[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Issues 22 Billion KRW Gwanak Love Gift Certificates with 10% Lunar New Year Discount in 2022... Yeongdeungpo Issues 20 Billion KRW Yeongdeungpo Love Gift Certificates... Yongsan-gu Advances 65 Projects for Korean New Deal + Creative Administration... Yeongdeungpo Recruits Human Rights Guardians... Mapo-gu Conducts Staff Training Ahead of Serious Accident Punishment Act Enforcement... Songpa Reopens Dog Playground... Dongdaemun Secures 20.7 Billion KRW External Funds via Public Projects... Eunpyeong Selected as Excellent Agency in Active Administration Performance Review, Awarded Minister of the Interior and Safety Citation
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) announced that it will issue 22 billion KRW worth of Gwanak Love Gift Certificates starting from 9 a.m. on the 25th in celebration of the Lunar New Year holiday.
To revitalize the local economy, which has been stagnant due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the district has issued a total of 77 billion KRW in Gwanak Love Gift Certificates, along with 11.8 billion KRW in special issuance gift certificates such as the Commercial District Recovery Special Support Gift Certificates and e-Seoul Love Gift Certificates issued in December last year, contributing significantly to increasing sales for small business owners in the area.
This issuance is also expected to inject great vitality into the local commercial district ahead of the holiday season by actively encouraging local consumption with an additional 10% special discount.
Especially, starting this year, the Gwanak Love Gift Certificates issued will have significantly enhanced benefits and functions through an agreement with the Shinhan Consortium (Shinhan Card + Shinhan Bank + KakaoPay + T-money). Previously, the gift certificates were issued in three denominations of 10,000 KRW, 50,000 KRW, and 100,000 KRW, but now they can be recharged in 10,000 KRW increments up to 700,000 KRW.
The purchase cancellation period has also been extended from within 7 days to anytime, improving consumer convenience. For balance refunds, as before, refunds are made after using at least 60% of the gift certificate, excluding the discount support amount.
Purchasing and payment are possible through four newly launched apps by Seoul City’s smart lifestyle payment platform: ‘Seoulpay?’, ‘T-money Pay’, ‘Shinhan SOL’, and ‘Moneytree’. Shinhan Play, KakaoPay, and KakaoTalk payment apps will be sequentially opened in the future.
With Seoulpay?, which previously only allowed cash payments for Gwanak Love Gift Certificates, purchases can now be made using Shinhan’s debit and credit cards without any additional fees for consumers when purchasing with credit cards.
From March, the payment method will shift from consumers manually scanning QR codes and entering payment amounts to touch payment and Shake & Slide payment (shaking the smartphone or using the home screen edge panel), and in the second half of the year, new technologies such as NFC payment and facial recognition payment will further enhance consumer payment convenience.
Support for merchant benefits will also increase. The gift certificate payment fee remains zero, with no additional payment costs. Payment confirmation, cancellation, and sales performance management can be conveniently done through Seoulpay? without installing a separate app for merchants. Starting in May, merchants will regularly receive sales analysis by period and industry to use as marketing data.
To coincide with the launch of ‘Seoulpay?’, events have been prepared. From January 20 to February 3, 10,000 citizens who install the app and complete membership registration will be selected by lottery to receive GS25 gift certificates (5,000 KRW). From January 24 to February 28, consumers who purchase gift certificates with Shinhan Card (Shinhan pLay) will also be entered into a lottery for various prizes.
For more details about the gift certificates, check the Gwanak-gu Office blog or contact the Seoulpay? customer center or Dasan Call Center.
A district official said, “We expect the issuance of Gwanak Love Gift Certificates with smart payments and increased benefits to stimulate consumption and revitalize the depressed local commercial districts,” adding, “The district will continue to make efforts to overcome these difficult times together.”
Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) issued 20 billion KRW worth of Yeongdeungpo Love Gift Certificates at 4 p.m. on the 25th in celebration of the Lunar New Year holiday.
The purchase discount rate for the gift certificates issued this time is the same as last year at 10%, and individuals can purchase up to 700,000 KRW (with a holding limit of 2 million KRW). The usage period is 5 years from the purchase date.
Starting this year, the applications available for purchasing gift certificates have changed, so those wishing to purchase should pay attention. To purchase the Yeongdeungpo Love Gift Certificates issued on January 25, one must install one of the following apps: Seoul’s newly launched smart lifestyle payment platform ▲Seoulpay+ (Seoulpay Plus), ▲T-money Pay, ▲Shinhan SOL, or ▲Moneytree.
