"Cheer Up, We're Doing Well"... Seongdong-gu Conveys Emotional Light Letters with LED Logo Lights

[Seoul District News] 8m Large Image LED Logo Light Displays Emotional Lettering on Seongdong-gu Council Exterior Wall... Delivering Hope and Comfort Messages to Residents with Phrases like ‘Always by Your Side’... Seocho-gu Installs Seoripul Igloo and Ondol Chairs at Bus Stops... Mapo-gu Holds ‘Together! Cooperative Mapo Day’ 2021 Cooperation Mapo Performance Sharing Meeting... Yongsan-gu Hosts Social Economy Integrated Support Center ‘Beautiful Day’... Geumcheon-gu Selected as ‘Excellent Autonomous District’ for 3 Consecutive Years in Seoul Urban Agriculture Evaluation... Gwangjin-gu, Recycling Items...

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has started broadcasting emotional light letters on the outer wall of Seongdong-gu Council from this month, delivering messages of hope and encouragement to residents.

Phrases such as "We will always be by your side to support you," "Cheer up, we are doing well," and "I live in Seongdong" are emitted in various colorful LED lights approximately 8 meters in diameter, illuminating the dark city every day from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day.

The light letters, easily visible at the Seongdong-gu Office plaza, nearby roads, and bus stops with heavy pedestrian traffic, will feature a beautiful tree image this month to create a Christmas atmosphere. In the future, messages appropriate for holidays and festivals will continuously convey hope and comfort to residents.

Last year, through the "Hope Artificial Moon" (show your love) project conducted around Salgotyi Sports Park, the district won the grand prize in the government, public, and local government category of the 2020 Awards For New Digital Award in digital advertising & campaign, leading psychological quarantine efforts for residents.

Last month, the district screened the "Silk Road 3D Lighting Show" targeting the Nanum Sharing Center building in Seongsu-dong and the flower path behind the Residents' Comprehensive Sports Center, providing freshness and enjoyment to nearby pedestrians. The district plans to continue sharing emotions and delivering hope to residents through various media in daily life.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, "As everyone is going through a difficult time due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, I hope the emotional light letters will provide a small comfort and encouragement to residents on their way home after a busy day."

Seocho-gu will install and operate heated seats called "Seoripul Ondol Chairs" and cold wave shelters called "Seoripul Igloos" at bus stops and other locations from the 8th to protect residents waiting for buses from the cold wave.

First, the district operates a total of 167 Seoripul Ondol Chairs. This year, 10 additional chairs were installed at bus stops with many transportation-vulnerable people, such as the entrance to Seongchon Village.

The Seoripul Ondol Chairs, made of double tempered glass measuring 203cm wide and 33cm deep, maintain a surface temperature of 38°C regardless of the outside temperature. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, antibacterial partitions were installed so residents can use them safely. Additionally, 11 emotional phrases such as "You are one of a kind in the world and just as precious" are printed on the surface to warm both body and mind.

The chairs operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until March next year and automatically activate when the ambient temperature drops below 18°C.

Along with this, the district will install and operate 34 "Seoripul Igloos," warm tents that block cold winds at bus stops, starting from the 8th. The name "Seoripul Igloo" is derived from Seocho's old name "Seoripul" and the "igloo," a warm shelter used by Arctic Eskimos, and has been in operation since 2017.

The Seoripul Igloos are rectangular, measuring 3.6m wide, 1.5m deep, and 2.8m high, providing residents a place to briefly escape the biting wind and cold while waiting for buses or traffic signals. To alleviate residents' concerns about enclosed spaces amid COVID-19, two entrance doors are kept open for natural ventilation.

This year, the igloo walls were replaced with polycarbonate material, which offers high insulation, durability, and recyclability. The district expects this to achieve triple benefits: improved insulation, budget savings through recycling, and enhanced urban aesthetics.

Both the Seoripul Ondol Chairs and Seoripul Igloos contribute not only functional warmth but also sophisticated urban design, helping Seocho-gu win the Presidential Award at the 2019 Korea Design Awards. The Seoripul Igloo also received a silver award at the 2018 Green Apple Awards, Europe's most prestigious environmental award, recognized for responding to cold waves and rapid climate changes.

