[Seoul District News] Geumcheon-gu Provides 50,000 Won Onnuri Gift Certificates to 1,700 Low-Income Households for In-Person Pickup at Dong Community Centers... Dobong-gu Supports Septic Tank Cleaning Fees of 3,720 Won per Person for Basic Livelihood Recipients, National Merit Recipients and Low-Income Single-Parent Families... Seongdong-gu Educates Seniors on Using the Quarantine Pass... Jungnang-gu Hosts Traditional Market Events for Lunar New Year... Yangcheon-gu Recruits Participants for ‘2022 Yangcheon Jangdokdae with Neighbors’... Mapo-gu Eases Quarantine Burdens for Small Businesses and Supports Quarantine Activities
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) will provide 85 million KRW in winter support funds to the lower-income class in the welfare blind spots as COVID-19 continues.
Geumcheon-gu decided to provide temporary support to the lower-income class, who are experiencing economic difficulties due to COVID-19 but receive relatively fewer benefits from the government compared to basic livelihood security recipients, continuing from last year.
Through each community service center, 1,592 households of existing lower-income class will receive 50,000 KRW worth of Onnuri gift certificates per household, and an additional support will be provided to 108 newly selected lower-income households in 2022 until March.
Last year, Geumcheon-gu was the first in Seoul to provide a total of 90 million KRW in winter support funds to 1,800 lower-income households.
Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “Using the Geumcheon-type welfare delivery system, we will continuously discover and support residents in welfare blind spots and seek continuous support measures for the lower-income class who receive relatively fewer government benefits.” For more details, inquiries can be made at each community service center in Geumcheon-gu.
Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) will support cleaning fees for private sewage treatment facilities for low-income households in the area starting this month and will accept applications from hopeful households until the end of this year.
The support targets are basic livelihood security recipients, low-income national merit recipients and their families, and single-parent families. Those wishing to apply should bring the receipt for septic tank cleaning fees, a copy of their bankbook, and identification to the community service center for application. Application forms are available at the community service centers.
After receiving applications, the community service center will verify eligibility and support cleaning fees calculated by adding the number of household members registered in the resident registration, providing 3,720 KRW per household member.
Since 2017, Dobong-gu has expanded welfare services by supporting septic tank cleaning fees for an average of 438 people annually from 2017 to 2021 through this project.
Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “The septic tank cleaning fee support project encourages cleaning at least once a year, helping reduce water pollution and create a pleasant living environment. Dobong-gu will continue to lead in caring for the overall lives of those struggling financially by implementing customized welfare services like this.” For inquiries, contact the Resource Circulation Division, Resource Circulation Team of Dobong-gu.
Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is implementing a ‘Quarantine Pass QR Check-in Installation Service’ for elderly residents who have difficulty using smartphones.
The ‘Quarantine Pass QR Check-in Installation Service’ installs electronic vaccination certificate apps such as Koov, Kakao, Naver, and Toss on the smartphones of elderly residents and explains how to use them.
Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of variants, QR check-ins are required multiple times a day when using multi-use facilities such as restaurants, marts, and cafes. Unlike younger people who are familiar with smartphones, many elderly residents find it difficult to use.
This administrative service, which has already supported over 400 elderly residents this month, started at Seongdong-gu Haengdang 2-dong.
The Haengdang 2-dong community center, structurally connected to apartment complexes, maximizes user accessibility and convenience, actively supporting elderly residents to easily use the QR check-in quarantine pass whenever they visit.
Designated locations for COVID-19 vaccine QR installation are staffed regularly to provide convenient support anytime, offering kind and repeated explanations from installation to usage.
For elderly residents without smartphones, stickers and paper certificates indicating completed vaccination are issued on their ID cards to avoid inconvenience when using multi-use facilities. A ‘visiting service’ is also provided by directly visiting local senior centers to install the apps.
Following the installation of kiosks at frequently used multi-use facilities such as marts and cinemas last August, and the expansion of the ‘Smart Volunteer Group’ to eight members in the second half of the year, which regularly visited community centers and senior centers to teach smartphone usage, the district plans to expand this quarantine pass installation and usage guidance service to all community centers by the end of this month.