Existing mobile applications such as Beeple Zero Pay and Check Pay, which were previously available for gift certificate use, will no longer allow new purchases starting January 24.
The balance of purchased gift certificates can be used through the respective apps until the end of February, but from midnight on March 1, balances will be automatically transferred to Seoulpay+ and payments will only be possible through the Seoulpay+ app.
Also, personal information entered in the previous payment apps will be safely and automatically transferred to the Seoulpay+ app. For those who do not want automatic transfer, a function to manually transfer balances to Seoulpay+ will be added in February.
Furthermore, payment methods that were previously only available in cash will now be possible with debit and credit cards. No additional fees will be charged for credit card purchases, and purchases can only be made with Shinhan Card (Shinhan Consortium sales agency). However, installment payments and corporate card purchases are not allowed.
The purchase denominations have been unified from the previous 10,000 KRW, 50,000 KRW, and 100,000 KRW to 10,000 KRW only. Also, while full refunds were only possible within 7 days after purchase until last year, from this year, cancellations can be made at any time regardless of the period.
The district issued 20 billion KRW in February, 10 billion KRW in July, 10 billion KRW in September, and 10 billion KRW in November last year, all of which sold out, playing a major role in revitalizing the frozen local economy.
Moreover, from the first issuance of Yeongdeungpo Love Gift Certificates in 2020 until December last year, the cumulative issuance amount was 85 billion KRW, with cumulative payments reaching 75.5 billion KRW, demonstrating high demand and stable operation of the gift certificates.
Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, “The Yeongdeungpo Love Gift Certificates offer benefits such as waived payment fees for small business owners and self-employed persons, discounts for consumers at purchase, and year-end tax deduction benefits. We hope residents show great interest and participation in using and purchasing them,” adding, “We will work harder on local economic revitalization and livelihood stabilization measures so that both small business owners and consumers can have a warm Lunar New Year holiday.”
Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) is promoting the ‘2022 Creative New Deal’ project aimed at creating a happier Yongsan together.
The Creative New Deal is a project restructured from the Moon Jae-in administration’s national project ‘Korean New Deal’ into a resident-experienced New Deal project tailored to the district’s circumstances, which has been underway since 2020. Last year, the district implemented 83 projects (worth 6.3 billion KRW) related to resident safety, convenience, and environmental improvement. This year, 65 projects (worth 6.5 billion KRW) will be carried out.
Major projects for 2022 include ▲Smart Yongsan Network Advancement ▲Digital Twin-based 3D Model Construction of Public Office Buildings ▲Climate Crisis Overcoming ‘Our Village Challenge’ ▲Smart Sewage Odor Improvement Project ▲Operation of Care SOS Center to Fill Care Gaps ▲Metaverse Youth Employment Special Lectures ▲Cheongpa Humanities Emotional Camping ▲LED Cane Support for Senior Citizens’ Safe Walking.
‘Smart Yongsan Network Advancement’ is a project to secure basic infrastructure for a smart city. It will double the capacity of the local broadband private communication network to accommodate additional new projects such as CCTV, Internet of Things (IoT), and Wi-Fi. The project budget is 1.2 billion KRW.
‘Digital Twin-based Public Office 3D Model Construction Project’ involves building a 3D model of the Comprehensive Administrative Town. It is expected to serve as a foundation for augmented reality and metaverse-based digital administrative services, as well as efficient office management. The project budget is 211.6 million KRW.
‘Climate Crisis Overcoming, Our Village Challenge’ and ‘Smart Sewage Odor Improvement Project’ aim to create an environmentally friendly city. ‘Metaverse Youth Employment Special Lectures’ and ‘Care SOS Center Operation’ focus on youth employment and protection of vulnerable groups. ‘Cheongpa Humanities Emotional Camping’ and ‘LED Cane Support for Seniors’ are creative projects unique to the district reflecting local conditions.
A district official said, “As a result of actively encouraging the Creative New Deal projects last year, six projects were selected for the 2021 government and Seoul New Deal public contests, securing 2.1 billion KRW in national and city funds.”
This year, the district will also promote ▲staff capacity-building training ▲awards for excellent departments ▲discovery of New Deal projects ▲support for contest applications ▲collection of resident opinions to ensure successful project implementation.
Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “It has long been that the direction of urban development has shifted from external growth to improving quality of life,” adding, “We will continue to pursue tangible and intangible projects that prioritize the environment and people.”
Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) announced that it is recruiting the 4th term of the ‘Yeongdeungpo-gu Citizen Human Rights Guardians’ until January 27 to lead the creation and spread of a culture that respects human rights in the district.