Ryu Chang-soo, Director of the Transportation Administration Division, said, "We hope residents waiting for buses in the cold winter can warm up and find a cozy refuge in the Seoripul Ondol Chairs and Seoripul Igloos."

"People who own private parking lots in alleyway residential areas and commercial districts provide unused parking spaces, and Mapo-gu supports the costs such as signs and parking markings needed to create shared parking lots to help alleviate parking difficulties in alleyways."

This was the announcement at the 2021 Cooperative Mapo Performance Sharing Meeting.

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that it held the "Together! Cooperative Mapo Day" performance sharing meeting at 10 a.m. on the 7th in the seminar room on the 6th floor of Mapo Central Library.

The district held the meeting to review the achievements of the first phase of the public-private cooperative projects (2020?2022) promoted jointly by the public and private sectors in Mapo-gu, and to further activate the 2022 public-private cooperative projects through understanding and empathy for cooperation.

At the meeting, members of the Mapo-gu Cooperative Council, the public-private cooperative project execution team, and other related parties shared excellent cases of the 2021 public-private cooperative projects within 5 minutes each and discussed improvements and directions for next year through Q&A sessions.

This year, Mapo-gu's public-private cooperative projects include nine projects, five of which have been ongoing since last year: Mapo Urban Problem Solving Forum, Vitality Senior "Green Spring Playground," Village Making with Disabled People, Neighborhood Safety Care "Senior Center Kids' Room," and Shared Alley Parking with Residents.

Additionally, in 2021, new projects such as Creating a Healthy Companion Animal Culture for All, Finding Mapo-style Housing Stability Alternatives, Developmental Disability Advocacy Store Project, and Co-creation of Mapo Women's Center are being promoted.

After the project presentations, participants watched a "Cooperation Challenge Video" inspired by "Squid Game," in which nine project execution teams participated directly. A KakaoTalk open chat room was created for attendees to freely share anonymous opinions, facilitating communication with residents interested in cooperation.

Moreover, in October, the district held the "Cooperative Mapo Online Public Forum" to set the direction for establishing the "2nd Phase Public-Private Cooperative Project Basic Plan." It also conducted various cooperative activities such as community problem awareness surveys, public-private cooperative agenda proposal contests, and joint public deliberations.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, "Promoting public-private cooperative projects is not easy, but thanks to the residents who passionately participated in Mapo governance, we have come this far," and added, "We ask for continued interest and cooperation to activate public-private cooperation."

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Chang-hyun) will hold "Beautiful Day" at 10:30 a.m. on December 9 at the Beautiful Store Sookdaeipgu Station branch (278-1 Hangang-daero).

This is a community citizen (corporate) participatory sharing bazaar co-hosted by the Yongsan Social Economy Integrated Support Center, the Village Autonomy Center, and the Beautiful Store Sookdaeipgu Station branch.

The three organizing institutions collected about 1,000 items including clothing, books, and miscellaneous goods from local companies and residents throughout November.

The social enterprise OfficeMeka donated 1,000 KF94 masks. Local companies donated about 1.5 million KRW in cash by November 25.

On the day of the event, donated items will be priced and sold. The proceeds will be donated to vulnerable youth recommended by the Yongsan Education Welfare Center. Thorough COVID-19 prevention measures such as temperature checks, mask-wearing, and hand sanitizing will be enforced.

Jung Ok Jo, Director of the Social Economy Integrated Support Center, said, "The goal amount for the 4th Beautiful Day this year is 5 million KRW," and added, "Since 2016, the social economy network has been the seed that allows us to share together, which makes me happy."

"Beautiful Day" is an eco-friendly social contribution activity started in 2016. It collects unused but sellable items from local residents and companies and uses the sales proceeds to help neighbors in need in the community.

▲ In 2016, blankets worth 50,000 KRW were provided to 40 vulnerable people ▲ In 2017, scholarships of 500,000 KRW were given to 13 youths ▲ In 2018, fans, electric pads, and food were provided to elderly people in shantytowns.

Seong Chang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, "As the COVID-19 situation worsens economically for many, and warm hands are decreasing, I thank the companies that prepared this warm sharing event and will not spare support from the district."

