Seocho-gu Receives Highest Grade in Public Institution Integrity Evaluation by Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

[Seoul District News] Seocho-gu Receives Highest Grade Among Nationwide Districts in 2021 Public Institution Integrity Evaluation by Anti-Corruption Commission on 9th... Yangcheon-gu to Issue Additional 10 Billion KRW Yangcheon Love Gift Certificates at 4 PM on 15th... Mapo-gu Hosts 11th Mapo Neighborhood Book Festival ‘Book in Metaverse’ from 9th to 11th... Dongdaemun-gu Women's Choir Holds 20th Regular Concert Online on 8th Morning... Jungnang-gu Hosts Manguri History and Culture Park Photo Exhibition Until End of Month... Gwanak-gu and Seoul National University Campus Town Online Demo Day 2021, Last Year...

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seocho-gu was selected as the most honest city among autonomous districts nationwide.

Seocho-gu announced on the 9th that it received the highest grade among autonomous districts nationwide in the ‘2021 Public Institution Integrity Evaluation’ hosted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

This integrity evaluation was conducted on 592 public institutions, based on survey results from citizens who had experience with civil complaint handling at each institution, affiliated employees, and experts, covering aspects such as ‘corruption experience’ and ‘corruption perception,’ as well as the ‘status of corruption incidents.’

In this evaluation, the district scored 8.62 points, which is 0.35 points higher than the overall institution average (8.27 points), receiving the 2nd grade out of 5 grades, corresponding to the highest grade among autonomous districts nationwide. Notably, Seocho-gu received the 2nd grade in both internal integrity, evaluated by its own employees, and external integrity, evaluated by public institution complainants, thus gaining recognition for its integrity from employees, residents, and complainants alike. Additionally, there were no corruption incidents, so no points were deducted.

A district official said, “This achievement is the result of Seocho-gu designating this year as ‘the year Seocho is reborn through integrity’ and implementing various projects so that 1,500 employees and residents can naturally embrace integrity as a culture.”

So far, the district has strived to reach the highest level of integrity by implementing unique integrity policies.

First, the Audit Officer operated the ‘Visiting Integrity Triangle’ 89 times, visiting construction sites to listen to difficulties between construction companies and ordering departments and resolving conflicts, thereby fundamentally blocking corrupt factors such as complaints from construction companies.

Also, the district operated the ‘Design Change Advisory Committee’ five times for construction projects with contract increases exceeding 100 million KRW, involving external experts to review the reasons for design changes and the appropriateness of changed quantities, securing transparency in design changes and saving 43 million KRW in budget.

Furthermore, the district ran ‘Integrity Calls’ to monitor inconveniences and kindness for complainants who handled tasks in departments such as construction management, permits, and subsidy support. Feedback was provided to the relevant departments, and active civil complaint response training was conducted to secure administrative reliability.

In addition, the district implemented various integrity policies such as sending ‘Integrity Text Messages’ to construction contractors with contract amounts over 5 million KRW, attaching ‘Integrity Information Boards’ on construction site signboards, and collecting employees’ opinions through ‘Integrity Suggestion Boxes.’

Cheon Jeong-wook, Acting Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “Integrity is the most fundamental virtue and duty for public officials. We will continue to strive to create a ‘Seocho, the Integrity City’ trusted more by residents by fostering an honest public service culture.”

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) will issue additional special editions of the ‘Yangcheon Love Gift Certificates’ and ‘e-Seoul Love Gift Certificates’ at 4 p.m. on the 15th and 11 a.m. on the 22nd, respectively, to support local small business owners struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The Yangcheon Love Gift Certificates (Special Support for Commercial Recovery) have been issued three times this year, totaling 35 billion KRW. This is the fourth issuance, with 10 billion KRW worth of gift certificates released into the market at 4 p.m. on the 15th. Consumers can purchase the certificates at a 10% discount off the face value, up to 500,000 KRW per person. Additionally, early purchasers can receive an additional refund of up to 20,000 KRW per month on a first-come, first-served basis.

All previously prepared gift certificates were sold out early during the first three issuances, indicating high popularity, and early sell-out is expected again for this fourth issuance.

