[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu Hangeulbiseok-ro 371 (Junggye 4-dong) Ga·Na-dong Basement 1, Ground 4 Floors, Total Area 2989㎡ Community Hub for All Generations from Infants to Seniors...Jongno-gu Operates 8 'Pet Waste Bag Stations'
[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that the 'Junggye On Village Center,' a place where all residents can enjoy and share together, will open on the 10th.
The 'Junggye On Village Center,' with a total project cost of 11 billion KRW, is located near Sanggye Station at 371 Hangulbiseok-ro (Junggye 4-dong). It consists of two buildings, Building A and Building B, connected floor by floor, with a total area of 2,989㎡, including one basement floor and four above-ground floors.
Although the center is administratively located in Junggye 4-dong, it is situated near the point where the boundaries of Junggye 1-dong, Sanggye 2-dong, Sanggye 3.4-dong, and Sanggye 5-dong meet, making it a meaningful space where diverse residents can come together.
In particular, the Nowon Children's Library and Nowon Mathematics Culture Center are within a 2-minute walk, and the center is connected by one station on the Dongbuk Line light rail to the Junggye-dong academy district, where most Nowon-area youths gather. This is expected to energize various learning, exchange, and healing activities centered around the On Village Center.
The residents using the center range from infants to teenagers and seniors, crossing all ages and genders. The activities available here are diverse, including hobbies, leisure, various consultations, and employment education. To support these activities, the center houses a total of 10 facilities staffed with specialized personnel for each. The detailed facilities include a small library, residents' lounge, I-Hyu Center, communal childcare room, Village Community Support Center, Senior Employment Support Center, Youth Sexual Counseling Center, Youth Hangout, Senior Billiards Club, and Senior Youth Cafe.
1st Floor: 'Small Library, Residents' Lounge, I-Hyu Center, Communal Childcare Room' Open to Everyone
The first floor is designed as a childcare and community space open to all residents. The I-Hyu Center is a facility for elementary school students, who are prone to care blind spots. It provides comprehensive support including after-school care, childcare consultations, guidance for school commutes, indoor play, and various programs. The communal childcare room is an indoor space where infants and toddlers can play safely, and it facilitates communication and information exchange among parents, as well as childcare-related counseling linked with childcare leaders. Additionally, the small library and residents' lounge (Junggye Eoulmaru) will promote cultural programs that encourage interaction among residents.
2nd Floor: Our Neighborhood's Village Vitality Hub ? 'Nowon-gu Village Community Support Center, Community Room, Auditorium'
The second floor operates the Village Community Support Center to activate community activities at the village level throughout the region, centered on the On Village Center. The center serves as a platform to diagnose and support community spaces, train space support activists, and promote village academies and community project contests. It also functions as a hub supporting various community activities of residents through the rental of the community room and auditorium.
3rd Floor: From Youth to Seniors ? 'Youth Sexual Counseling Center, Youth Hangout, Senior Employment Support Center'
The third floor houses facilities for both youths and seniors. The Youth Hangout operates as a space where youths can forget academic stress and heal through healthy rest with VR games, reading, and club activities. The Youth Sexual Counseling Center supports healthy growth of youths through sexual education, sexual violence prevention education, counseling, psychological testing, and therapy. The Senior Employment Support Center provides job counseling, employment training, and actively discovers employers and conducts research to facilitate employment connections for seniors.
4th Floor: Vitality for Seniors ? 'Senior Billiards Club, Senior Youth Cafe'
The fourth floor is a space for seniors who want to enjoy their daily lives more actively. It includes a Senior Billiards Club equipped with five billiard tables, allowing seniors with limited vigorous movement to enjoy physical activity regardless of weather conditions. Opposite the club, the Youth Cafe serves as a resting place for seniors and offers various programs such as cultural performances, lectures, and movie screenings, providing a dignified healing space.
The center will hold an opening ceremony at 2 p.m. on the 10th on the second floor of the On Village Center and officially welcome residents. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the event will comply with quarantine rules such as temperature checks, hand sanitization, and visitor log registration.
Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "The On Village Center is a space where all generations can enjoy culture, leisure, health, and care in one place," and added, "We hope many residents will use and participate in it."
Jongno-gu has installed 'Pet Waste Bag Dispensers' at eight locations within the district to establish a proper pet culture and maintain clean park environments, and has been conducting a pilot operation since September last year.
The dispensers are located at two spots each in Sungin Park, Samcheong Park, and Waryong Park, and one spot each in Wolam Park and Gyeonghuigung Park, totaling eight locations in the district. When selecting these sites, areas with high pet companion usage, mainly residential neighborhoods and urban parks, were carefully chosen.
The dispensers are stocked with disposable sanitary bags for residents to easily take one. This is to support immediate disposal of pet waste even if the owner forgets to bring a bag.
Jongno-gu has continuously monitored the pet waste bag dispenser pilot project and surveyed resident satisfaction, confirming high satisfaction not only among pet owners but also general park users.
Accordingly, this year, the installation will be expanded to a total of 10 locations across seven parks, including Wonseo Park and Naesu Park. Continuous monitoring will also be conducted to help ensure that pet dogs, owners, and all park users can enjoy a clean and pleasant environment.
In addition, Jongno-gu recommends that pet owners always use leashes when going out with their dogs and to collect and properly dispose of used waste bags. The district has also continuously promoted 'ID tag attachment,' 'animal registration,' and 'rabies vaccination' to protect pets and prevent abandonment.
Meanwhile, according to the revised Animal Protection Act Enforcement Rules effective from February 11, 2022, pet owners must carry their dogs or hold the leash's neck or chest strap handle when in common indoor areas of multi-family, multi-unit, or apartment buildings during outings.
This is to prevent safety accidents by restricting dog movement, and a fine will be imposed if the leash or chest strap exceeds 2 meters in length.
A district official emphasized, "We plan to continuously support the spread of a mature pet culture in the district," and requested, "For the sake of pets who are like family, please strictly follow 'leash use,' 'immediate waste collection,' 'ID tag attachment,' and 'animal registration.'"
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