An elderly resident who visited the community center said, “Using a phone to verify at restaurants might be easy for young people, but it’s quite difficult for elderly people like us. The nearby community center understands our difficulties and kindly explains how to use smartphones better than my children who live far away,” expressing gratitude.
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “As everything becomes convenient with smartphones, digital divide groups may face more difficulties. We will continue to listen to residents’ voices to resolve inconveniences and actively work to reduce the information gap through various policies so that smart technology can be used by everyone.”
Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) will hold Lunar New Year events at seven local traditional markets from January 17 to 29.
The Lunar New Year traditional market events are prepared to provide practical help to merchants struggling due to decreased visitors and weakened consumer sentiment caused by COVID-19.
During the event period, the seven traditional markets will offer discounts on various ritual items and hold gift certificate giveaways and prize events. The district expects the events to revitalize traditional markets and reduce residents’ shopping burdens.
Main event details include that in six markets (Dongbu, Dongwon, Woolim, Myeonmok, Jangmi Jeil, Dongwon Shopping District), customers who purchase over a certain amount (30,000 to 100,000 KRW) will receive Onnuri gift certificates ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 KRW. At Sagajeong Market, customers who purchase over 15,000 KRW can receive prizes. Event periods and details vary by market.
Residents who find it difficult to visit markets directly can use online shopping services. Online shopping is available for six traditional markets: Woolim, Dongwon, Myeonmok, Dongbu, Sagajeong, and Dongwon Shopping District via Naver ‘Neighborhood Market Shopping’ or apps like ‘Coupang Eats’, ‘Noljang’, and ‘Wemap-O’. Purchased goods are delivered within two hours.
The district conducted fire prevention training on January 12 to ensure residents can shop safely at traditional markets. From January 10 to 14, the operation status of various electrical and gas safety facilities in the seven markets was also inspected.
Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “We ask for residents’ active interest in the Lunar New Year events held at local traditional markets and will continue efforts to revitalize the local economy including traditional markets.”
Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) will recruit residents to participate in the ‘2022 Yangcheon Jangdokdae with Neighbors’ project from January 24 to February 11.
‘Yangcheon Jangdokdae’ is a representative health welfare project of Yangcheon-gu, promoted since 2019 to raise awareness of the excellence of traditional foods and strengthen a sustainable safe food guarantee system.
This year, from February to November, groups of 4 to 5 people will experience traditional jang (fermented soybean paste) making at six welfare centers in the region. The centers operate in three zones: Mok-dong, Sinjeong-dong, and Sinwol-dong, including Mokdong Welfare Center, Sinmok Welfare Center, Sinjeong Welfare Center, Yangcheon Haenuri Welfare Center, Yangcheon Senior Welfare Center, and Sinwol Comprehensive Social Welfare Center.
The participation fee is 35,000 KRW including VAT. Residents wishing to participate can apply by phone on a first-come, first-served basis at the respective welfare centers from January 24 to February 11. Participants will receive 3 kg of fermented soybean paste and 500 ml of soy sauce produced after safety and ingredient testing by the Health and Environment Research Institute.
Main activities of ‘Yangcheon Jangdokdae’ include ▲making traditional jang with meju (fermented soybean blocks), salt, and water ▲separating matured jang into doenjang (soybean paste) and soy sauce ▲fermentation and maturation management for six months ▲sharing matured jang with neighbors. The district also plans to operate a ‘Fermentation Academy’ to learn about healthy foods using jang.
Additionally, the traditional jang produced through Yangcheon Jangdokdae will be donated to vulnerable elderly and single-parent families in the region through the Yangcheon Love Welfare Foundation.
For more details about participation, contact the Regional Health Division of Yangcheon-gu Public Health Center.
Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “Although we live in an era abundant with food, opportunities to access trustworthy and safe healthy food in daily life are not that many. In this regard, the Yangcheon Jangdokdae project is meaningful as it allows people to make nutritious traditional jang with their own hands, so we hope many interested people will participate.”
Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that it will support up to 100,000 KRW for quarantine supplies expenses for small businesses and small merchants operating in industries where the quarantine pass is mandatory until February 25.
This ‘Small Business and Small Merchant Quarantine Supplies Support Project’ is a follow-up measure to the government’s special quarantine measures implemented on December 3 last year. As the industries subject to the quarantine pass expanded from five to sixteen, including restaurants, cafes, and academies, the project aims to alleviate the burden on small businesses and support quarantine activities.
