[Seoul District News] On the 10th, unanimous agreement to appoint the 3rd president at the Chamjoeun Local Government Council temporary general meeting... Gangnam-gu holds resident meeting for 1-person household tailored policies... Dongjak-gu increases job matching success rate between SMEs, venture companies, and job seekers... Seongbuk-gu praised for unique volunteer program using youth interest content
... Gwangjin-gu provides safety accident prevention supplies to environmental officers... Mapo-gu expands 'illegal parking enforcement exemption' during evening hours... Yangcheon-gu recruits participants for 'prototype production startup education' using 3D printers
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, was unanimously elected as the 3rd President of the 2022 Chamjoeun Local Government Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council) at the ‘2022 Chamjoeun Local Government Council Extraordinary General Meeting’ held on the 10th at the Kensington Hotel in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.
This extraordinary general meeting was held in accordance with the articles of association due to the resignation of Yeom Tae-young, the 2nd President and Mayor of Suwon Special City. The term of the Council president is until the end of June 2022, coinciding with the term of the 7th local government heads, but since President Yeom resigned from his position, the agenda to elect the next president was passed.
In addition to Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, and Yeom Tae-young, Mayor of Suwon Special City, the meeting was attended by Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu (Council Secretary-General), Park Kyum-soo, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu (Council Auditor), Han Dae-hee, Mayor of Gunpo (Council Auditor), Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu (Council Vice President), Park Tae-wan, Mayor of Jung-gu, Ulsan (Council Vice President), Lee Jae-soo, Mayor of Chuncheon (Council Vice President), Jung Mi-young, Mayor of Geumjeong-gu, Busan (Council Vice President), and National Assembly member Shin Jeong-hoon, among other member local government heads.
The Chamjoeun Local Government Council was established in October 2018 based on Article 152 of the Local Autonomy Act to contribute to the realization of local decentralization. It is an administrative council with 116 local governments nationwide as members, serving as a focal point for joint responses among member organizations on issues such as the passage of the full revision of the Local Autonomy Act, the prompt promotion of the second phase of fiscal decentralization, and balanced regional development.
Additionally, the Council annually discovers good policies and ordinances of local governments that strengthen citizens' lives, hosting events such as the ‘Local Autonomy Policy Conference’ and the ‘Local Autonomy Ordinance and Policy Competition’ to have these adopted by the central government and spread nationwide, thereby establishing itself as a platform for local administrative innovation and social alternatives.
The Council awarded a plaque of appreciation to Yeom Tae-young for his contributions to the development of basic local governments and held a commemorative gathering with Jung Won-oh, newly elected as the 3rd President, and others to honor their efforts.
Yeom Tae-young, Mayor of Suwon Special City, said, “I worked until the 11th and will have a retirement ceremony. I regret not being able to finish the 7th term properly and thank everyone who has been with me.” He also said, “I sincerely congratulate the next president, Jung Won-oh, who is very capable.”
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu and newly elected 3rd President, expressed, “I am grateful to be elected as the president of the Council, which includes 116 local governments nationwide. Since the previous presidents, Hwang Myung-sun and Yeom Tae-young, are outstanding individuals, I feel some pressure, but having served as Secretary-General and Senior Vice President since the Council’s founding, I have closely observed and listened, and I will do my best with these experiences.”
Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) held an open and candid dialogue session on the 14th with single-person household residents in the area to prepare practical measures to improve the quality of life for the increasing number of single-person households.
Gangnam-gu, equipped with jobs, commercial facilities, and high-level transportation and cultural infrastructure, has 91,093 single-person households, accounting for 40% of all households, half of which are in their 20s and 30s. As the lifestyle patterns of single-person households diversify and concerns about isolation and health safety due to COVID-19 increase, the need for specialized projects and policy development has been raised.
The meeting included various types of single-person households such as goshiwon operators, self-employed individuals, and office workers, who requested ▲ policies for young and middle-aged single-person households ▲ housing cost support for proximity to work ▲ establishment of public systems for safety and health management. They also emphasized that the Yeoksam-dong Single-Person Household Community Center should function as a practical exchange space that teaches how to live well alone and together.
