Enjoy Nutritious Songpyeon Made with Delicate Hands!

[Seoul District News] Yangcheon-gu Conducts 'Dream Start 2021 Non-face-to-face Nutrition Education for Chuseok'... Mapo-gu Launches Visiting Forest Interpretation Service... Dongjak-gu Officer Jeong Jae-hoon Registers Unlisted Buildings as Public Property After 14 Years, Establishes Foundation for Our Neighborhood Care Center, Wins Excellence Award for Proactive Administration

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) will conduct the ‘Dream Start Chuseok Non-face-to-face Nutrition Education’ from September 13 to help vulnerable children emotionally stabilize and grow healthily during the Chuseok holiday.

The Dream Start project is a child welfare program that provides customized integrated services to vulnerable children to support their growth into healthy and happy members of society.

This ‘Dream Start Chuseok Non-face-to-face Nutrition Education’ will be conducted using a songpyeon-making kit for all 204 children in Dream Start. From the 13th to the 17th, Dream Start will deliver the songpyeon-making kits to each household and provide instructions on how to watch the songpyeon-making practice video. During the Chuseok holiday, children will watch the video at their convenience with their families and freely experience making songpyeon at home.

For more details about the nutrition education and Dream Start project, please contact the Dream Start Yangcheon Center.

Meanwhile, nutrition education is an essential service of the Dream Start project and is conducted annually. This year, two sessions have been held so far, benefiting about 304 children in forming healthy eating habits and various physical activities, providing significant emotional support. The district plans to conduct the third nutrition education session in December.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “On the occasion of Chuseok, a traditional Korean holiday, I hope our children will create memories by making beautiful songpyeon with their families through this nutrition education.”

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) has started operating the ‘Visiting Forest Interpretation Service’ to safely experience nature even when group activities are restricted due to social distancing.

Every year from March to November, the district has operated more than 10 forest interpretation programs weekly at four local forests (Maebongsan, Sangamsan, Seongmisan, Wausan) for groups such as kindergartens and daycare centers, exploring forest trails with professional forest interpreters.

This program is highly popular among residents as it allows direct experience of seasonal forest changes and learning the importance of nature. Despite COVID-19 last year, about 600 children participated.

Considering residents’ anxiety about group activities due to COVID-19, the district decided to start the ‘Visiting Forest Interpretation Service,’ which visits groups and institutions wishing to experience the program and provides customized forest education either in nearby forests or indoors at the institution.

The ‘Visiting Forest Interpretation Service’ is free and open to anyone in Mapo-gu, including individuals and families, not just groups. The program runs twice daily, morning and afternoon, every day except Sundays and public holidays until November. The maximum number of participants per session is 28, following distancing regulations, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those interested can apply through the Seoul Public Service Reservation website. More details about the Visiting Forest Interpretation Service can be found on the Mapo-gu Office website (Mapo-gu Introduction - Mapo News - Education Courses).

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “I hope this time communicating with nature will help heal the body and mind tired from COVID-19. We will strive to increase various forest experience opportunities conveniently enjoyed in the city.”

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) selected public officials who achieved valuable results by practicing proactive administration with a creative and challenging attitude as the first half of this year’s outstanding proactive public officials.

The outstanding proactive public officials were selected by comprehensively reviewing 10 cases received through resident and department recommendations based on five criteria: resident perception, task importance and difficulty, proactiveness, creativity, expertise, and potential for dissemination.

The excellence awards went to: Jung Jae-hoon, who registered a building unregistered for 14 years as district property and laid the foundation for the Our Neighborhood Care Center; Jung Ji-yeon, who created customized jobs for Dongjak residents to overcome COVID-19 employment crisis; Kim Min-geon, who operated a shuttle bus for seniors’ convenience in COVID-19 vaccination; and Jin Hyo-joon, who contributed to improving the educational environment through continuous collaboration with the education office.