The Yangcheon Love Gift Certificates can be easily purchased by installing any of 21 payment apps such as Beeple Zero Pay, Check Pay, and Money Tree. Anyone can purchase up to 500,000 KRW per month regardless of their residence area and must use the certificates within six months from the purchase date.

The purchased certificates can be used at 14,803 Zero Pay affiliated stores located in Yangcheon-gu, including academies, pharmacies, convenience stores, and restaurants. However, usage is restricted at large supermarkets, gambling-related businesses, academies with annual sales exceeding 1 billion KRW, and direct franchise stores of large and medium-sized enterprises, in line with the purpose of revitalizing the local economy and supporting small businesses.

Additionally, Yangcheon-gu announced that it will issue an additional 1.15 billion KRW worth of ‘e-Seoul Love Gift Certificates’ at 11 a.m. on December 22 to support small business owners struggling with sales due to the expansion of non-face-to-face consumption caused by COVID-19. Consumers can purchase these certificates at a 5% discount up to 300,000 KRW per person per month, with an additional refund of up to 20,000 KRW per month on a first-come, first-served basis. The e-Seoul Love Gift Certificates can also be easily purchased by installing any of the 21 Zero Pay payment apps and can be used at the 11th Street Small Business Seoul Love Gift Certificate online marketplace (dedicated section) or Zero Delivery Union (14 delivery apps).

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “The support for Yangcheon Love Gift Certificates from Yangcheon residents has been enthusiastic, with each issuance selling out early. Purchasing and using local love gift certificates not only helps consumers save money but also greatly supports local small business owners struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. We ask for much interest in the fourth issuance of the gift certificates.”

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that it will hold the ‘11th Mapo Neighborhood Book Festival’ from December 9 to December 11.

Under the slogan ‘Book in Metaverse,’ this neighborhood book festival, hosted by the Mapo Neighborhood Book Festival Promotion Committee, has prepared various programs that cross online and offline by utilizing the metaverse, which is gaining attention as a platform leading the 4th Industrial Revolution.

During the festival, a book curation corner will be set up at 15 libraries in the area, including Mapo Central Library.

Book curation is a compound word of Book and Curation, referring to a themed exhibition that introduces books to readers by selecting books matching a specific theme along with supplementary materials and props to aid understanding. Each library will feature distinctive book curations.

Ongoing Programs in the Metaverse

Following last year’s online Mapo Neighborhood Book Festival, this year the district combined books and the metaverse to allow people to enjoy books anytime and anywhere by accessing a virtual space.

Mapo Public Seogang Library prepared a scenario lecture titled ‘Future Scenario 2022, Meeting in the Metaverse’ to help understand the metaverse correctly. The Mapo branch of the Children’s Book Research Association and Mapo Community Radio prepared a video called ‘Radio Flu with Books,’ and Mapo Central Library exhibited paper art that can be viewed both at the library and in the metaverse.

Famous Author Lectures via Pre-registration

At Mapo Public Seogang Library, on the 9th at 7 p.m., author Jeong Yeon will conduct a children’s program titled ‘Black Things on Pizza? Yes, That Olive.’ At Mapo Public Purme Library, on the 11th at 2 p.m., children’s literature writer Heo Gyo-beom will be invited to tell ‘Twenty Questions Detective Stories’ to children.

Applications can be made by accessing the website of the library where participation is desired.

Additionally, lectures such as ‘Ho Ho Ho Jingle Game’ prepared by Mapo Children’s English Library and ‘Fairy Tales We Love’ jointly planned by small libraries in the area can be found on the book festival website.

Relay Special Lectures: ‘Listen Again and Go’

Mapo Central Library will invite widely known and professional lecturers to attract participation from the MZ generation, offering special lectures in performance, travel, and film fields on the book festival website and in the metaverse during the festival.

The festival opens on the 9th with a special lecture by film director Kim Sung-ho, famous for the movie ‘The Perfect Way to Steal a Dog.’ On the 10th, there will be a ‘Classical Book Concert’ by music creator Song Sa-bi and a meeting with film director Kim Jung-in. On the last day, the 11th, travel writer Kim So-dam’s ‘Book Talk’ and film critic Rainer’s ‘Film Criticism Special Lecture’ will conclude the relay lectures.