Jung Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “We will consider immediate measures such as providing additional rapid antigen test kits and masks beyond government supplies. We plan to expand the community center in Nonhyeon, where single-person households are concentrated. We will continue to listen carefully to voices from every corner of Gangnam-gu and build a dense welfare network to create policies for diverse single-person households.”
Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) is launching a new support project to resolve job mismatches between local small and venture companies, startups, and job seekers.
The district announced that it will provide professional career consulting services to young job seekers in the area and assist small and venture companies and startups in attracting key talent through a headhunting service.
According to a recent survey by the employment platform Job Korea targeting HR managers of domestic companies and both new and experienced job seekers, 85.8% of HR managers reported difficulties in securing excellent talent, and 85.6% of job seekers experienced difficulties in gathering job information.
In response, the district will implement a headhunting service from this year to alleviate companies’ recruitment difficulties and promote growth. This service supports the headhunting service fees to recommend and connect key talent needed by local small and venture companies and startups to employment.
Eligible participants are local small and venture companies and startups intending to hire youth under 39 years old, with 80% of the total service fee for confirmed hires through headhunting supported.
The application period continues until the budget is exhausted, and applications can be submitted by mail (161 Jangseungbaegi-ro, 2nd floor, Dongjak-gu Office, Employment Policy Division) or email (k7101415@dongjak.go.kr).
Additionally, the district provides one-on-one customized career consulting services to young job seekers to offer employment information.
The consulting service diagnoses individual job seekers’ capabilities and competitiveness and provides preparation methods for different employment screening processes. It also offers tailored recruitment information based on analysis of desired companies and job roles.
Eligible applicants are Dongjak-gu residents under 39 years old or graduates (or prospective graduates) of local universities (graduate schools), and each person can receive support up to five times. Applications are planned to be accepted through the Dongjak-gu website early next month.
Jeon Hye-young, head of the Employment Policy Division, said, “We hope this project will ease the burden of hiring key talent for small and venture companies and startups and that companies will grow together with newly hired key talent.”
Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) operated a non-face-to-face volunteer program that allowed youth to safely participate in volunteer activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, receiving positive responses.
Seongbuk-gu broke away from conventional uniform volunteer activities and prepared programs focusing on recent youth interests, including ▲ career exploration and sharing culture campaign ‘Sharing and My Future’ ▲ healthy media practice campaign ‘Proper Media Utilization Skills’ ▲ ‘Hand-sewing cypress pillows and sharing greeting letters.’ A total of 97 youths from Seongbuk-gu participated.
The most popular program was ‘Sharing and My Future,’ which combined career exploration with volunteer activities. Students explored their own life values and strengths, imagined future occupations, planned sharing activities, and produced media promotional materials.
Student Gong** (16), who participated in the ‘Sharing and My Future’ program, said, “I was able to learn about various jobs that match my strengths, which eased my career concerns. It was very interesting as a unique volunteer activity where I promoted jobs through media materials I created myself.”
The ‘Proper Media Utilization Skills’ program, which critically understands and practices media information and culture, and the ‘Hand-sewing cypress pillows and sharing greeting letters’ volunteer activity for seniors’ health also received positive evaluations from participating youths, giving them a sense of pride in making others’ lives somewhat better through unique experiences.
All processes were conducted online education followed by individual autonomous practice activities in a non-face-to-face manner.
Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “During the COVID-19 crisis, seeing youths take interest in various local community issues and actively engage in social problem-solving through non-face-to-face activities strengthens my hope for the future of Seongbuk. We will strive to help youths grow into valuable members with proper civic awareness.”
Gwangjin-gu is making various efforts to prevent safety accidents and improve working conditions for environmental public workers.
Environmental public workers is the new title replacing ‘environmental sanitation workers’ to reflect social recognition changes and respect for the work and the people performing it.
In addition to the name change, the district provided safety helmet cold weather covers in January to prevent cold-related illnesses such as frostbite and hypothermia, enabling environmental public workers to work more comfortably and safely.
The newly provided helmet cold weather covers have enhanced insulation compared to previous versions, offering excellent protection against cold waves.