The district operates the Citizen Human Rights Guardians to activate citizen participation in the establishment and implementation of human rights policies and to actively reflect their opinions to produce better policies.
The Citizen Human Rights Guardians consist of up to 30 members, and any citizen interested in human rights can apply.
Appointed guardians will serve as local human rights leaders representing citizens for one year, performing roles such as ▲monitoring human rights violations and protections ▲proposing human rights policies ▲forming human rights networks ▲participating in projects related to human rights promotion.
They will also independently operate study groups for reading human rights books and watching films, sharing human rights issues, and identifying and improving human rights violations and inconveniences experienced in daily life.
Additionally, they plan to engage in various promotional activities to raise human rights awareness among citizens, such as visiting human rights sites with historical significance in Korea, campaigns to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and resident human rights schools.
Citizens wishing to apply for the Human Rights Guardians should check the recruitment details on the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office website under Notices/Announcements by January 27, then submit the application form and self-introduction via email (yjlee0906@ydp.go.kr) or fax for non-face-to-face reception.
The district will conduct its own screening considering understanding of human rights, experience in human rights activities, and diversity in neighborhood, gender, age, and work field, and will notify selected candidates individually in February. Graduates of the 2021 Yeongdeungpo-gu Human Rights Guardians training course or the 7th Yeongdeungpo-gu Resident Human Rights School will be given preference.
Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, “The activities of the Citizen Human Rights Guardians will play a pivotal role in spreading human rights values and expanding a culture of respect for human rights in the community,” adding, “We will continue to operate human rights policies reflecting diverse voices of citizens to build a human rights city where everyone is respected.”
Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that it conducted training for all employees on the 24th ahead of the full enforcement of the ‘Serious Accident Punishment Act’.
The training was conducted to properly understand the Serious Accident Punishment Act and prevent serious accidents. Following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, 122 team leaders and above who completed their second vaccination received in-person training, while other employees participated in real-time online training.
The training was conducted for about two hours by Certified Labor Attorney Jung Wan-ki, CEO of Veritas Labor Law Firm and adjunct professor at the Construction Industry Education Institute, followed by a Q&A session.
The main training content included explanations of obligations for public institutions such as safety and health management responsibilities and education on safety and health management methods for supervisors and workers.
Before the training, Mapo-gu Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said, “If we take this training seriously and focus on accident prevention and education, we can create a safe Mapo with zero serious accidents,” adding, “I emphasize prioritizing safety accident prevention to protect the lives and safety of residents.”
The Serious Accident Punishment Act, effective from the 27th, aims primarily to prevent serious accidents rather than punish them.
Accordingly, the district launched a Serious Accident Punishment Act Response Task Force on December 28 last year, consisting of 16 members including the head, divided into ▲General Support Division (8 members: investigation, general affairs, publicity, planning teams), ▲Serious Industrial Accident Division (5 members: employment safety team), and ▲Serious Citizen Accident Division (2 members: disaster safety team) to establish a response system for serious accident management.
Under the leadership of Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun, who is also the management officer and safety and health management officer of Mapo-gu, the task force holds weekly ‘Safety Inspection Meetings for Serious Accident Punishment Act Prevention’ every Monday to check progress on preventing serious industrial and citizen accidents by stage and field.
Regarding ‘Serious Industrial Accidents,’ the district is implementing a ‘Comprehensive Plan for Serious Industrial Accident Prevention’ focusing on establishing a safety and health management system, integrated management of serious accident responses, and systematizing monitoring systems to prevent industrial accidents.
Serious industrial accidents refer to industrial accidents involving one death, two or more injuries requiring treatment for six months or longer from the same accident, or three or more occupational disease cases within one year from the same harmful factor. Mapo-gu manages 762 regular workers.
The district appoints one safety manager and one health manager for workplaces with 300 or more regular workers and is planning to appoint one occupational health doctor externally. It plans to prepare a ‘Serious Industrial Accident Response Manual’ in February.
For seven public construction sites managed by Mapo-gu, joint inspections with supervisors and contractors will be conducted monthly according to a safety inspection checklist.
The district is also making every effort to prevent ‘Serious Citizen Accidents’ caused by defects in design, manufacture, or management of public facilities and public transportation. Mapo-gu has a total of 42 public facilities and no public transportation subject to serious citizen accidents.
On the 13th, the district established a ‘Comprehensive Plan for Serious Citizen Accident Prevention’ focusing on building a safety and health management system, establishing a citizen accident management system, and preventing citizen accidents through public-private cooperation. It is actively working to complete a safety inspection plan for public facilities by February.
