[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Analyzes Career-Interrupted Job Data to Support Employment and Expand Scope with Various Care Work... 2021 Yangcheon Cooperation Achievement Sharing Event ‘Cooperation Award’ Concludes... Yeongdeungpo-gu Adds ‘Medical Tourism Cooperation Institutions’ to Activate Smart Medical Special Zone... Seocho-gu Wins Most ‘2021 Seoul Creative Awards’ Among Districts... Nowon-gu’s ‘Child-Friendly Taxi’ Soars in Popularity... Gangnam-gu Operates Nation’s First ‘Building Civil Complaint Support Center’... Gwangjin-gu Offers ‘Seoul On-the-Spot Screening’ for Visitors to Achasan...
On the 2nd of this month, Jung Won-oh, the Mayor of Seongdong-gu, who participated in the Experienced Women Talk Concert, is supporting their new beginning.
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has revealed various opinions collected through the ‘1st Data Contest’ held until early this month under the theme ‘Seongdong Prize, How to Become a Caring Society.’
A total of 31 opinions were received on policy measures that can socially recognize the value of care labor and ideas about the future when the social value of care labor is acknowledged, of which 14 were selected as award-winning works.
The highest award, the Gold Prize, was given to an analysis of major industries where career breaks occur. Using data on the status of women with careers by period in 2019 and 2020, the population of women with careers by major business categories, and the status of women with careers by industry, the work analyzed the major industries where career breaks happen and suggested the need for support policies to help career holders find employment in new fields.
It emphasized the preparation of comprehensive reports by industry and company from a gender perspective, reviewing various systems and policies focusing on the impact on gender, along with providing overall information necessary for employment. It also proposed designing recruitment processes such as interview guidelines for employers to discover the capabilities of career holders.
Other award-winning opinions expanded the scope to various care labor sectors such as nursing care workers, domestic and childcare helpers, twilight childcare, family caregiving, male care workers, and young carers who support their families, diagnosing realistic problems and suggesting policy measures.
Improvements in treatment for childcare and caregiving workers, employment support and psychological counseling for those whose careers were interrupted due to care work, and corporate awareness improvement regarding care labor experience were also mentioned.
This contest was conducted to share various data, from statistics on ‘care labor’ to exemplary cases worldwide, to discuss current issues and topics related to care and to openly present individual thoughts accordingly.
Along with articles related to ‘care labor’ and key statistical data that could be helpful, it was structured to list answers at a glance to Mayor Jung Won-oh’s question, “What changes if we recognize the value of care labor?” allowing free expression of opinions. All submissions, including award-winning works, can be viewed on the Seongdong Prize page within Eollukso, and comments can be made to express opinions.
Through this public discussion, opinions emphasized the importance of approaching the value of care labor and policy solutions through objective data analysis. It was found necessary to consider the broad range of care labor and provide emotional support to care for their hearts along with detailed insights into reality.
Following ‘essential workers,’ Seongdong-gu, focusing on women with careers, has raised the issue of the value of ‘care labor’ needed in this era, drawing attention to how the presented opinions will be realized in policy going forward.
Mayor Jung Won-oh of Seongdong-gu said, “This contest was a meaningful opportunity to confirm the desire for a caring society and to learn wisdom for re-evaluating the value of care labor,” adding, “We will carefully review the valuable ideas submitted to Seongdong Prize and actively strive to reflect them in policies.”
Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) announced that it successfully concluded the ‘Co-Governance Award,’ a 2021 Yangcheon Co-Governance performance sharing event held at the district office’s Sympathy Planning Office at 2 p.m. on the 17th.
Marking the fourth year of civil-government co-governance promotion, Yangcheon-gu organized this performance sharing event to share and encourage the growth and changes achieved through Yangcheon co-governance with residents. The event included presentations of 2021 co-governance achievements and awards for local activists who showed outstanding performance in various co-governance fields.
Representative co-governance projects in Yangcheon-gu include the Jangdokdae Project, Wood Army (Woami) Project, and Nabinam Project. New projects launched this year include ▲Healing Forest Trail Creation ▲Village Travel Program Development ▲Safe School Commute Route Project ▲Smart Bulletin Board Installation. These achievements are especially meaningful as administration and residents persevered and cooperated to push forward projects despite the very difficult COVID-19 situation.