Additionally, the encouragement awards were given to Jeon Eun-ji, who improved management systems to increase administrative efficiency in major district projects; Kim Hye-jung, who established a smart disposal and collection system; Kim Pil-gyu, who promoted the rental housing complex project; and Yoo Oh-sik, who contributed to revitalizing small workshops and cultural arts in Sadang-dong.

All eight selected outstanding public officials will receive personnel incentives, including the highest grade of performance bonuses.

Last year, the district was selected as an excellent institution with the highest grade in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Comprehensive Evaluation of Local Governments’ Proactive Administration’ by establishing a proactive administration ordinance and execution plan.

Lee Chang-woo, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, said, “Having laid the foundation for proactive administration last year, I hope this selection of outstanding public officials will boost pride and morale among public officials. We will continue to work together to share and spread this culture in the public service community.”

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) held the ‘2021 Geumcheon-gu Innovative Administration Best Practice Competition’ on the 9th to discover innovative cases and spread an innovative administrative culture.

Among 17 cases submitted by each department, the top 10 excellent cases selected through document screening and online voting competed. The competition lasted over two hours, featuring passionate presentations by department staff and sharp questions from private judges on each case.

The evaluation panel, composed of public officials and private members, focused on creativity, citizen perception, effectiveness, and potential for dissemination to determine the final ranking.

The grand prize went to the Cleaning Administration Division’s ‘Ice Pack Recycling Project.’ The excellence awards were given to the Senior and Disabled Division’s ‘Seoul’s First Senior Convenience Store, Welcome to the Good Store!’ and the Road Division’s ‘Anyangcheon Pedestrian Overpass (Geumcheon Han-nae Bridge) Installation Project.’ Four cases, including Doksan 3-dong’s ‘Safe Village Where Safety Stays in Every Alley,’ received encouragement awards.

Notably, the ‘Ice Pack Recycling Project’ was recognized for reducing about 7 tons of household waste in the first half of 2021 by providing ice packs used in product packaging to merchants in the livestock market.

The competition also stood out for efforts to prevent COVID-19 spread, such as ‘online judging by staff evaluators’ and ‘temperature checks and mask-wearing in the judging venue.’

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, urged participants, “Let’s develop various innovative projects reflecting our district’s characteristics and residents’ needs to make residents’ lives more valuable.”

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) supports the Door Keeper service to protect single-person households from various crimes such as home intrusion.

Recently, with increased use of delivery and parcel services due to COVID-19, crimes exploiting these have also increased, but installing security devices is difficult due to cost burdens.

Therefore, the district aims to alleviate anxiety and create a safe residential environment by providing affordable home security services to single-person households.

The Door Keeper service installs a camera with a motion detection sensor on the front door to monitor safety 24/7 and request emergency dispatch in case of emergencies.

The camera detects visitors’ movements in real time and sends alerts via a dedicated app if suspicious movements are detected. Users can check who is at the door from inside and issue warning messages such as “Security system is operating” as needed.

In emergencies, the nearest safety personnel promptly dispatch. Users can also request dispatch by pressing the SOS emergency button on the app or inside the house.

The service support period is three years in total. For the first year, users pay only 1,000 KRW per month with a subsidy, and for the remaining two years, the fee is about half the market price at 9,900 KRW per month.

Eligible applicants are single-person households aged 18 or older residing in rental housing in Jungnang-gu. Both men and women can apply, but owners and apartment residents are excluded. Interested residents can submit an application form, resident registration, and lease contract via email (ym781006@jn.go.kr). Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and details are available on the district website.

For inquiries, visit the Seoul Single-Person Household Portal or contact Jungnang-gu Office’s Women and Family Division or Caps Home.

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “I hope the Door Keeper installation creates an environment where single-person households can live safely. As the number of single-person households increases, we will strive to provide support in housing, safety, and social networks.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is recruiting participants for the ‘2021 Dongdaemun-gu Youth Community Activity Support Project’ from the 9th to the 23rd.

