Nowon-gu, First Autonomous District in Seoul to Enroll in Electric Mobility Device Insurance... Coverage Up to 20 Million KRW

[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu Offers Up to 20 Million KRW Liability Coverage for Third-Party (Bodily Injury/Property Damage) Accidents... Gangbuk-gu to Create 25 Carbon Neutral Forests of 5,000㎡ by 2025... Gangseo-gu's First International Safe City Certification Inspection on the 26th... Dongdaemun-gu Renews 'Life Safety Insurance' for All Residents Including Registered and Domiciled Foreigners by January 16, 2023

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will be the first autonomous district in Seoul to subscribe to insurance for electric mobility device accidents for the disabled, starting from February.

The district noted that as the number of disabled people using electric mobility devices steadily increased to about 1,200, accidents involving these devices also frequently occurred. In fact, in 2014, there was a regrettable case where a collision between an electric wheelchair and an elementary school student in another area caused the child to suffer injuries requiring six weeks of treatment, but the disabled perpetrator, being a basic livelihood security recipient, had no ability to compensate and was sent to the prosecution.

To alleviate the anxiety of disabled people using electric mobility devices and reduce the economic burden of compensating for damages in case of accidents, Nowon-gu introduced the "Electric Mobility Device Insurance for the Disabled," the first of its kind among Seoul's autonomous districts. The district enacted the "Ordinance on Subscription and Support for Electric Mobility Device Insurance for the Disabled" in November last year to support this project.

The electric mobility device insurance is contracted directly by Nowon-gu with an insurance company, and the district bears the full insurance premium. When an accident occurs while operating an electric mobility device, the insurance company contracted with the district is responsible for compensating third parties (personal injury and property damage) up to 20 million KRW per accident.

The coverage applies to registered disabled residents of Nowon-gu using electric mobility devices at the time of the accident. Registered disabled residents of the district are automatically enrolled without a separate subscription process and automatically unsubscribed upon moving out. The insurance benefits apply regardless of the accident location.

The insurance period is from February 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023, and claims can be made for accidents occurring during this period within three years from the date of occurrence. The insured must pay a 100,000 KRW deductible per claim, and there is no limit on total compensation or number of claims. However, compensation for damages to the disabled person themselves is excluded.

Claims can be made through the "Electric Mobility Device Insurance Dedicated Consultation Center." The center provides simple consultations related to claims and handles application, reception, and payment processes promptly.

This year, the district will invest about 77 billion KRW to promote 50 detailed projects under three major policy tasks aiming to create a "disabled-friendly city where both disabled people and their families are happy." A significant part of this is guaranteeing mobility rights for the disabled. Barrier-free deck paths accessible by wheelchair are being installed on major trails such as Bulamsan and Yeongchuksan, and the support limit for repair costs of mobility devices for the disabled has been significantly increased this year.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, "We promoted insurance subscription for disabled residents using electric mobility devices to reduce anxiety and burdens arising from the increased use of these devices," adding, "We will continue to discover necessary policies to create a disabled-friendly city where disabled and non-disabled people coexist."

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) announced that it will create 25 carbon-neutral forests totaling 5,000㎡ by 2025 to respond to the climate crisis and build a carbon-zero city.

The district plans to contribute to achieving the national goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and raise public awareness of carbon-neutral policies through the creation of carbon-neutral forests.

Carbon-neutral forests absorb carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases, through the purification ability of trees, effectively reducing carbon emissions and fine dust generated in urban areas.

In the first year of the mid-term plan, the district plans to create 1,000㎡ of carbon-neutral forests at five sites, including land at San 123-11, Suyu-dong with free land use agreements, vacant lot demolition sites owned by Seoul Housing Corporation, and usable land within the National Rehabilitation Center.

The planted trees will include species with excellent carbon absorption and fine dust reduction capabilities, such as Cornus officinalis, maple, and evergreen shrubs, in conjunction with tree-planting events early this year.

The district plans to create sustainable forests that residents can cultivate and use together through various active methods with residents' enthusiastic participation and interest.