The industries where the quarantine pass is mandatory include ▲entertainment facilities ▲karaoke (coin) practice rooms ▲bathhouses ▲indoor sports facilities ▲casinos, bicycle racing, motorboat racing, horse racing ▲restaurants and cafes ▲academies ▲movie theaters and performance halls ▲PC rooms ▲party rooms ▲libraries ▲massage and therapy shops ▲museums, art galleries, science museums, totaling sixteen industries.
The application period is from January 17 to February 25. From January 17 to 26, applications are accepted by a 10-day rotation system based on the last digit of the business registration number, and from January 27 to February 25, all businesses can apply regardless of the number.
Applications can only be made online. Business owners must access the designated website, enter their business registration number, and complete identity verification to apply.
Applicants must be operating businesses as of the application date and not be closed or suspended. Academies, reading rooms, and study cafes whose quarantine pass effectiveness has been suspended by court order are included. However, industries not subject to the quarantine pass, such as beauty salons, travel agencies, and retail, are excluded.
Applicants must attach supporting documents such as purchase receipts for supplies and copies of bankbooks in the name of the representative or corporation. Additional documents such as business registration certificates, small business or merchant confirmation certificates, or disaster relief fund receipt confirmations may be required.
Quarantine-related support items include QR code verification terminals, hand sanitizers, masks, thermometers, disinfectants (disinfectant water), partitions, and other quarantine management costs purchased after December 3 last year.
If a representative operates two or more eligible businesses, applications must be submitted separately for each registered business.
The district will review submitted documents and pay the support amount within seven days from the application date.
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) has started supporting smart insoles with location tracking for seven developmentally disabled individuals in the area to prevent missing incidents.
As part of the ‘Developmentally Disabled Safety Keeper Project,’ the district provided smartwatches with watch-type location trackers to 28 developmentally disabled individuals in November last year and on the 11th of this month, provided smart insoles to seven developmentally disabled individuals in the district.
Smart insoles embed location trackers in the shoes worn by developmentally disabled individuals, allowing guardians to check their real-time location via a smartphone application, which is expected to be highly effective in preventing missing incidents.
The Dongdaemun Disabled Family Support Center, entrusted with the project, delivered smart insoles to the seven selected individuals on the morning of the 11th, demonstrated application installation and linkage methods through the manufacturer, and held a briefing session to guide usage.
A guardian of a developmentally disabled individual who received the smart insole expressed expectations, saying, “I feel much more at ease even if they go out alone or engage in social activities.”
Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “We aim to support the independence of developmentally disabled individuals by helping their free movement through GPS-embedded shoes. We will do our best to create a community where people with disabilities can live safely and comfortably together.”
Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) is conducting a public recruitment for the ‘Youth Participation Organization Operation Secretariat’ to carry out youth-related policy projects.
Last year, Gangbuk-gu was selected as a participating district for the ‘2022 Seoul Youth Policy Governance Activation Support Project’ after submitting policy proposals to Seoul through public deliberation processes with youth living and residing in the area to activate youth participation in district administration.
Gangbuk-gu is recruiting an operation secretariat to carry out this ‘Youth Policy Governance Activation Support Project.’ The selected secretariat will receive up to 70 million KRW for personnel expenses and about 60 million KRW for youth policy-related project operation costs.
Main project contents include ▲operation of the youth participation organization secretariat ▲strengthening youth policy governance capabilities ▲operation of online youth policy forums. Additionally, the secretariat will support specialized projects such as ▲plogging (pick up + jogging) where youth pick up trash while jogging ▲renting venues for youth artists’ exhibitions ▲tax lectures for freelancers and youth preparing for startups ▲housing policy lectures for youth.
Applicants must be non-profit corporations or organizations based in Seoul with experience operating projects mainly for youth activities and support.
Interested applicants should prepare application documents and apply via email (hunaya@gangbuk.go.kr). The deadline is 6 PM on February 8.
Application forms and detailed information can be found on the Gangbuk-gu website (Our District Introduction → Notice Board → Public Notices) or News section, or by contacting the Job Economy Division.
Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “Many young people are struggling with employment difficulties due to COVID-19. We will generously support youth-related policies to help them as soon as possible.”
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