To prevent COVID-19 infection, the event minimized on-site personnel and included co-governance committee members, Morakmorak Club, and Yangchigi Supporters, who shared their reflections on a year of co-governance and exchanged thoughts in a ‘communication forum.’
Additionally, artworks, wooden cutting boards, handmade fruit syrups, and refurbished flowerpots created by each club were exhibited, attracting attention. Notably, the ‘Three GO (Serve, Connect, Share)’ club donated hand-knitted scarves and pot holders to the local community, adding warmth to the event.
Yangcheon-gu Mayor Kim Soo-young said, “The Co-Governance Award was a meaningful occasion to confirm the accumulated know-how and development of Yangcheon-style co-governance,” adding, “We hope to broaden understanding of civil-government co-governance in various fields so that residents from all walks of life can provide wise solutions to local issues.”
Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) announced the selection of 10 additional ‘Smart Medical Special Zone Partner Institutions’ to revitalize the medical tourism industry.
The purpose is to expand the cooperative network with private institutions such as medical institutions, lodging, and dining businesses to strengthen the competitiveness of Yeongdeungpo Smart Medical Special Zone and jointly explore development plans.
The district began recruiting in September to select institutions with high interest in Yeongdeungpo medical tourism and sufficient capacity to attract foreign medical tourists. After document screening, on-site facility inspections, and review by the medical tourism council, 10 institutions were finally selected.
The selected institutions by sector are ▲2 medical institutions (Gwangdeok Anjeong 365 Night Clinic Oriental Medicine Clinic, Yeoui Gonggam Plastic Surgery Clinic) ▲1 dining business (Bokmeokgo Bokbatgo) ▲5 attraction agencies (Fine Tax Company, Jungcheon Korea, Minga, Ace Entertainment, Chinese Home) ▲2 lodging businesses (Kensington Hotel, Fairmont Ambassador Seoul).
The newly selected institutions will be officially appointed as ‘Yeongdeungpo Smart Medical Special Zone Partner Institutions’ and will operate for three years from the appointment date. Based on close cooperation with the district, they will actively participate in projects to attract foreign medical tourists, including medical tourism product development, domestic and international promotion, and marketing.
They will also receive benefits such as ▲qualification as subcommittee members ▲networking among partner institutions ▲online and offline promotional opportunities via the medical tourism website and information centers ▲support for medical tourism infrastructure construction and interpretation/translation costs ▲domestic and international marketing support to attract foreign customers ▲capacity-building education.
With this new appointment, the total number of medical tourism partner institutions in Yeongdeungpo-gu reaches 45. The district plans to continuously expand partner institutions to enable foreign medical tourists visiting Yeongdeungpo to receive medical services and enjoy tourism more conveniently.
Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, “Although we are facing difficult times due to COVID-19, if the private and public sectors actively work together to revitalize the atmosphere, we can overcome the crisis,” adding, “We will strive to further develop Yeongdeungpo’s medical tourism industry with the newly appointed partner institutions.”
Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Sung-soo) is recruiting 60 university students for the ‘2022 Winter Vacation University Student Administrative Intern’ program until the 27th. Park Sung-soo, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated on the 20th, “We want to provide university students on winter vacation with opportunities to participate in district administration and gain diverse social experiences.”
Songpa-gu recruits university student administrative interns twice a year during vacation periods to help them understand public service and foster economic independence.
This winter vacation, the district will recruit a total of 60 university student administrative interns. Selected students will be assigned to district offices, health centers, community service centers, libraries, welfare centers, and other local facilities to assist with administrative support tasks.
Applicants must be university students or on leave with resident registration in Songpa-gu as of the announcement date (December 13, 2021) or students enrolled or on leave at universities located in Songpa-gu. However, students from remote universities, computer institutes, lifelong education centers, and those who worked as university student administrative interns during winter or summer vacations in 2020 and 2021 are excluded.
