor and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, were held. As a result, on October 29, 2012, Gangdong-gu, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul City, and SH signed an agreement on promoting the extension of Subway Line 9 as part of the metropolitan transportation improvement plan for the Seoul Godeok Gangil housing site, incorporating the Line 9 extension project.
Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “With the start of the Line 9 4th phase extension, a long-cherished wish of Gangdong residents, the transportation network connecting the three economic industrial complexes?Godeok Biz Valley, Advanced Business Complex, and Engineering Complex?will be established, making Gangdong a true economic center of the eastern metropolitan area,” adding, “We will also strive to smoothly promote the ongoing Line 5 direct connection, Line 8 extension, and additional Line 9 4th phase extension projects to realize transportation welfare directly linked to the happiness of 500,000 Gangdong residents.”
Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) provides free interpretation and translation services to facilitate smooth communication for marriage immigrants and multicultural families.
The interpretation and translation service supports marriage immigrants with limited Korean proficiency to overcome difficulties in daily life and adapt stably to Korean life through interpreters and translators.
Currently, interpretation and translation services are provided in Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mongolian, and services in other languages are provided through cooperation with nearby institutions.
Residents wishing to use the service can call the interpreter and request the needed service. Interpreters are stationed at the Dongdaemun-gu Healthy Family Multicultural Family Support Center, providing general interpretation and translation services as well as various life guidance services such as COVID-19 vaccination information.
As of July 31 this year, 3,035 interpretation cases related to early entry counseling, nationality, and residence, 350 translation cases for life information such as pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, and 2,467 information provision cases for life information and business guidance were used.
Dongdaemun-gu provides various support such as Korean language education and capacity-building programs and settlement support packages through the Healthy Family Multicultural Family Support Center for stable settlement of marriage immigrants. Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “We support interpretation and translation services so that marriage immigrants can successfully settle in Korean society,” adding, “We will strive to provide more diverse support programs to help marriage immigrants adapt beyond basic interpretation and translation services.”
Geumcheon-gu (District Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) announced that from September 2, it will provide free food waste payment certificates to small restaurants to deliver hope in overcoming COVID-19.
This is to alleviate the economic burden on small restaurants suffering from business restrictions and sales decline due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
The support targets general restaurants with business premises under 200㎡, excluding rest restaurants, large waste producers, and business waste producers.
The district plans to distribute 50 sheets of 10-liter food waste payment certificates (for 5 months) to each business through the Korea Foodservice Industry Association Geumcheon Branch.
Accordingly, small restaurants in Geumcheon-gu are expected to receive about 205.38 million KRW in waste disposal fee reductions over five months.
Yoo Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We hope this project will help small business owners such as small restaurants affected by COVID-19,” adding, “We will continue to work to overcome difficulties faced by small business owners suffering from ongoing quarantine measures and economic downturn.”
Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Kim Soo-young) announced that it will issue 11 billion KRW worth of ‘Yangcheon Love Gift Certificates’ from 4 p.m. on September 6.
This issuance is the second after the first issuance of 14 billion KRW in February, available for purchase at a 10% discount. Considering that the first issuance sold out within a week, the second issuance is also expected to be sold out early.
The ‘Yangcheon Love Gift Certificates’ can be easily purchased from 4 p.m. on September 6 by installing any of 20 payment apps such as Beeple Zero Pay, Check Pay, and Money Tree. The purchase limit is 700,000 KRW per person per month.
The gift certificates come in three denominations: 10,000 KRW, 50,000 KRW, and 100,000 KRW. They can be used within five years from the issuance date, and refunds are possible if at least 60% of the face value is used, excluding discount support.
Usage is the same as Zero Pay. Users can scan the QR code of Zero Pay affiliated stores through a simple payment app and enter the payment amount or present the QR code generated on their smartphone to the store for payment.
The purchased gift certificates can be used at 13,331 Zero Pay affiliated stores in the region, including academies, pharmacies, convenience stores, and restaurants. However, usage is restricted in large marts, gambling industries, academies with annual sales exceeding 1 billion KRW, and direct stores of large and medium-sized franchise companies, as the purpose is to revitalize the local economy and support small businesses.
Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “Thank you for the interest and love shown by residents for the Yangcheon Love Gift Certificates, which sold out early every time,” adding, “We hope the local currency issued in the second half will be a strong supporter for local small business owners facing difficulties.”
Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Seon-gap) completed the appraisal and verification by appraisers of the individual official land prices for a total of 77 land parcels that underwent land movement (division, merger, land category change, etc.) in the first half of this year and will accept opinions from September 1 to 23.
Individual official land price viewing can be inquired at the district office’s Real Estate Information Division or each community service center, or checked through the district office website and Seoul Real Estate Information Inquiry System.
Landowners and interested parties can review the price balance with standard land or nearby land and the price balance with similar standard land by viewing, and if they have opinions, they can write an individual official land price opinion form and submit it in person to the Real Estate Information Division or online through the integrated real estate civil service within the period.
The district will re-investigate land characteristics and price balance based on submitted opinions, undergo verification by appraisers and review by the Real Estate Price Disclosure Committee, notify the results individually to the submitters, and finalize and announce by October 29.
Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “Individual official land prices are important as they are used as the basis for various tax impositions, so please be sure to check within the period,” adding, “We will continue thorough investigation and verification to protect residents’ valuable property rights and provide trusted land price administration services.”
Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Park Gyeom-su) will launch a modern and contemporary history mystery travel on the Bukhansan Dulle-gil from September.
The mystery travel is an experiential program solving story tasks based on historical events, subtitled ‘Find the Lost Key.’ Participants solve missions by finding clues placed at the site in a virtual situation. While walking the trail, participants can observe historical and cultural heritage scattered in the area.
The travel starts from Solbat Neighborhood Park and splits into two routes. Section 1 is a 2 km path from the park to the entrance of the pilgrimage trail, the April 19 Observatory, the grave of martyr Lee Jun, and the Modern History Memorial Hall. Section 2 is a 2.5 km path from the park to the entrance of the pine forest trail, pine forest rest area, Bonghwang Pavilion, the grave of Son Byeong-hee, and the meeting plaza in Ui-dong. Participants can choose one.
Each section has different story tasks related to modern history events and clues needed for problem-solving. A text message from a virtual character, a member of the National Salvation Corps, signals the start of the mission. To participate, one must find a cipher decoding sheet (mission sheet) at the Solbat Forest Library in the park. Scanning the QR code there starts the time travel.
Anyone with a smartphone can participate anytime without prior procedures or costs. However, for Section 2, participants must reach the last place, a religious facility, before it closes. Participants who complete the mission receive a mobile cultural gift certificate worth 5,000 KRW. It is given on a first-come, first-served basis only once, and completing either section is sufficient. For inquiries, contact the district’s Culture, Tourism, and Sports Division.
Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “Following the keys placed at modern history event sites, you will naturally understand why Gangbuk-gu is called a ‘city of historical and cultural tourism,’” adding, “We hope many people participate in the historical mystery exploration.”
Gwanak-gu is actively promoting an aerial cable maintenance project to improve urban aesthetics and ensure residents’ safe living.
Earlier this year, the district received the highest grade in the aerial cable maintenance project evaluation by the Ministry of Science and ICT, securing a total maintenance budget of 4.2 billion KRW and started the project in April.
So far, seven neighborhoods in nine areas, including the Dolsam Happy Village residential environment improvement district in Samseong-dong, have been selected as priority maintenance targets, and individual maintenance is being carried out by each telecommunications company. From September, joint maintenance will be conducted.
Joint maintenance involves six telecommunications operators working together to remove communication lines and abandoned lines, install messenger wires, and organize incoming lines in the target areas, aiming to complete joint maintenance by November.
The district operates an on-site promotion team composed of residents, officials, and experts for each target area to collect opinions and encourage active participation. It also cooperates organically with related departments to support parking and site access for successful project implementation.
Due to a high single-person household rate and population mobility, the frequency of communication service replacement is very high, and many areas have continuous requests for maintenance due to the proliferation of old and detached aerial cables. Residents have high expectations for this project. Urgent aerial cable complaints can be reported to the Aerial Cable Maintenance Call Center.
Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Seon-gap) will operate the ‘September 2021 Daily Learning Center Program’ to provide local residents with lifelong learning opportunities in daily life.
The Daily Learning Center project utilizes local resources such as educational spaces and personnel so that residents can enjoy lifelong learning opportunities nearby.
Seven institutions offering unused time space sharing have been designated as Daily Learning Centers, providing learning programs suited to their characteristics, allowing residents to engage in learning activities and community formation.