Additionally, LED warning lights provided alongside the cold weather covers have lantern and intersection flashing functions and can be attached in various places, expected to be effective in preventing safety accidents and crimes during night and early morning work.
Previously, the district stopped producing 100ℓ volume-based waste bags and started producing 75ℓ bags to reduce injury risks for environmental public workers. In October last year, all environmental public workers received COVID-19 vaccinations.
The district also conducts traffic safety education, cold wave and heatwave response training, and emergency measures before work, and provides various safety supplies such as thermal gloves, hot packs, ice neck bands, and cool towels. Furthermore, strict enforcement of wearing safety gear during road sanitation work before sunrise and after sunset ensures workers’ visibility.
Moreover, the district supports annual health checkups and welfare improvements such as loans for children’s education expenses for environmental public workers.
Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “Environmental public workers are a precious occupation essential to our society. We will continue to make various efforts to prevent safety accidents and improve working conditions for their safety and health.”
Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced on the 14th that it will expand the ‘Illegal Parking Enforcement Suspension’ during lunchtime to evening hours in accordance with Seoul City’s ‘2022 Illegal Parking Enforcement Plan.’
The suspension period, previously from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM, will be extended to 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. In areas around small restaurants with less than six lanes and traditional markets, enforcement will focus on guidance rather than fines.
This measure aims to support small business owners and self-employed people struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and citizens suffering from the frozen economy. The suspension will continue until the COVID-19 situation ends. However, parking violations in five absolute no-parking zones?corners of intersections, fire hydrants, bus stops, crosswalks, and school zones?will be fined without suspension, and towing may be enforced if necessary to ensure public safety and traffic flow.
Since 2013, the district has operated a pre-enforcement notification system for illegal parking to enhance convenience and administrative reliability.
Through the ‘Parking CCTV Enforcement Mobile Text Notification Service,’ drivers of illegally parked vehicles in CCTV-monitored areas in Mapo-gu receive advance notice of enforcement. If the vehicle is moved within 10 minutes, the driver can avoid fines.
The service can be applied for on the Mapo-gu Office’s parking enforcement text notification service website after consenting to the collection, use, and provision of personal information.
Additionally, the district practices flexible parking enforcement by easing restrictions around public restrooms for commercial vehicles such as taxis and refraining from enforcement against small cargo and delivery vehicles to facilitate smooth loading and unloading.
Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Extending the suspension hours will give citizens more time when using restaurants and shops, which is expected to help revitalize commercial areas. We will strive to establish a safe and orderly traffic culture.”
Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) is recruiting participants for the ‘Prototype Production Startup Education’ program, which uses 3D printers to turn ideas into actual models, until February 21.
The program, held at the Yangcheon Digital Imagination Campus Startup Cafe, consists of basic and advanced courses. The district plans to operate the program for five months until June, providing modeling education and practice using the 3D printer modeling program ‘Fusion 360,’ along with mentoring and feedback on processes necessary for actual product sales.
The center is equipped with two 3D printers for practice to support specialized program operation, and some filament needed for printing will be provided to participants.
Furthermore, the district plans to hold networking events for participants to build friendships and exchange opinions during the program and organize a ‘Prototype Exhibition’ to introduce products and gauge market reactions before sales launch.
Last year, six ideas were realized as prototypes, including a dice tower for board games, anchors for gypsum boards, and polar bear air fresheners emphasizing the dangers of global warming. The prototype exhibition received a total of 390 feedbacks (an average of 65 per product), earning high praise.
The ‘Prototype Production Startup Education’ is free and open to Yangcheon-gu residents interested in 3D printer modeling and prospective or early-stage entrepreneurs. Applications can be submitted by downloading the application form from the Yangcheon Digital Imagination Campus website and emailing it to contact@ycstartup.co.kr by February 21. For more details, contact the Seoul Startup Cafe Yangcheon Sinjeong branch.
Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “The Yangcheon Digital Imagination Campus Startup Cafe is an open space providing startup-related services to residents. Last year, we nurtured actual prospective startup teams and achieved excellent results in various startup competitions. We will continue to support making Yangcheon the number one startup hub by linking with the Yangcheon Startup Hub and startup incubating.”
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