Real-time Guided ‘Online Travel’

A travel program is also prepared to alleviate the disappointment of not being able to travel abroad due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The ‘Shall We Flip the Pages and Go? Online Tour,’ guided in real-time by overseas local guides, is offered exclusively to Mapo residents. During the three-day festival, 45 participants each day can experience one of Macau, Vienna Romance, or Spain virtually.

For detailed information and application methods, refer to the book festival website or the websites of Mapo public libraries, or contact the Mapo Central Library Operations Team.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “The book festival is not limited to books but includes events combined with various fields, so we ask for much interest. We hope this festival will be a time to nourish the mind with books and recharge at the end of the year.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) Municipal Women’s Choir delivered a message of hope with beautiful harmony to residents weary from COVID-19 at the end of 2021.

On the 8th at 11 a.m., the 20th regular concert of the Municipal Women’s Choir was held non-face-to-face. The concert, themed ‘Melody of Peace and Hope,’ consisted of four pieces conveying messages of comfort and encouragement to residents. The performance was made even more special through collaboration with violinist Yoon Yeom-gwang.

Due to the recent increased risk of COVID-19 spread, all participants underwent PCR testing the day before the performance to ensure safety, and the event was conducted following quarantine guidelines.

Since the concert was held non-face-to-face, the video will be streamed on Dongdaemun-gu’s YouTube channel, and it is scheduled to be released on Christmas Eve, December 24.

Starting as the Dongdaemun Mothers’ Choir in 1992, the Dongdaemun Municipal Women’s Choir was promoted to its current status in 2000 and currently has about 30 active members. Residents interested in joining the choir can inquire at the Dongdaemun-gu Office’s Culture and Tourism Department.

Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “Although we could not perform with an audience this year, I hope many people enjoy the performance online. I hope that next year, when the situation stabilizes, we can gather with residents to have a richer and more precious time, and we will prepare more cultural experience opportunities for residents.”

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) is holding a photo exhibition of Manguri Historical and Cultural Park at the Jungnang-gu Citizens’ Square deck in front of Jungnang-gu Office until the end of this month.

This exhibition features 25 award-winning works from the photo contest held in October under the theme ‘The Story of Manguri Park Made by You and Me’ and 11 promotional photos capturing the four seasons of Manguri Historical and Cultural Park.

The works are free and diverse, reflecting what residents have seen, felt, and experienced about the park. The district planned this photo exhibition to provide an opportunity for residents who were not familiar with Manguri Historical Park to learn about it, to widely promote the park, and to commemorate the wonderful works of residents.

The grand prize-winning photo by Yang In-eok, titled ‘Sunset,’ shows a beautiful sunset view from the Jungnang Observatory. Other works depict scenes such as a child enjoying autumn in the park, the 13th Degree Creative Army Tower, the patriotic martyr’s graveyard, cherry blossom-lined trails, and the snow-covered park, offering a moment of rest.

The exhibition hall is equipped with lighting for nighttime viewing, and a photo zone decorated with winter-themed ornaments such as snow globes, snowmen, and trees attracts attention.

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “I hope residents take time to appreciate the wonderful photos containing precious memories, experiences, and feelings about Manguri Historical and Cultural Park at Jungnang-gu Citizens’ Square. We will continue to do our best to prepare various programs so that residents can enjoy and feel close to Manguri Historical and Cultural Park.”

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) and Seoul National University Campus Town held the ‘Seoul National University Campus Town Online Demo Day 2021’ to support investment attraction and business linkage for resident companies.

The Seoul National University Campus Town project is jointly operated by Gwanak-gu and Seoul National University to nurture startups competitive in the global market. Currently, 53 startups reside in ‘Startup HERE-RO 2, 3, 4, 5,’ receiving support such as office space, expert consulting, networking, marketing, and investment linkage.

To prevent COVID-19 spread, the event was held online from November 10 to 19 in collaboration with ‘Next Unicorn,’ an online IR platform specialist company.

In its second year following last year, the ‘Seoul National University Campus Town Online Demo Day 2021’ featured 24 resident companies pitching videos to over 100 investment institutions and professional investors, about 1,000 public judges, and various startup stakeholders.

As a result, 146 investment firms requested company IR materials, and the cumulative number of visitors reached approximately 6,643, more than double last year’s interest, marking a successful conclusion.