Among the 60 recruits, 12 (20%) will be given priority selection from groups including ▲basic livelihood security recipients and their children ▲legally designated low-income groups and their children ▲registered disabled persons ▲North Korean defectors and their children ▲national merit recipients and their children ▲families with three or more children. Additionally, 2 (3%) will be selected from students attending universities located in Songpa-gu.
The work period is from January 10 to February 7 next year, working five days a week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The allowance is based on the ‘2022 Songpa-gu living wage,’ paying 53,250 KRW per day and 1.32 million KRW for full attendance.
The district plans to operate a ‘District Administration Experience Week’ to allow selected interns to experience various district affairs. It will provide on-site experience opportunities at local facilities representing four fields: youth jobs, education, tourism and historic sites, and nature and environment. Outstanding teams will receive awards through group presentations.
University students wishing to participate can apply online on the Songpa-gu website from December 20 to 27. Selection will be made by public lottery via computer at 2 p.m. on December 28, and results will be announced on the district website at 5 p.m. the same day. For more details, refer to the announcement on the website or contact the Songpa-gu Autonomous Administration Division.
Mayor Park Sung-soo said, “This administrative internship will be a valuable experience and asset for university students who will lead Songpa’s future,” adding, “Especially for students struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to provide various opportunities to experience district administration.”
The nation's first "Non-face-to-face Delinquent Collection and Real-time Mobile Electronic Seizure Notice System for Delinquent Vehicles," launched this September
Seocho-gu won a total of four awards, including three Excellence Awards and one Encouragement Award, in two categories?civil servant proposal implementation and innovative policies?at the ‘2021 Seoul Creativity Awards’ hosted by Seoul City. This is the highest number of awards among Seoul’s autonomous districts.
The Seoul Creativity Awards recognize citizens and public officials who contribute to city administration development through new ideas or projects and aim to share and spread excellent cases. The awards are selected in three categories?Creative Proposals, Proposal Implementation, and Innovative Policies?considering creativity, feasibility, efficiency and effectiveness, scope of application, and continuity.
First, in the Proposal Implementation category, the district won an Excellence Award for the nation’s first ‘Non-face-to-face Delinquent Collection, Real-time Mobile Electronic Seizure Notice System for Delinquent Vehicles’ launched in September this year. This system uses on-site patrol vehicles equipped with CCTV detection systems to non-face-to-face detect delinquent vehicles in motion and notify the electronic seizure of license plates via mobile. It effectively responds to the untact era by enabling detection of delinquent vehicles even while driving, overcoming limitations of existing enforcement methods. Comparing before and after implementation, the number of detections increased by 48%, and delinquent amounts increased by 20%.
In the Innovative Policies category, ‘Mobile-based Integrated CCTV Control Center Operation’ and ‘Yangjaecheon Slow Tour’ won Excellence Awards, while ‘Seocho-type Shared Daycare Center’ received an Encouragement Award.
‘Mobile-based Integrated CCTV Control Center Operation’ is the nation’s first system to fully utilize mobile for video provision and access control at Seocho-gu’s CCTV Integrated Control Center. The ‘Mobile CCTV Video Provision System’ quickly provides video information necessary for criminal investigations online and contactlessly, contributing to securing the golden time for police investigations. The ‘Mobile Access Control System’ significantly strengthened personal video information security by fundamentally blocking unauthorized leakage of CCTV footage.
‘Yangjaecheon Slow Tour’ is an environmental education program meaning ‘a slow tour enjoying the stream.’ It offers various experiential programs to leisurely enjoy nature in the city, understand the stream ecosystem, and appreciate the importance of stream conservation. It has received much attention and positive responses from participants and the media. It also won a Silver Award at the Green Apple Awards, gaining external recognition.
‘Seocho-type Shared Daycare Center’ is the nation’s first integrated public-private joint childcare system that flexibly organizes classes according to childcare demand, reducing waiting lists and solving imbalances in childcare supply and demand. It achieves cost reduction and improved childcare quality through joint, shared, and cooperative activities among daycare centers. Currently, 126 centers in 26 zones, accounting for 80% of daycare centers, participate.
Acting Mayor Cheon Jeong-wook said, “This ‘Seoul Creativity Award’ is the result of efforts by 1,500 employees who have worked hard for innovation,” adding, “We will continue to incorporate creative ideas into policies to provide residents with practical, life-oriented administration.”
Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that the ‘Child-Friendly Taxi’ service, which assists hospital visits for pregnant women and infants, is receiving great response.
The district has been operating the Child-Friendly Taxi project since August to create a child-rearing friendly environment. It provides free dedicated vehicles for pregnant women, infants, and infertile couples to conveniently and safely visit hospitals and health centers for vaccinations and checkups.
Within about a month of operation, 129 people used the service with over 228 trips, prompting the district to expand the service in September by increasing vehicles (from 2 to 5), drivers (from 4 to 10), and daily trips (from 16 to 30).
The number of users steadily increased, exceeding 464 by the end of November, with over 949 trips.
The district attributes the high response to ▲customized service environment with car seats and phone chargers ▲dedicated drivers composed of local seniors with strong dedication and service spirit ▲thorough disinfection ensuring safety amid COVID-19.
□ Equipped with car seats, phone chargers, and door-to-door service including stroller transport...
Using public transportation such as subways and buses with infants and carrying diapers, formula, and other items is practically difficult. While taxis are an alternative, the lack of car seats causes anxiety for guardians.
Even if the guardian wears a seatbelt during a car collision, the child can be thrown forward by the impact. The Child-Friendly Taxi installs infant-specific car seats in the rear seats to ensure safe use.
The dedicated taxis are small SUVs with space for luggage and strollers. Door-to-door service including luggage transport is provided for user convenience, and various types of phone chargers are available to enhance service quality.
□ Dedicated drivers selected through ‘Nowon Senior Happiness Corporation’...Key to high service quality
The Child-Friendly Taxi also contributes to creating jobs for local seniors. Dedicated drivers are selected and managed through the ‘Nowon Senior Happiness Corporation.’
Since drivers are local residents, they have a strong sense of familiarity with users and better knowledge of local geography. Being publicly selected through the corporation, they regard the job as a profession with high dedication rather than simple labor.
Users responded with over 99% satisfaction, praising the drivers for careful driving and kindness.
□ Thorough disinfection...Reduced worries for children with weak immunity
Guardians who felt burdened using public transportation during COVID-19 expressed satisfaction with the taxi’s thorough disinfection. The dedicated vehicles have partitions blocking droplets between the driver and passengers, hand sanitizers, emergency masks, and are disinfected inside after each trip.
The Child-Friendly Taxi is available to pregnant women, families raising infants under 24 months, and infertile couples registered in Nowon-gu. It operates within 8 km including adjacent districts from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For details, contact Nowon-gu Women and Family Division.
Nowon-gu Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “As hospital visits for infants and pregnant women become more difficult due to COVID-19, the Child-Friendly Taxi plays a significant role in alleviating daily inconveniences,” adding, “We will listen carefully to various voices on the ground to make Nowon a child-rearing friendly district.”
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) will operate the ‘Seoul City Mobile Screening Clinic’ for visitors to Achasan Mountain.
The Achasan Mobile Screening Clinic will operate from the 20th to the 31st at the outdoor stage in Achasan Eoullim Square, with the operation period subject to extension depending on COVID-19 spread. Operating hours are daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including weekends.
Visitors can receive free testing regardless of their address or symptoms.
The clinic was previously operated from November 11 to December 4 during the autumn foliage season but was closed. Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, with over 7,000 new cases on weekdays, it has been reinstated.
Gwangjin-gu Mayor Kim Seon-gap said, “We have set up the mobile screening clinic to provide convenient testing for visitors to Achasan,” adding, “We will continue to implement effective quarantine measures reflecting the severe crisis situation to prevent COVID-19 spread.”
Currently, free COVID-19 testing is available at ▲Gwangjin-gu Health Center ▲Jayang Health Branch ▲Junggok Health Branch ▲Achasan Mobile Screening Clinic.
Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) has been operating the ‘Architectural Civil Complaints Support Center’ on the first floor of the main building since July, the first of its kind nationwide, to improve the quality of architectural administrative services.
The ‘Architectural Civil Complaints Support Center’ reviews laws and documents related to architecture, reconstruction, and apartment housing and provides consultation on related civil complaints. This aims to reduce residents’ inconvenience caused by complex permits, inconsistent legal interpretations, arbitrary regulations, and frequent requests for supplements, while protecting their interests.