In September, 27 programs including portrait drawing, animal welfare education, and traditional music experience will be held at miniature workshops, pet kindergartens, and small performance halls.
Considering the COVID-19 situation, lectures will be conducted with a small number of people under strict quarantine rules, and non-face-to-face programs will be combined depending on characteristics.
Residents wishing to participate can inquire through the Gwangjin-gu lifelong learning portal or the Gwangjin-gu Education Support Division. Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “As various social activities shrink due to the prolonged COVID-19, we hope the Daily Learning Center program will be an opportunity to regain vitality,” adding, “We will continue to create an educational environment where anyone can easily receive education and do our best to realize lifelong learning for residents.”
Saemaul Undong Seongbuk-gu Branch and others in Seongbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Seung-ro) delivered support supplies to Seongbuk-gu Public Health Center and temporary screening clinic staff on the 30th.
This delivery was planned as part of the ‘COVID-19 Crisis Overcome Support Campaign’ to encourage and support those working at the public health center and temporary screening clinics amid the complex disaster situation of COVID-19 resurgence and heatwaves, sharing a message of hope to overcome the crisis together.
Cheon Bok-seong, head of Saemaul Undong Seongbuk-gu Branch; Lee Ho-rin, head of Saemaul Leaders Seongbuk-gu Council; Jo Young-nam, head of Seongbuk-gu Saemaul Women’s Association; and Seo Ho-jung, head of Saemaul Library Seongbuk-gu Branch, expressed sincere gratitude for the hard work of those protecting Seongbuk residents’ safety on the front lines of quarantine and hoped the supplies would provide some cool comfort to medical staff exhausted by the heat.
Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, expressed gratitude to the Saemaul organizations supporting the medical staff and officials exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 response and pledged to unite efforts to overcome COVID-19.
The support supplies included 71 boxes of ‘Red Ginseng Passion Fruit Stick Royal’ and two other types, sponsored by Korea Ginseng Corporation and prepared by the Seoul Volunteer Center and Seoul Social Welfare Community Chest.
Jongno-gu (District Mayor Kim Young-jong) completed pedestrian environment improvement construction in the area around Dongmyo to Sinseol-dong Station (north side) section, which has been underway since March to prevent resident safety accidents and improve urban aesthetics.
The project aimed to transform some old and damaged sections causing inconvenience into eco-friendly sidewalks, providing a safe and pleasant environment for citizens using nearby stores and Dongmyo Park.
Especially, linked with the pedestrian environment improvement project on nearby sidewalks carried out last year, both the north and south sides of the Dongmyo to Sinseol-dong section were paved with eco-friendly sidewalks, enhancing completeness. Safety guidance blocks for the visually impaired, curbs, and gutters were also maintained, and some sections were narrowed to secure pedestrian safety.
Since 2011, Jongno-gu has been implementing eco-friendly sidewalk construction considering the historical and cultural value of the area and pedestrian environment. As a result, areas including Jahamun-ro, Bukchon-ro, Saemunan-ro, Tongil-ro, Changgyeonggung-ro, and now the Dongmyo to Sinseol-dong Station section have become walkable streets.
Eco-friendly sidewalks use different materials from before. They use natural granite with excellent durability and abrasion resistance, allowing semi-permanent use, reducing maintenance and repaving costs in the long term. Without using concrete, no waste is generated during excavation, and rainwater naturally permeates into the sand, helping activate the underground ecosystem.
Additionally, to create green landscapes in the city, the district planned to install green belts around existing street trees and applied Low Impact Development (LID) techniques to minimize rainwater runoff, realizing a natural water circulation state.
Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu, said, “In the past, sidewalks were viewed simply as paths without inconvenience, but we rebuilt them with eco-friendly materials and construction methods to create streets suited to each area’s characteristics,” adding, “We will continue to create walkable streets where people can fully feel our tradition and nature and improve walking tourism convenience for residents and tourists.”
Songpa-gu (District Mayor Park Seong-su) will hold the ‘2021 Ontact Songpa Kids Health Expo’ through its YouTube channel from September 1 to 7.
The ‘Songpa Kids Health Expo’ was first planned nationwide by Songpa-gu in 2019 targeting infants and toddlers, receiving high praise for enabling children to easily and enjoyably learn proper eating habits through experiential programs every year.