The ‘2021 Dongdaemun-gu Youth Community Activity Support Project’ is designed to support voluntary exchanges and network formation among local youth with common interests, linking policy planning and social innovation activities.

Youth groups of three or more aged 19 to 39 residing, working, or studying in Dongdaemun-gu, or organizations located in Dongdaemun-gu (non-profit corporations, social enterprises, etc.) can participate. Up to 10 teams will be recruited.

The project has two categories: Youth Research Institute Support and ON Neighborhood Media Activity Support. The Youth Research Institute Support is divided into research and activity fields. The research field involves youth-led agenda discovery and research projects related to housing, environment, culture, entrepreneurship, etc., with support up to 2 million KRW. The activity field supports youth community activities on local topics, also up to 2 million KRW.

The ‘ON Neighborhood Media Support Project’ supports youth communities producing media content discovering local stories about space, people, food, culture, etc., with support up to 1 million KRW.

Interested residents or organizations can download the application form from the Dongdaemun-gu Office website, fill it out, and submit it via email to the Job Policy Division (koo0823@ddm.go.kr) for online registration.

To prevent COVID-19 infection, applications are accepted non-face-to-face. For inquiries, contact the Youth Activity Support Team of the Job Policy Division by phone.

Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “Following last year’s youth and adolescent activity support project, we support youth community activities so that youth can create necessary policies themselves. We will generously support various opportunities for youth to build a fair society.”

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is launching a ‘Room Sharing’ project where local seniors and university students share living spaces.

Room sharing is an intergenerational housing sharing project where seniors who own homes rent out spare rooms to university students, who move in at below-market rent and assist seniors in daily life.

The district stated that the project aims to help the stable independent living of elderly living alone due to rapid aging and reduce students’ financial burdens from high rent.

The biggest advantage of room sharing is low rent. There is no separate deposit, and monthly rent is decided by agreement between seniors and students at a rate lower than the surrounding market price.

Seniors benefit by having companions, help with simple household chores, and can learn to use electronic devices like computers and smartphones.

Anyone aged 60 or older owning a separate room in a private house and university students enrolled or on leave at local universities can participate.

The rental period is six months (one semester), extendable by mutual agreement.

Seniors participating will receive environmental improvement work such as wallpapering, flooring, and lighting replacement within 1 million KRW per room, and students will be provided with donated beds, desks, chairs, and other living supplies.

Applications can be made by phone or visit to the Welfare Policy Division of Nowon-gu Office.

The district visits applicants’ homes, interviews them, mediates matching between seniors and students, and facilitates agreements and move-in.

Since its start in 2013, 223 senior households and 258 students have participated. Despite COVID-19 making school attendance difficult, six seniors and six students continue shared living.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Housing sharing benefits both elderly living alone and financially struggling students. We will spare no support for the happy coexistence of seniors and youth.”

Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) is recruiting participants for an online youth exchange program with Fairfax County, USA.

Guro-gu said, “We prepared the youth exchange program to enhance youth global competence and provide international exchange opportunities. Due to COVID-19, local international exchanges are difficult, so the entire program will be conducted online in the second half of the year as in the first half.”

The target is 10 students from 2nd grade middle school to 2nd grade high school residing in Guro-gu or attending schools in the district.

Interested students can apply by filling out the application form posted on the district website’s news section from the 13th to the 24th and submitting it via email to the person in charge (jwkang57@guro.go.kr).

After document screening, the district will select and notify the final participants individually in early next month.

The program runs for five weeks from October 20 to November 20. Selected students will be matched 1:1 with American students to exchange opinions on various topics in Korean and English. From weeks 2 to 4, participants will record and share videos on specific topics such as school introduction and local attractions. Participants introduce their stories in a foreign language, and matched friends provide feedback in their native language. Weeks 1 and 5 include real-time communication such as self-introductions and participation impressions.