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced that it received an excellence award in the "2021 Urban Agriculture Excellent Autonomous District Evaluation" hosted by Seoul City, marking its third consecutive year as an excellent autonomous district.

The evaluation was based on the urban agriculture project performance of each autonomous district from January to October. Specifically, it assessed ▲ creation and management of urban gardens ▲ securing and executing urban agriculture budgets ▲ promotion of urban agriculture events ▲ other urban agriculture activities (support center operation, safety inspections).

Although Geumcheon-gu has relatively limited farmland, it utilized its geographical advantage of securing the Anyangcheon riverside to newly create an urban agriculture experience site of about 3,000㎡ on the left bank of Anyangcheon, Doksan-dong 719-5, in April. The site is divided into 250 plots of 10㎡ each, leased to 250 residents, with some areas operated as spaces for children's ecological classes. This is evaluated as increasing satisfaction with urban agriculture in daily life by creating lease-type gardens where residents can cultivate directly, rather than just planting trees and flowers along the riverside.

Additionally, to revitalize urban agriculture, the district newly created Seoul-style gardens totaling 1,381㎡ at 14 locations including Sinheung Elementary School. Seoul-style urban garden managers visit these gardens to provide aftercare such as pest prevention and treatment.

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, "We are pleased to be recognized for our pioneering efforts in eco-friendly urban agriculture," and added, "We will continue to promote various urban agriculture projects to create a more pleasant urban environment."

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) announced on the 8th that it recently held a "Welfare Issue Forum" titled "ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) and Future Welfare" at the district office's 6th-floor auditorium to examine new social trends and discover welfare agendas.

The first part of the forum featured keynote speeches by Professor Choi Young-jun of Yonsei University's Department of Public Administration and Seo Jin-seok, Head of SK Telecom's ESG Promotion Group, followed by a case presentation by Mayor Moon Seok-jin of Seodaemun-gu. The second part consisted of a dialogue between CEO Bang Dae-wook of the Next Generation Foundation and the earlier speakers.

The forum was moderated by Kang Eun-young, a novice social worker at Ewha Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, and social welfare institution and facility workers participated via the "Seodaemun-gu Office" YouTube channel.

Professor Choi Young-jun, delivering a lecture titled "ESG, True Growth, and the Direction of the Welfare State," emphasized that "ESG means shifting the paradigm from economic growth to care and social investment," and stressed that "the state, companies, and civil society must cooperate to achieve this."

Seo Jin-seok, in his lecture titled "ESG and Social Welfare's Journey Together," introduced cases where corporate activities achieved social innovation and solved community problems.

Mayor Moon Seok-jin cited examples such as Seodaemun-gu's ▲ ice pack sharing project linked with senior jobs ▲ 100-family care and happiness sharing projects linked with corporate activities ▲ and the creation of the Ansan barrier-free trail, proposing ways to integrate ESG into local government administration.

The subsequent dialogue discussed ways to promote ESG collaboration and participation among public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Suggestions on "ESG and Welfare Policy" from Seodaemun-gu's Community Security Council members and social welfare practitioners, as well as real-time YouTube comments, were also shared.

The district plans to use the opinions and discussion results from the forum to establish and concretize its mid- to long-term social security plan.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, "We aimed to explore the role of local governments and directions for welfare policy innovation based on ESG values," explaining the purpose of the forum.

Participants praised the initiative of a basic local government proposing such discussions proactively and said, "We look forward to a vibrant community where various stakeholders collaborate and participate for future welfare."

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Sun-gap) is conducting a "Recyclables Direct Exchange DAY" until the 24th of this month, exchanging transparent PET bottles and recyclables for volume-based waste bags and folding carts.

The district has been implementing separate collection of transparent PET bottles in apartment complexes since December 25 last year, and from December 25 this year, separate collection will be mandatory for single-family houses as well.

To help residents adapt to the expanded separate collection of transparent PET bottles and existing recyclables, the district operates the Recyclables Direct Exchange DAY, providing volume-based waste bags and other exchange items to residents who bring recyclables.

