[Seoul District News] Dongjak-gu Hosts Donation Box, Fundraising Thermometer, QR-Based Contactless Donations, and Charity Sharing Events... ‘Sancheon Sikdang’ Where Meals Lead to Donations Adds Warmth to Mapo-gu... Gangdong-gu Public Haegong Library Opens Children's Materials Room... Guro-gu Receives Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award for Joint Use of Digital Cadastral Data Evaluation... Jungnang-gu Recruits SNS Supporters Langlang-i and Our Neighborhood Reporters... Gangnam-gu Opens Applications for 1st Short-Form Creators... Dobong-gu Stories from Daily Life, Dobong Policy Empathy Essay Contest... Seongbuk-gu, Cheongnyang Neighborhood Park...
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) announced that in the new year of 2022, the Year of the Black Tiger, sharing activities to help neighbors in need have been actively continuing throughout the region by institutions and organizations.
As the spread of COVID-19 shows little sign of slowing, difficulties in daily life have increased, and face-to-face volunteer activities have decreased due to infection concerns and economic downturns in businesses, making it even harder for marginalized neighbors to get through the winter.
In response, since November 15 last year, the district has been promoting the public-private cooperative fundraising campaign "2022 Hope Ondol Warm Winter Project" to support low-income residents and marginalized neighbors in need within the region. As of January 18, about 1.39 billion KRW has been raised, exceeding the annual target of 1.237 billion KRW by 112.6%, confirming the strong interest and participation of neighbors.
Donation boxes labeled "Helping Neighbors" have been placed in 17 locations including the district office, community service centers, and Dongjak Welfare Foundation, allowing residents to easily participate. Non-face-to-face donations and fundraising using QR codes are also being conducted simultaneously to increase donation participation rates.
On the 17th, through a "Love Rice Sharing Ceremony" at the Shindaebang and Woosung Nonghyup branches, rice worth 2.77 million KRW (10kg, 200 bags) was donated to the district. Additionally, merchants from the local traditional market donated money to the community service center, creating a warm wave of sharing and support from various sectors in the region.
Furthermore, various fundraising activities tailored to each neighborhood's characteristics are being promoted by the heads of local functional organizations, with participation from local residents, religious groups, and companies. Projects to deliver warmth to vulnerable groups in need of help are also underway.
An anonymous donor who requested to remain unnamed said while donating at the community service center's sharing space, "Although it is a small donation, I hope it can help elderly people living alone who may face difficulties during the cold winter."
Park Mi-young, Director of the Welfare Policy Division, said, "During difficult times, we must pay attention to vulnerable groups in the community and contribute even a small amount. I hope the sincerity gathered for neighbors will be conveyed as warm energy and a spark of hope."
The "2022 Hope Ondol Warm Winter Project" will continue until February 14. Residents wishing to participate in donation sharing can contribute funds to the Seoul Community Chest of Korea or join the warm sharing through the Dongjak District Office Welfare Policy Division or community service centers.
With soaring food prices making it difficult to find a meal for just 10,000 KRW in the heart of Seoul these days, a restaurant in Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) offering a warm bowl of freshly cooked rice and stir-fried pork for only 3,000 KRW has become a topic of sharing and kindness.
The restaurant in the spotlight is "Salmcheon Sikdang" located in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu (50-gil 17, Donggyo-ro).
The way to use "Salmcheon Sikdang" is that customers visiting the store purchase a meal coupon for 3,000 KRW and put it into the donation box, after which the meal is served.
This donation involves meal coupons collected in the donation box reaching a certain amount and then being donated to the "2022 Mapo-gu Hope Ondol Warm Winter Project."
Mapo-gu received a total of 383 meal coupons on the 3rd, equivalent to about 1.1 million KRW in cash value. The donated meal coupons will be provided primarily to low-income youth in the Yeonnam-dong area who can use the restaurant.
Kim Seong-ho, CEO of "Salmcheon Sikdang," which means practicing a meaningful life with 3,000 KRW, explained that he opened the 3,000 KRW restaurant in November last year to provide youth with a warm meal without financial burden.