The center improved service quality and transparency by utilizing an advisory committee of 40 experts by field. The advisors review requests from related departments or complainants and mediate agreements between disputing parties when necessary. Among them, 15 architects work in shifts of three at the center. For details, visit or call the center on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A complainant who consulted about damage caused by adjacent building construction said, “Thanks to document review and expert on-site investigation, we reached an agreement without dispute,” adding, “I hope Gangnam-gu’s proactive administrative cases spread further.”
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Excellence Award for three consecutive years in the ‘Social Service Job Creation’ category of the 2021 Regional Welfare Project Evaluation hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
This evaluation covers 17 metropolitan cities and provinces and 229 cities, counties, and districts nationwide. The ‘Social Service Job Creation’ category evaluates four items: ‘project implementation reflecting local government characteristics,’ ‘job creation performance,’ ‘improvement of social welfare workers’ treatment,’ and ‘efforts in project implementation.’
Geumcheon-gu was recognized for ▲systematic social service job creation through the local job target disclosure system ▲hosting job fairs linked with related organizations and other local governments ▲promoting self-support work, jobs for the disabled, and Seoul citizen safe jobs ▲operating Geumcheon Senior Club ▲creating quality jobs through the living wage system.
Especially, the establishment and operation of Geumcheon Job Corporation to provide stable and quality jobs for socially vulnerable groups such as seniors, implementing pet food business (Mung-i Nyangi Yam Yam) and public work agency projects, were highly evaluated.
Geumcheon-gu Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, “Despite difficulties due to COVID-19, we are pleased that our efforts to actively respond to residents’ social service job demands have resulted in being selected as an excellent district for three consecutive years,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to create stable jobs for residents.”
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) will hold an online performance sharing meeting on the 21st to review the ‘Youth Safety Net Project’ throughout the year in cooperation with related organizations.
The ‘Youth Safety Net Project’ mobilizes community support networks to help youths facing difficulties at home, school, or society overcome crises.
This performance sharing meeting aims to gather related organizations to share project achievements and explore ways to support at-risk youths more efficiently and systematically amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, which tends to leave such youths in blind spots.
The meeting, divided into two parts, will be attended by officials from related organizations such as Gangseo Yangcheon Office of Education, Korea Youth Counseling & Welfare Institute, Paju Youth Counseling & Welfare Center, and Nowon-gu.
The first part will introduce Gangseo-gu’s youth safety net project. The district has implemented various projects across daily life, academics, medical care, and housing, including ▲emergency psychological trauma support ▲Gangseo Hanultari Project ▲temporary shelter operation for at-risk youths. It will showcase cases of expanding youth social safety nets and strengthening public youth protection systems through cooperation with schools, police stations, and education offices.
The second part will share projects and achievements of related organizations, introducing response methods and best practices to share know-how in responding to at-risk youths.
Additionally, Dr. Hyun Tae-young of Fine Pediatrics & Adolescents will deliver a keynote speech titled ‘Psychological Trends and Crisis Considerations of Youth in the COVID-19 Era,’ helping understand youth psychology and presenting issues and responses for children and adolescents during the pandemic.
The meeting is open to any residents interested in at-risk youth issues and can be accessed via Gangseo-gu Office’s YouTube channel ‘iGangseoTV’ at 2:30 p.m. on the 21st.
An official said, “This meeting was organized to raise social interest in at-risk youths and to make the youth safety net more robust,” adding, “We will strive to help local youths grow healthily and safely pursue their dreams.”
Jung-gu (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) held a ceremony on the 17th to present commendations to outstanding childcare workers who contributed to the development of childcare services on Childcare Workers’ Day.
A total of 27 recipients were awarded, but only a minimal number attended the ceremony to prevent COVID-19 spread.
The Jung-gu Childcare Association also delivered encouragement gifts to childcare workers. The gifts, meal kits designed for spending happy times with loved ones during the year-end, were distributed to about 1,000 childcare workers in all local daycare centers. Reflecting the popular ‘stay-at-home’ culture, the gifts received positive responses from workers.