On Recyclables Direct Exchange DAY, one 10ℓ volume-based waste bag is given for every 30 transparent PET bottles. For every 5 participations, 2 additional 10ℓ bags are exchanged. Upon 7 cumulative participations, a can and PET bottle compactor (or a transparent PET bottle collection net when out of stock) is provided, and upon 20 participations, a folding cart is additionally given.

Notably, the transparent PET bottle collection net provided at 7 participations is an upcycled product made from separately collected transparent PET bottles, contributing to resource circulation.

Besides transparent PET bottles, 20 used batteries can be exchanged for 2 new batteries, and 1kg of paper packs can be exchanged for 1 roll of toilet paper and one 10ℓ volume-based waste bag.

When exchanging rewards, transparent PET bottles must be emptied, labels removed, and compressed if possible; paper packs must be emptied, rinsed to remove foreign substances, and dried before bringing.

Since starting in June, the Recyclables Direct Exchange DAY has collected 21,971kg of transparent PET bottles, 7,462kg of paper packs, and 4,847kg of used batteries by the end of November, receiving great response from residents.

This project supports early adaptation to changed disposal days and methods and builds a resource circulation system that shares valuable resources through small actions.

Kim Sun-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, "We appreciate the interest in separate collection of transparent PET bottles and ask for active participation until the 24th," adding, "We will continue to discover recycling projects that help daily life and make Gwangjin-gu a leader in resource circulation."

The transparent PET bottle disposal days starting from the 25th are Thursday for Junggok 1 & 2-dong, Guui 2-dong, Gwangjang & Hwayang-dong, and Jayang 1 & 2-dong; and Friday for Junggok 3 & 4-dong, Guui 1 & 3-dong, Gunja & Neung-dong, and Jayang 3 & 4-dong.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it will recruit 100 participants for the "University Student Administration and Welfare Experience Group" during the winter vacation.

This initiative aims to provide university students with administrative experience opportunities to increase their understanding and interest in district administration.

Applicants must be enrolled or on leave from universities (including junior colleges) registered as residents of Gangseo-gu as of the application start date (December 9, 2021). However, students from remote universities, cyber universities, computer institutes, lifelong education facilities, and credit bank education institutions under the National Institute for Lifelong Education are excluded.

The recruitment includes 70 general applicants and 30 special applicants from households receiving basic national livelihood security or legally designated low-income families, totaling 100 students. Selected students will perform various administrative and welfare tasks such as civil service guidance and document organization at the district office, community service centers, and comprehensive social welfare centers.

Students wishing to participate can apply from 10 a.m. on the 9th to 6 p.m. on the 15th via the popup menu on the Gangseo-gu Office website.

The district will select participants by lottery, announce results on the 16th on the district office website's notice board, and notify individuals separately.

The work period is from January 7 to February 8, with work locations assigned considering participants' preferred departments and majors.

Working hours are 5 hours a day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., five days a week. A district official said, "This will be a good opportunity for students facing economic difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic who cannot find part-time jobs," and added, "We hope many university students will show interest and apply to have a meaningful vacation."

Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) is conducting a land characteristic survey for all parcels in the district by January 22 next year to determine the 2022 individual official land prices.

The individual official land prices as of January 1, 2022, will be uniformly determined and announced by local governments nationwide on April 29. These prices serve as important data for calculating various land-related taxes such as national and local taxes and development charges.

The survey covers about 35,000 parcels. Guro-gu has organized a land price survey team to verify various official documents such as land (forest) registers and land use plan confirmation documents and conduct field surveys to ensure accurate land price assessment.

The surveyed land characteristics will be compared with the standard land price announced by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to calculate land prices, which will be verified by certified appraisers and announced on April 29 next year.

Landowners and interested parties can view and submit opinions from March 22 to April 11, 2022, and file objections from April 29 to May 30.

For more details, contact the district office's Real Estate Information Division.

A Guro-gu official said, "Since individual official land prices are the basis for calculating various taxes and charges, we will do our best to conduct accurate land characteristic surveys," and added, "Please refer to next year's announcement schedule and do not miss the land price viewing and opinion submission periods."

Guro-gu also operates an "Individual Official Land Price SMS Notification Service" that sends mobile text messages about individual official land prices and objections. Landowners and interested parties who wish to apply can do so online via the district website or visit the Real Estate Information Division or local community service centers.