Following last year, this year’s expo will also be held in a non-face-to-face Ontact format to help children grow healthily despite the COVID-19 situation. Unlike last year’s one-day event, this year’s period is extended to a week to allow more infants, toddlers, and parents to participate.
Under the theme ‘COVID-19, Stay Away! Strong Body, Strong Mind, Our Child,’ about 60 video contents are prepared on themes such as eating habits, hygiene, exercise, environment, and happiness. For this event, the Songpa Children’s Meal Management Support Center, Eco-friendly Public Meal Center, food companies such as Ourhome and Foodmers, and early childhood education companies including Pinkfong, Kids Castle, Kkebi Kids, Brinson Co., Ice Cream Kids, Ocon Kids, M Punch, and LG Uplus Kids Classroom share video content.
From September 1 for a week, anyone can participate through the YouTube channel ‘Songpa-gu Children’s Meal Management Support Center.’ Customized educational materials for each content are also uploaded on the district website’s electronic publication board for systematic learning. During the event, participants can share videos and experiential activities in real time and write reviews via KakaoTalk open chat rooms.
Additionally, side events include the 3rd Songpa Kids Health Art Contest, Healthy Our Child, Happy Capture! Photo Contest, 2nd Fun Program (Educational Method) Contest for Health Promotion, and Our Dance Together! Health Play Video Contest award-winning works, which will be released on the YouTube channel.
Moreover, about 450 winning works from children’s drawing and photo contests will be compiled into an e-book and shared on the district website. Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “As the COVID-19 situation prolongs, managing infants and toddlers’ health is more important than ever,” adding, “We will continue to implement various policies so children can grow up healthy and happy, making Songpa a place full of children’s laughter.”
Jungnang-gu (District Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) announced that it will conduct reading discussion education for local high school first and second graders at the Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center in September, the month of reading.
This education, part of the center’s university-linked program, involves KUSA volunteer club students from Korea University and high school students reading books together and exchanging opinions. The discussion book is the youth literature award-winning work ‘The Shop That Sells Time,’ about a protagonist who sells his time by helping customers with their difficult problems in an internet cafe.
During last summer vacation, the center conducted reading discussions with 40 middle school students using Bang Jeong-hwan’s novel, receiving positive responses. Accordingly, the district expanded the target to high school students to allow more youths to experience the joy of reading together.
The education consists of two sessions held in the center’s 5th-floor program room on September 11 and 26 from 10 a.m. to noon. Students wishing to participate can apply on the Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center website. Each session accepts 30 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
If student participation is active, the district plans to expand the program by the end of the year. Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “Books that seem difficult to read alone can be enjoyed easily and interestingly when read together,” adding, “We will operate various reading-related education programs to help Jungnang’s youth develop independent thinking skills.”
The center also offers a program to improve English skills by reading original works such as Sherlock Holmes. Like the reading discussion, it targets high school first and second graders and will be held twice a week for eight sessions starting in September. Applications are accepted on the center’s website.
Seodaemun-gu (District Mayor Moon Seok-jin) will hold the ‘2021 Seodaemun Youth Online Career Expo’ from September 3 to October 8 under the theme ‘Solving Youth Career Anxiety - Escape from Anxiety NO.1.’
Now in its ninth year, the expo provides various content to solve youth career concerns through a dedicated website and YouTube, expecting about 2,300 participants including students and out-of-school youth.
With reduced opportunities for diverse experiences due to social distancing and alternating school attendance, the expo focuses on ‘career planning’ to alleviate youth anxiety about the future.
The district built a dedicated website for safe non-face-to-face participation and collaborated with local webtoon artists to design it for added interest.
The opening ceremony will be held on September 3 at 11 a.m., with District Mayor Moon Seok-jin and students from Inchang Middle School participating via real-time online video.
During the expo, about 100 ‘career experience contents’ will be operated, covering various jobs from 4th industrial revolution fields such as robotic engineers, hologram experts, and VR video producers to less common jobs like hobby kit makers, junk artists, and tea sommeliers, helping youth understand diverse occupations.
Also, various mentoring programs will be prepared to explore high school admission, a major interest for middle school students, and help plan careers. About 200 mentors from high school students to university students and workers will assist youth in solving career concerns.