Along with the demo day, the startups are introduced to about 720 investment institutions and over 1,000 professional investors through the ‘Next Unicorn’ platform’s online startup showcase, with follow-up support to maintain continuous networking between resident companies and investors.

The outstanding achievements of resident companies also drew attention. Petnow, a resident company, won the highest innovation award ahead of the main event of the world’s largest electronics exhibition ‘CES 2022’ to be held in January next year. Petnow developed a pet biometric recognition service using AI technology to identify dogs by their nose prints, providing owners with a means of identification using their dog’s nose.

Also, Gonggong, a resident company that developed the air purifier ‘Swosher’ using dual vortex air purification technology, won an innovation award. These companies were finally selected as participants in the Korean Pavilion at CES 2022, the world’s largest IT product fair held in Las Vegas, USA, from January 5 to 8 next year, creating global business opportunities.

Meanwhile, the district is promoting the ‘Gwanak S Valley’ project to create a startup hub where universities, companies, and the local community coexist, centered on Nakseongdae’s Nakseong Venture Valley and Daehak-dong’s Sillim Startup Valley, aiming to create quality jobs and revitalize the local economy. As of 2021, it has achieved cumulative sales of about 10 billion KRW and investment attraction of 26 billion KRW.

A district official said, “Since being selected as a comprehensive project for Seoul National University Campus Town with Gwanak-gu two years ago, resident companies have shown excellent results in various fields. We will continue to support the activation of the Campus Town project and the growth of resident companies in Gwanak-gu without reservation.”

Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) was selected as an ‘Excellent Autonomous District’ for five consecutive years in the Seoul City Outdoor Advertising Quality Improvement Evaluation. Accordingly, it will receive priority support for next year’s signboard improvement project budget exceeding 100 million KRW.

Guro-gu announced on the 9th, “We were selected as an excellent institution in the Seoul City Outdoor Advertising Quality Improvement Evaluation conducted to create a pleasant and clean urban landscape.”

This evaluation covered three areas?outdoor advertising maintenance and improvement performance, signboard quality improvement, and administrative matters?based on 10 items and 24 detailed indicators for each autonomous district from September last year to August this year.

During the evaluation period, Guro-gu cleaned up about 890,000 illegal floating advertisements such as banners, sandwich boards, and posters, and 417 fixed advertisements such as protruding signboards. It also carried out various projects such as ownerless signboard maintenance, illegal floating advertisement collection reward system, a full survey of outdoor advertising operators, and an exhibition of best practices in signboard improvement projects.

In particular, the signboard improvement project replacing illegal and old signboards with energy-efficient LED signboards at 154 stores on Jungang-ro and 192 stores on Gocheok-ro received favorable evaluations.

In September, the ‘Seolsong Building’ (9 Jungang-ro, Guro-gu), which harmonized with the surrounding landscape by organizing old large signboards and window-type signboards, was selected as an excellent case in the Seoul City ‘Good Signboard Contest.’

A Guro-gu official said, “Being selected as an excellent institution was the result of joint efforts by residents and the district office to create a clean city. We will continue to do our best to maintain a pleasant urban landscape.”

Geumcheon Cultural Foundation (CEO Oh Jin-yi) will hold the ‘2021 Geumcheon-gu Public Library Book Concert’ at 7 p.m. on December 16 at the Geumnarae Art Hall as part of the ‘Book Reading City Geumcheon’ initiative.

This book concert is organized by Geumcheon Public Library to share stories about Geumcheon and its residents centered on books and to share the artistic sensibilities of local artists with residents.

Under the subtitle ‘Talking about Geumcheon with Author Shin Ji-young and Musician Harim,’ artists and writers closely connected to Geumcheon will appear to express Geumcheon’s unique sentiment through art.

First, a talk about Geumcheon and its people will be held with author Shin Ji-young, singer Harim, and poet Shin Cheol-gyu. Then, performances by local artists such as dancer Jo Ara will follow, and essays and poems about Geumcheon and its people will be listened to together, providing a time to reflect on how new Geumcheon is in daily life.

Geumcheon-gu serves as the chair city of the ‘National Book Reading City Council.’ In June last year, it held a vision proclamation ceremony for ‘Happy Book Reading City Geumcheon Made Together’ and is currently making great efforts to spread a culture of reading nationwide.