Participants receive certificates upon completion, and outstanding participants receive awards. Since 2009, Guro-gu has conducted youth exchanges with Fairfax County’s education office. The district also maintains ongoing youth exchanges with Issy-les-Moulineaux, France; Tongzhou District, Beijing, China; and Kuching South, Malaysia.

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee), social enterprise Saenghwang and People Co., Ltd. (CEO Hong Ki-sook), and Gwanak Jungbu Market Merchants Association (Chairman Koo Je-yeon) will jointly produce and broadcast the ‘Gwanak Jungbu Market Visible Podcast Radio Talk Show.’

The district announced that from September 13 to November 1, the show will deliver stories of Jungbu Market and its vitality to residents through the Live Gwanak YouTube channel.

This podcast radio is part of the ‘Smart Jungbu Market Creation Project,’ selected in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Resident Participation Digital-Based Local Community Problem Solving Project’ contest, aiming to revitalize the local economy and market by establishing online payment and delivery systems.

Especially under the theme ‘Jungbu Market Communicating with Residents,’ various content such as neighborhood and people stories and store promotions will inform residents about the market and provide opportunities for merchants and residents to communicate.

Besides regular content, a food cooking show and live commerce offering various discounts are planned in October, expected to rekindle interest in the traditional market and serve as a leading case of non-face-to-face local economic activities amid COVID-19.

The event is broadcast live every Monday at 1 PM on the official Gwanak-gu YouTube channel ‘Live Gwanak,’ open to all.

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) will hold a ‘Parent Academy’ for governance participants in the Seongbuk Innovation Education District and parents residing in Seongbuk-gu.

This education consists of three academies: ▲ Metaverse Industry and the Future ▲ Conversations with Parents Grow Children’s Thinking ▲ Practical Reading Guide to Raise Creative Children, held on the 7th, 21st, and 28th of next month.

The core of the recent 4th Industrial Revolution is the convergence of fields such as IoT, big data, and AI. This causes fundamental changes where virtual and real worlds intersect, raising concerns for educating parents. Therefore, the Seongbuk Innovation Education District planned this ‘Parent Academy’ to encourage reflection on existing mindsets and fundamental life considerations.

Participants will be recruited on a first-come, first-served basis from 10 AM on the 27th via the Seongbuk-gu Office website’s ‘Online Lecture Application.’ The course is free and open to all parents in Seongbuk-gu. For details, contact the Seongbuk Innovation Education District Parent Promotion Team or check the Seongbuk-gu Office website’s ‘Course Recruitment.’

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) announced the launch of the real-time non-face-to-face rehabilitation program ‘Blue Touch Exercise Starting Today’ for people with severe mental illness.

As part of the rehabilitation project for people with severe mental illness, the district has been conducting weekly rehabilitation and community adaptation programs for registered members of the Jung-gu Mental Health Welfare Center. However, due to the rise in social distancing levels amid COVID-19, face-to-face programs became difficult, leading to a shift to non-face-to-face formats.

Exercise kits including yoga mats, step boxes, and Pilates rings are delivered to each home, and participants actively engage in exercise programs at home with support from physical therapists at the Jung-gu Public Health Center in real time.

Additionally, online educational video programs on oral education, mental health education, self-education, and yoga are distributed, providing opportunities to participate in various rehabilitation programs at home.

With external activities for community adaptation suspended, the district provides meal kits containing ingredients, recipes, and nutrition information, enabling easy preparation and cooking along with nutrition education.

Mr. Park, a recipient of the meal kit, said, “With long hours at home due to COVID-19, I felt bored and at a loss, but I’m grateful for the cooking kit. This program encourages me to try cooking on my own.”

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “Although COVID-19 has caused psychological difficulties, we will do our best to operate more diverse and professional programs so that people with mental disabilities can adapt healthily and live together in the community.”

Consultations are free, and applications or inquiries can be made through the Jung-gu Mental Health Welfare Center or online via the Jung-gu Office website.