After establishing the safety inspection plan, the district plans to secure necessary personnel and conduct safety inspections, maintenance, and safety education to eliminate risk factors in advance.
Additionally, the district has created a ‘Serious Accident Punishment Act’ dedicated bulletin board within the Mapo-gu administrative system, sharing laws, Q&A, manuals, guidebooks, and educational videos for easy access by all employees. It also conducted training for 126 employees responsible for the act on the 18th.
Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Sung-soo) announced that the ‘Songpa Dog Playground,’ where pet owners and their dogs can interact safely and enjoyably without leashes, will reopen from the 27th.
This year, based on residents’ feedback during last year’s pilot operation period, safety and convenience facilities will be further improved.
The Songpa Dog Playground (Samhaksa-ro 2-gil 49) was created by utilizing idle space in the Tancheon retention basin, covering a total area of 370 pyeong (200 pyeong for small and medium dogs, 170 pyeong for large dogs). It operates from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (until 6 p.m. in summer), excluding the regular closing day Monday, holiday periods, and flood control periods.
To comfort residents who cannot return to their hometowns due to COVID-19, the district will exceptionally open the playground during the Lunar New Year holiday this year. However, it will be closed on January 31 and February 1.
Songpa-gu Mayor Park Sung-soo said, “I hope many pet owners will use the Songpa Dog Playground to interact with their dogs,” adding, “We will continue to strive to foster an advanced pet culture in line with the era of 10 million pet owners.”
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) announced that it applied for 139 government, Seoul city, and public-private joint contest projects in 2021, with 95 projects selected, securing 20.7 billion KRW in funding.
Compared to the previous year, the number of applications increased by 13 (10%), and the number of selected projects increased by 8 (9%). The secured funds are pure external funds excluding matching district funds for each project.
In a situation where support is needed for businesses, merchants, and vulnerable groups suffering from COVID-19, the secured external funds are expected to play a vital role as lubricant for various projects for residents.
The district has built a system to extract various contest project information and share it with project departments, providing a list of contest projects at weekly executive meetings to raise interest among executives and staff. It also conducted ‘Contest Project Response Strategy Training’ to enhance staff capabilities, continuously striving to promote contest projects.
As a result, the district secured 7.2 billion KRW and 1.575 billion KRW in comprehensive and unit-type new Campus Town contest projects, 1 billion KRW for alleyway regeneration projects, 949 million KRW for public building green remodeling projects, and 730 million KRW for national and public daycare center installation support, totaling 95 projects with 20.7 billion KRW in external funds.
Especially, by securing 7.2 billion KRW in external funds for the Campus Town comprehensive project, which involves a total investment of 13.14 billion KRW, the district can actively promote entrepreneurship support such as creating startup spaces, local community spaces, local-linked classes, and local win-win support projects, as well as regional co-prosperity.
Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol said, “In line with the Korean New Deal promoted by the government, Dongdaemun-gu also paid attention to New Deal-related contests, resulting in good outcomes in various contests,” adding, “We will motivate more employees to apply for contests and secure external funds through rewards.”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it was selected as an excellent institution and will receive a ministerial citation in the ‘2021 Local Government Active Administration Performance Evaluation’ hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
The Ministry’s ‘Active Administration Performance Evaluation’ was conducted targeting 243 local governments nationwide to establish a culture of active administration and secure execution capabilities. ‘Active administration’ refers to public officials actively handling tasks based on creativity and expertise for public interest, such as improving unreasonable regulations.
In this evaluation, Eunpyeong-gu scored 11.4 out of 12 points and was honored as an excellent institution in active administration. The district received excellent evaluations in all assessment indicators, including ▲strengthening the Active Administration Committee ▲performance of active administration implementation ▲performance of pre-consultation promotion.
Especially, the introduction of the nation’s first dedicated taxi for protecting infants and pregnant women, the ‘I-Mom Taxi,’ received high praise. The I-Mom Taxi supports medical visits to hospitals for pregnant women and families with children under 24 months in Eunpyeong-gu. This active administration case is being benchmarked by other districts in Seoul.
The district plans to continue expanding citizen-experienced active administration through pre-consultation support and selection of excellent public officials.
Eunpyeong-gu Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “I am very pleased that our efforts to improve citizen administrative service satisfaction have led to this award. We will continue to make Eunpyeong-gu a better place to live with an active attitude so that active administration that citizens empathize with can be established as a public service culture.”
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