The restaurant operates at a price that only covers the cost of ingredients because nearby residents volunteer for free at the restaurant, and the "Warm Church" supports the rent.
Kim Seong-ho said, "I plan to donate meal coupons to the Yeonnam-dong community service center whenever more than 200 meal coupons are collected for youth and neighbors in need in the area. Those who wish to volunteer during the restaurant's operating hours (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) can contact me via Instagram messages; your help would be greatly appreciated."
Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, "I thank the CEO of Salmcheon Sikdang for running the restaurant with a good purpose and donating to neighbors in need. Inspired by the restaurant's purpose, Mapo-gu will actively implement policies for youth and vulnerable neighbors."
Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) announced on the 18th that it has opened a "Children's Materials Room" suitable for young children at the Gangdong-gu Haegong Library (702 Olympic-ro, Gangdong-gu).
Haegong Library has various reading rooms such as a children's reading room, general reading room, and multipurpose room, but there was a lack of space suitable for young children to read.
Therefore, the district remodeled the existing library store space into a children's materials room where families with young children can comfortably enjoy reading together, installing ondol floor heating, child-sized bookshelves, and reading desks with park views.
Previously, the district has been promoting new public library construction projects in Sangil-dong and Dunchon-dong along with remodeling existing public libraries. After completing the remodeling of Seongnae Library in 2020, it allocated supplementary budget last year and started construction in the second half of the year to create the children's materials room at Haegong Library.
Additionally, Gangdong-gu operates a system of general planners in various fields such as libraries, culture and arts, and landscaping to receive policy advice from private experts with rich knowledge and experience.
In this project, Ko Jae-min, a general planner with extensive library design experience and a professor at Suwon Science College, provided advice to create a better space.
The children's and youth materials room at Haegong Library operates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The district also plans to curate books to help children become familiar with reading.
Lee Jung-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, "The district is continuously promoting 'Gangdong-type spatial welfare' by adding innovation to existing facilities and creating new spaces to achieve welfare through space. We will continue to promote public library construction and book caf? library projects to build Gangdong as a city of books."
Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award in the "2021 Cadastral Electronic Data Joint Use Status Evaluation" hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Guro-gu was the only autonomous district in Seoul selected as an excellent institution.
The "Cadastral Electronic Data Joint Use Status Evaluation" was established to create a foundation for safely managing and efficiently operating cadastral electronic data. It evaluates compliance with personal information protection regulations and the operation status of the national land information system across 243 local governments nationwide (17 metropolitan cities/provinces and 226 cities/counties/districts).
Guro-gu conducted online education on personal information protection and security for all employees to create a safe organizational culture without personal information leakage and encouraged self-inspection and corrective actions regarding personal information management.
Additionally, the district improved civil application forms to simplify administrative procedures, increasing convenience for residents and work efficiency through proactive and creative work promotion.
Moreover, in 2021, Guro-gu received 2,472 applications for cadastral electronic data such as ancestral land searches and provided land information for 3,754 parcels covering 3.87 square kilometers.
A Guro-gu official said, "We are very pleased that our efforts to protect personal information and enhance resident convenience led to being selected as an excellent institution. We will continue to do our best to manage cadastral electronic data systematically and efficiently."
Last year, Guro-gu was also selected as the best institution in the real estate appraisal field in the "2021 Land and Cadastral Management Work Evaluation" due to high evaluations for services such as individual official land price text notifications, full parcel digitization, and comprehensive surveys of development target projects.
Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) is recruiting SNS supporters "Rangrang-i" and "Our Neighborhood Correspondents" who deliver diverse and distinctive news to residents from the perspective of local residents.
The district plans to expand empathy and communication among residents through familiar neighborhood stories directly delivered by residents. First, Rangrang-i is the official SNS supporter of Jungnang-gu who discovers various local stories in five fields: economy, welfare, education, culture, and tourism, producing quality content. The 4th term of Rangrang-i will be recruited from the 20th of this month to the 21st of next month.