Last year, Gangbuk-gu created three street forests along Dobong-ro and two neighborhood forest gardens by utilizing abandoned vacant houses. It also introduced a smart management system that recycles rainwater and monitors tree conditions in real time to create sustainable forests contributing to carbon reduction. The existing carbon-neutral forests serve as living rest areas and neighborhood gardens for residents.

Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, "Taking a rest in nearby carbon-neutral forests and cultivating and using them together is a carbon-neutral practice movement," adding, "We will contribute to raising residents' awareness so that they can directly see, feel, and practice carbon neutrality."

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) is one step closer to international Safe Community certification. The district announced that it will conduct the first on-site inspection for international Safe Community certification on the 26th.

The purpose is to reduce various accidents and injuries, improve residents' quality of life, enhance the perception of safety, and create a comfortable and safe environment city in Gangseo.

The international Safe Community concept is based on the 1989 Stockholm Declaration in Sweden, which states that "all people have equal rights to enjoy a healthy and safe life." It refers to a city where all community members continuously and actively work to create a safe city free from accidents and injuries.

Therefore, international Safe Community certification is an international recognition that the district has the foundation and capacity to continuously improve safety levels.

The first on-site inspection, conducted by the Ajou University Community Safety Promotion Research Institute, the International Safe Community Support Center, is a domestic preliminary evaluation in preparation for the second on-site inspection by the Swedish International Safe Community Certification Center (ISCCC).

Through the inspection, the district will be evaluated on whether it meets the seven criteria for international Safe Community certification.

The first inspection will be attended by Mayor Noh Hyun-song, district officials, examiners, and members of the Safety City Working Committee. In particular, on-site and video inspections will be conducted concurrently in accordance with COVID-19 conditions. Sequential reports will be made on overall summary, injury surveillance system, unintentional injury prevention programs (traffic safety, fall prevention), intentional injury prevention programs (suicide prevention, violence prevention), and high-risk environment and target programs.

A Q&A session will follow the reports, and the first inspection will conclude with the chief examiner's final remarks.

Based on the results of this first inspection, the district plans to actively improve deficiencies and do its best to successfully conduct the second on-site inspection.

Since 2018, the district has laid the foundation for international Safe Community certification by establishing a plan to pursue certification, enacting the Gangseo-gu Safety City Ordinance, and signing a business agreement with the International Safe Community Support Center.

With these efforts, if the first and second inspections are successfully completed, the district is expected to receive final international Safe Community certification in May.

Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, "The pursuit of international Safe Community certification is not just about the certification itself but a promise to enhance residents' safety through the process," adding, "Based on the results of the first inspection, we will prepare thoroughly for the second inspection and do our best to create a safe environment city in Gangseo where all residents can live comfortably."

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) took the first step in the new year to create a safe city by renewing the "Life Safety Insurance" for all residents until January 16, 2023.

Life Safety Insurance is a system operated since 2019 to support residents who suffer damage from unexpected disasters and accidents such as explosions, fires, and traffic accidents.

Eligible subscribers include all residents, including registered and domiciled foreigners, and those with a resident registration address in Dongdaemun-gu are automatically enrolled without a separate subscription process. The district fully covers the subscription fee.

This year's renewed Life Safety Insurance has expanded and reorganized coverage to eliminate safety blind spots, including coverage for drowning deaths and dog bite accidents. Coverage items include death and aftereffects from explosion, fire, and collapse; death and aftereffects while using public transportation; treatment costs for traffic injuries in school zones (grades 1-5); treatment costs for accidents in silver zones (grades 1-5); drowning deaths; and emergency room treatment costs for dog bite accidents.

Coverage amounts range from a minimum of 200,000 KRW to a maximum of 10 million KRW depending on the coverage item, and overlap with other systems including Seoul City Citizen Safety Insurance is possible. However, deaths of persons under 15 years old are excluded from Life Safety Insurance according to Article 732 of the Commercial Act.

Residents who suffer damages covered by Life Safety Insurance can claim within three years from the date of the accident by submitting supporting documents to the Korea Local Finance Association or by contacting the call center.

Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, "We have expanded and reorganized Life Safety Insurance to better assist residents," adding, "We will do our best to eliminate safety blind spots to create a safer and happier Dongdaemun-gu for residents."