Reservations can be made on the Geumcheon Public Library website under ‘Cultural Program Application.’ Due to COVID-19 quarantine measures, the audience is limited to 250 people, 50% of the seating capacity.

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Chang-hyun) is recruiting 1,596 participants for the 2022 Senior Job and Social Activity Support Project to encourage social participation among seniors and improve their quality of life.

As of November 30, 2021, the population aged 65 and over in Yongsan-gu is 38,606, accounting for more than 17% of the total population.

This is an increase of 132 people (9%) compared to 1,464 participants this year. The district increased the related budget by 574.08 million KRW next year, operating a total of 6.27168 billion KRW (30% national, 35% city, 35% district funds) for 24 senior job projects.

The projects are divided into public interest type (14), social service type (5), and market type (5).

Public interest projects include ▲meal delivery for solitary seniors (441 people) ▲elementary school meal helpers (196 people) ▲street environment keepers (151 people) ▲lunch helpers at senior centers (120 people) ▲elementary school clean helpers (115 people), recruiting a total of 1,296 basic pension recipients aged 65 and over, paying 270,000 KRW per month (30 hours of work) as activity allowance.

Social service projects support cleaning tasks at childcare facilities (185 people) and senior welfare facilities (25 people). Seniors aged 65 and over are recruited and paid activity allowances ranging from 540,000 KRW to a maximum of 594,000 KRW per month depending on working hours (60?66 hours).

Market-type projects recruit 117 seniors aged 60 and over for five projects including joint work at senior centers and beauty services, paying 250,000 KRW per month (30 hours) plus sales revenue as activity allowance.

The working period varies from 10 to 12 months depending on the project.

Applications are accepted until the recruitment quota is filled. Seniors wishing to participate can apply by visiting each community service center or project implementing agency with an ID card, resident registration copy, and bankbook copy. Additional submission of a health checkup report is required for food-related projects.

The implementing agencies are ▲Yongsan-gu Office ▲Yongsan Senior Welfare Center ▲Korean Senior Citizens Association Yongsan Branch ▲Galwol Comprehensive Social Welfare Center ▲Hyochang Comprehensive Social Welfare Center ▲Cheongpa Senior Welfare Center.

Participants will be selected in order of highest scores according to the selection criteria table, and successful candidates will be announced by each agency from December 17 to 23. Unsuccessful candidates will be placed on a waiting list and connected immediately if there are dropouts.

In 2021, due to COVID-19, the annual integrated launch ceremony was not held, and safety education was conducted non-face-to-face. In 2022, education will be flexibly operated according to the COVID-19 situation.

Seong Chang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “The spread of COVID-19 has further restricted seniors’ activities. I hope seniors maintain their health, feel a sense of belonging as members of society, and lead vibrant daily lives through job participation.”

Officials at the rainwater pumping stations in Gangseo-gu, who are the key players in preventing summer flood damage, have taken on the role of safety helpers for vulnerable residents during the winter season.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) announced that it will operate ‘Winter Safety Helpers’ to check on the safety of neighbors in need during the winter season.

The district designated 11 technical officials working at seven rainwater pumping stations in Magok, Gayang, Yeomchang, and other areas as safety helpers, who will carry out activities for vulnerable residents until February 28 next year.

The officials acting as safety helpers are veterans in electrical and mechanical fields, holding professional certifications in key safety areas such as electricity, firefighting, and boilers.

During summer, they are responsible for facility management to prevent flood damage in the area, and in the relatively low-risk winter season, they transform into safety helpers to look after the safety of vulnerable households.

The inspection targets include 44 households recommended through community service centers, such as basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income households.

Safety helpers visit target households to inspect electrical areas such as distribution boards, wiring, and lighting fixtures, as well as plumbing areas including washbasins, toilets, and water valves, free of charge.

Consumables such as fluorescent lamps at the end of their lifespan, worn-out outlets, and misaligned water valves are replaced immediately on-site. However, households requiring additional inspection due to serious defects will be separately notified.

Additionally, welfare planners familiar with the status of vulnerable households in each neighborhood will accompany the visits to carefully address winter living inconveniences.