The event also featured a screening of the ‘Top 10 Childcare News in Jung-gu in 2021’ and a donation ceremony prepared by the Childcare Association, making it more meaningful.
The event was organized to express gratitude for childcare workers’ efforts over the past two years, who have been anxious and doing their best to minimize infection risks and protect children’s health amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Since early last year, with special activities, events, and education restricted due to COVID-19, all daycare activities have fallen on childcare teachers, who have played a crucial role in filling care gaps while complying with quarantine rules.
Hong Soon-ok, president of the Jung-gu Childcare Association, said, “It was truly difficult to guide young children to follow quarantine rules and live accordingly. I am grateful to the children, parents, and our teachers who have persevered,” adding, “Since last year, Jung-gu Office has provided much help and encouragement through mask and subsidy support, which has been a great comfort and strength.”
Since 2019, the district has operated public daycare centers directly to strengthen childcare publicness and provide quality childcare services. Various efforts have been made to improve childcare teachers’ treatment, such as lowering teacher-to-child ratios to reduce workload, supporting assistant teachers and aides to prevent child neglect, providing treatment improvement allowances, and operating stress counseling programs to boost morale. In March, an electronic document system for daycare centers was introduced to enable more systematic and efficient administrative management.
Jung-gu Mayor Seo Yang-ho said, “I appreciate the teachers’ dedication to children’s safety and healthy growth despite difficult childcare environments,” adding, “The district will continue to provide multifaceted support to improve childcare teachers’ treatment.”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it won the ‘Excellence Award’ in the ‘Visiting Health and Welfare Service Provision’ category of the 2021 Regional Welfare Project Evaluation hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The ‘Regional Welfare Project Evaluation’ is conducted annually by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to enhance local government welfare levels and secure local government momentum for national policy tasks, evaluating welfare projects of cities, provinces, and districts nationwide.
Eunpyeong-gu’s award marks the fourth consecutive year of winning, setting a national record for the most awards. Following last year’s grand prize, the district was recognized for its efforts as a ‘community living together’ autonomous district.
The district received high evaluations for ▲systematic platform construction ▲efforts to enhance resident capacity for community-led problem-solving ▲providing customized health and welfare services for COVID-19 crisis situations.
Since 2016, the district has been implementing a phased welfare delivery system to improve welfare perception and strengthen the welfare system. Phase 1 (2016?2017) involved organizational restructuring to establish welfare teams in all 16 neighborhoods, increase personnel, improve community center spaces, and provide vehicles to build a visiting welfare foundation. Phase 2 (2018?2019) focused on activating visiting services, establishing neighborhood-level cooperation systems, and setting up civil-government communication systems to solidify visiting welfare. Phase 3 (from 2020) is ongoing, strengthening the Eunpyeong welfare system through community care, Eunpyeong-type welfare system construction, and resident-led village planning.
The district is accelerating the establishment of a care service system using IT in line with the with-COVID era. This year, it introduced the nation’s first non-face-to-face video service. Next year, it plans to introduce an ‘AI Well-being Check Service’ that integrates electricity big data and communication data, advancing to a smarter Eunpyeong welfare system.
Eunpyeong-gu Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “Winning this award is a great honor as the district with the most awards in the visiting health and welfare service category. It is the result of phased welfare delivery efforts to enhance welfare perception. We will continue to cherish each resident’s life and strive to lead welfare.”
Jongno-gu will hold the ‘Indie Festa Band On’ online event over two days on the 21st and 22nd.
This event was planned to remind us of the joy of performances and the preciousness of the stage, which we had temporarily forgotten due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. It can be viewed for free on the Jongno Cultural Foundation’s official YouTube channel from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
On December 21, the event will feature the representative cheer song of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, ‘Go West’ (originally by Pet Shop Boys). The indie band ‘Lazybone,’ known for top-level live performance skills and having showcased their abilities at numerous club concerts and festivals, is confirmed to perform.
Other performers on the 21st include ‘Oriental Showcus,’ who entertain audiences like circus clowns, the skilled band ‘Bad Ram’ performing hard rock and heavy metal, ‘Gamseong Golmok’ singing various emotions, and ‘Pojangmacha,’ performing under a new name.