A ‘Talk Concert’ will also be held where youth can ask questions and receive answers in real time. Moon Seok-jin, District Mayor, said, “I hope this expo will be an opportunity for youth to concretize their careers by thinking about what they want and what kind of life they want to live from the near to distant future.”
Seocho-gu (District Mayor Jo Eun-hee) and the Seocho Art Association (Chairperson Choi Yoon-jung) will hold the ‘MIND Platform’ exhibition at the Seoripul Youth Art Gallery from September 3 to 16.
‘MIND Platform’ stands for Material, Idea, Nature, and Donation, expressing the four internal foundations needed in this anxious and difficult pandemic era through various visual artworks. It introduces stories about art and life’s basic elements and meanings, as well as modern people’s desires, in diverse ways to provide new sensibilities.
The planned exhibition features 30 young artists from the Seocho Art Association and winners of the ‘Seoripul Art for Art Grand Prize,’ showcasing about 90 works.
A feature of this exhibition is that, besides the main exhibition, artworks priced under 1 million KRW are sold to collectors, with part of the proceeds donated to neighbors, practicing art aligned with the ‘Donation’ element of the four internal foundations.
The exhibition venue, ‘Seoripul Youth Art Gallery,’ is a district-run gallery specialized for young artists, introducing their works and supporting creative activities annually. Since 2018, it has supported 184 young artists through 22 exhibitions. This exhibition maximizes synergy through collaboration with young artists of the Seocho Art Association.
Since 2016, the district and the Seocho Art Association have supported young artists through various exhibitions, including the nationwide ‘Seoripul Art for Art Grand Prize’ and the ‘Seoripul Youth Artists Exhibition’ featuring Seocho-gu young artists this year.
Jo Eun-hee, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “I hope this exhibition will be an opportunity for visitors to think about what is truly needed in our era,” adding, “We will support Seoripul Youth Art Gallery to become a platform space where art and social members harmonize.”
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Noh Hyun-song) will recruit volunteers from September for the ‘Our Neighborhood Doctors’ activity. ‘Our Neighborhood Doctors’ is an abbreviation for ‘clean, dust, sweep,’ a volunteer project to voluntarily clean public places in the community.
The purpose is to create a clean environment to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and to revitalize volunteer activities. This activity was planned to encourage residents’ participation amid the decline in volunteer activities.
Anyone interested in volunteering can participate individually or in small teams (2-4 people).
After completing basic education (watching a video), participants select public places such as parks, playgrounds, and streets where illegal dumping is frequent or environmental improvement is needed and perform cleaning, disinfection, and other environmental maintenance volunteer activities.
Within 10 days after the activity, participants submit activity photos and a result report to receive 2 hours of volunteer time per activity. Each person can participate in up to 5 activities, totaling 10 hours.
Residents wishing to participate can apply through the 1365 Volunteer Portal and submit an activity plan. More details are available on the Gangseo-gu Volunteer Center website or the 1365 Volunteer Portal.
Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Seo Yang-ho) will hold the ‘2021 Jung-gu Social Economy Online Fair’ for two weeks from September 1 to 15.
The event will be broadcast live non-face-to-face via YouTube and Grip live commerce and conducted online on the official platform ‘Junggu Onpe.’
The district aims to activate the social economy by raising awareness of social economy, promoting social enterprises in the region, and supporting market development through the online fair.
The Jung-gu Social Economy Online Fair consists of four parts: social economy promotion, social economy awareness improvement, social enterprise market development, and social economy network activation.
The fair will select excellent social economy organizations, broadcast activity videos, promote social enterprises, and hold expert conferences to improve social economy awareness.
On September 2, products from local social enterprises will be sold through Grip live commerce with a Chuseok holiday gift concept.
On the 8th, the ‘Autonomous District Social Economy Integrated Support Center Solidarity Meeting Policy Forum’ discussing the achievements and challenges of the Seoul Social Economy Support Center project will be held both online and offline. On the 14th, the ‘Jung-gu Social Economy Live Talk Concert’ to activate networks of (preliminary) cooperatives, social enterprises, and village enterprises in the region will be broadcast live on YouTube.
For detailed information on the Jung-gu online fair, search ‘Junggu Onpe’ on Naver. Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “We hope warm and valuable consumption will be realized through participation in the social economy online fair and ask for much interest in social economy enterprises and their products.”
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