A total of 30 people, six in each field, will be recruited, with activities from March to December. Selected Rangrang-i will receive a manuscript fee ranging from 30,000 KRW to 70,000 KRW per content type and can earn volunteer hours based on performance. Outstanding participants will receive a mayoral commendation. They will also have opportunities to participate in promoting various festivals and events such as the Rose Festival and Yongma Waterfall Arts and Culture Festival.
Any resident who actively uses SNS or university students and workers residing in Jungnang-gu can apply by downloading the application form from the Jungnang-gu website and submitting it via email (saeyou@jn.go.kr). Results will be individually notified on the 24th, and the launch ceremony is scheduled for mid-March.
Additionally, 32 "Our Neighborhood Correspondents," honorary reporters composed of residents by neighborhood, will be recruited from the 24th to the 22nd of next month. They will discover and report various good news and local stories. Correspondents will receive media utilization training such as video editing and YouTube operation at the Jungnang Media Center and receive a manuscript fee for monthly selected outstanding works. Applications can be submitted by email (9333phj@jn.go.kr), with results individually notified on the 28th of next month.
Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, "We look forward to the active participation of residents who have interest and affection for Jungnang-gu. We will continue to strive for communication at the residents' level through participatory promotion."
Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) is recruiting the first generation of "Short-form Creators" from the 18th of this month to the 17th of next month.
"Short-form" refers to short videos, which are major content on SNS platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, and are favored by the MZ generation (born from the 1980s to early 2000s) who are more accustomed to mobile devices and short-form content than TV.
While the main recruitment target is those born between 1984 and 2015 among the MZ generation, anyone with talent in cultural arts such as singing and dancing can participate. Gangnam-gu plans to promote short-form content related to Gangnam-gu, planned and produced directly by selected creators, to actively communicate with residents.
Creators must produce at least two short-form videos per month from March to June. Those who meet the requirements will receive a "Completion Award" with a prize of 1 million KRW and a certificate. Outstanding performers will receive additional awards: Grand Prize (1 person, 1 million KRW), Excellence Award (2 persons, 700,000 KRW each), and Merit Award (2 persons, 500,000 KRW each), with the possibility of one renewal term.
Jung Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, "Since 2019, the 7th term of the Gangnam-gu administration has broadcast the tourism promotion program 'Gangnam Insiders Picks' in 27 countries and recently signed distribution contracts with 17 Arabic-speaking countries. We will continue to create promotional content that enhances accessibility domestically and internationally and enables two-way communication with residents."
Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) is conducting the "Dobong Policy Empathy Essay Contest" to find valuable policies from the residents' perspective and to record and share policy experiences.
The contest period is from January 17 to February 18, and the theme is "Stories of Dobong-gu Encountered in Daily Life." Participants can freely describe policies that brought positive changes to their lives, policies they benefited from or found lacking, or episodes and experiences from direct participation in various fields of district administration.
Anyone with policy experience in Dobong-gu can participate (no restrictions on region, age, or nationality). Essays must be "self-written experience reports" of about three pages using the designated form and submitted via email (yujinkily@dobong.go.kr) or mail (Dobong-gu Office Planning and Budget Division, 656 Madeul-ro, Dobong-gu).
The form can be downloaded from the Dobong-gu website's notice section, and the QR code on the poster provides easy access.
Results will be announced on March 8 on the website. The district will select a total of 30 award-winning works, awarding cash prizes as follows: Grand Prize 1 person 700,000 KRW, Excellence Award 2 persons 500,000 KRW each, Merit Award 3 persons 300,000 KRW each, Encouragement Award 4 persons 100,000 KRW each, and Honorable Mention 20 persons 50,000 KRW each (gift certificates for honorable mentions).
Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, "Through this contest, I hope it will be an opportunity to further develop resident autonomy in Dobong-gu by reflecting on policies that residents have empathized with and created as participants and partners in governance."
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it will recruit young people to participate in the "Public Relations Content Expert Training Project" from January 26 to February 4 this year.
The "Public Relations Content Expert Training Project" is a Seoul-type New Deal job project promoted by the district. It trains young experts who assist in planning and producing public relations content. Participating youth can gain work experience and expertise to help enter private-sector jobs.