On the 22nd, the long-loved band Crying Nut will perform at ‘Indie Festa Band On.’ Crying Nut has been recognized for musicality with many hits such as ‘Mal Dalija,’ ‘Night Has Deepened,’ ‘Luxembourg,’ and ‘Myeongdong Calling’ since the 1990s.
Other performers include ‘Kingston Rudieska,’ delivering fresh brass-based sounds, ‘Number One Korean,’ singing hope and positivity, ‘Electric Eel,’ captivating audiences with powerful guitar sounds, and ‘Handadu,’ blending traditional and popular music to showcase diverse charms.
Hosted by the Korea Artists Welfare Foundation and organized by the Jongno Cultural Foundation, more information about the event is available on the Jongno Cultural Foundation blog.
An official said, “This online concert is a timely blessing during these times when it is difficult to meet audiences on stage due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic,” adding, “We hope many interested people will watch and enjoy the energy and joy that performances bring.”
Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) is steadily working to give new hope to all low-income residents who want to become self-reliant.
Since the 10th, eight members of the 2021 pilot self-support work team at Dongjak Regional Self-Support Center have been jointly operating a pasta restaurant (No. 8, Noryangjin-ro 14ga-gil) in Noryangjin 1-dong.
Selected in September for a project by the Korea Self-Support Welfare Development Institute, the district received 40 million KRW in support to operate the restaurant. It provides entrepreneurship education opportunities for self-support participants interested in the food service industry, creating a foundation for low-income residents’ recovery and improving quality of life with community support.
The center plans to continuously support and manage the restaurant for stable operation and gradually increase store-type business units that can easily launch as self-support enterprises.
Opened in 2001, the Dongjak Regional Self-Support Center provides stable jobs and systematic education and counseling services for self-reliance to low-income residents. Together with 11 privately commissioned self-support work teams, about 160 workers participate monthly in the district’s self-support work projects.
The center operates various projects tailored to community characteristics, including ▲laundry team ▲disinfection and quarantine team ▲Hope Sharing Clean Team ▲sewing team, striving to build a community of coexistence.
Meanwhile, in July, the district was selected as an excellent institution in the 2021 Regional Self-Support Center Performance Evaluation hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, among 237 centers nationwide. It has been selected as the best institution seven times so far.
Choi Ho-gyu, head of the Social Welfare Division, said, “Despite the difficult economic situation due to COVID-19, we are steadily working to provide jobs that strengthen capabilities and enable self-reliance for low-income residents,” adding, “We hope many residents will use our services.”
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) produced and released the ‘2021 Gwangjin-gu Learning Naruteo Activity Video Collection,’ capturing a year of activities at the Dong Lifelong Learning Center (Learning Naruteo).
The ‘Dong Lifelong Learning Center (Learning Naruteo) Project’ discovers and connects idle spaces in the community to operate lifelong learning programs, enabling residents to conveniently access lifelong education services nearby.
Earlier this year, the district secured 101 million KRW in subsidies through the Seoul City ‘Neighborhood Learning Center Within One Step’ contest. Combining city and district funds, it identified and operated 13 Learning Naruteo locations, including Jayang Hangang Library, resulting in 94 programs and learning practice projects with residents this year.
To conclude the year’s activities, the district produced the video collection to document residents’ activities of learning and sharing with neighbors through various projects in their local communities.
Unlike previous booklets, this promotional material is a video to help residents more easily and conveniently understand the Learning Naruteo project.
The video collection, themed ‘Gwangjin-gu Learning Naruteo, Touching Life,’ includes ▲introduction to Learning Naruteo ▲programs and learning-practice activities ▲interviews with instructors and participants ▲lifelong learning festival ▲regional network linkage and neighborhood walking challenge with neighbors.
The ‘2021 Gwangjin-gu Learning Naruteo Activity Video Collection’ will be available on the Gwangjin-gu website and official YouTube channel in December.
Gwangjin-gu Mayor Kim Seon-gap said, “We captured precious memories of residents learning and sharing with neighbors through Learning Naruteo in one video,” adding, “We hope this video collection encourages more people to engage in lifelong learning and enjoy the joy of learning.”
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