The recruitment includes one person for social media and two for media, totaling three people. Eligibility requires Seoul citizens aged 18 to 39 this year with no disqualifications for participation.
Applications can be submitted online through the Seoul Job Portal. Required documents include an application form, self-introduction letter, personal information consent form, job seeker registration certificate, and resident registration copy.
The work period is from March 2 to December 31. Workplaces include the district office's public relations department and the Eunpyeong Cultural Foundation Media Center. Tasks involve producing various Eunpyeong-gu promotional content such as card news and media planning/editing.
For more details, visit the Seoul Job Portal and Eunpyeong-gu website recruitment announcements.
Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, said, "Youth are the core of future regional development. I expect this to be an opportunity for excellent young talents to gain practical experience and expertise. We look forward to many young people participating."
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is recruiting users for the Safe Door Keeper service, which supports door camera installation and emergency dispatch services for single-person households through cooperation with Seoul City and professional security companies.
The Safe Door Keeper service, launched in September last year, is a joint project with Seoul City to ensure residential safety for single-person households living in multi-family and multi-unit housing with insufficient access control devices. It provides various services such as video verification at the front door, loitering detection, front door access history confirmation, SOS emergency button, and 24-hour emergency dispatch service via a mobile app.
Users can access this service, which normally costs about 20,000 KRW per month, for 9,900 KRW per month under a three-year contract. For the first year, a subsidy of 8,900 KRW is provided, reducing the monthly cost to 1,000 KRW.
The recruitment scale for 2022 is 90 people. Any single-person household aged 18 or older living in rental housing in Dongdaemun-gu can apply.
Those wishing to use the service must submit their resident registration copy, lease contract, and application form to the Dongdaemun-gu Office Family Welfare Division.
Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, "The Safe Door Keeper service provides psychological stability against crime concerns and is highly effective in preventing crime at a low cost. I hope many single-person households such as university students and young households apply. We will continue to do our best to create a safe residential environment for residents."
Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) announced on the 17th the commencement of the "Cheongnyang Neighborhood Park (Cheonjangsan) Trail Maintenance Project" to connect the disconnected walking trail sections between Seongbuk-gu and Dongdaemun-gu caused by cultural heritage zones and military facilities within Cheongnyang Neighborhood Park (Cheonjangsan).
The project connects the 70-meter-long disconnected walking trail section between Seongbuk-gu and Dongdaemun-gu within Cheongnyang Neighborhood Park (Cheonjangsan), linking Seongbuk-gu's Cheonjangsan deck stair trail with Dongdaemun-gu's walking trail.
The existing 0.8 km walking trail in Cheongnyang Neighborhood Park (Cheonjangsan) runs from Seongbuk Information Library to the summit of Cheonjangsan and Dolmoe Children's Park. The course is short for hiking or exercise, and residents have consistently requested connecting the trail beyond the summit to Dongdaemun-gu's trail. However, the trail was disconnected due to Uireung (a cultural heritage protection zone) and military facilities (military facility protection zone), making connection difficult.
Since 2020, Seongbuk-gu has held over ten consultations with related agencies such as the military and Cultural Heritage Administration, obtained permits, secured 300 million KRW in city funds last July, and proceeded with detailed design, contract review, and construction orders to implement the project.
With this project, the entire 2.63 km trail within Cheonjangsan will open, improving access to Uireung, Hongneung Arboretum, Kyung Hee University, and Hongneung, providing convenience to about 140,000 residents in Seongbuk-gu (Seokgwan-dong, Wolgok-dong) and Dongdaemun-gu (Imun-dong, Cheongnyangni-dong). It is also expected to revitalize the area by attracting more foot traffic.
Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, "The Cheongnyang Neighborhood Park (Cheonjangsan) disconnected trail connection project fulfills the long-standing wishes of residents in Seokgwan-dong and Wolgok-dong who have consistently raised this issue since 2016. We expect the project to expand park usage convenience not only for Seongbuk-gu residents but also for residents living near the park."
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