Gangnam Art Partners with First Season 'Hwarang Art Festival'

[Seoul District News] Gangnam-gu Offers Souvenirs for Visiting Hwarang Art Festival After Participating in 'Gangnam Art Stamp Tour' from 11th to 20th... Yangcheon-gu Distributes 'Grow-Your-Own Box (Eco-Friendly Wooden Box) Garden'... Yeongdeungpo-gu Supports Free Kindergarten Meals Starting March New Semester... Dongjak-gu Promotes Sharing Culture Through Food Bank and Market Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) has changed the name of ‘Gangnam Art Walking’ to ‘Gangnam Art’ and will hold the first season of this year together with the ‘Gallery Art Festival’ hosted by the Korea Gallery Association from the 11th to the 20th.

‘Gangnam Art’ is an exhibition tour project planned by Gangnam-gu to promote about 100 galleries in the area and revitalize the local economy.

During the event period, visitors who put certification stickers on the leaflets placed at 12 galleries in the Sinsa, Apgujeong, and Cheongdam areas and visit the Gallery Art Festival held at SETEC from the 16th to the 20th can receive souvenirs.

The ‘Gallery Art Festival,’ celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is an event that signals the spring of the Korean art market. Visitors who attach one Gangnam Art stamp tour sticker will receive a Gallery Art Festival poster, those with 2 to 3 stickers will receive one admission ticket, and those with 4 or more stickers will receive a catalog at the info desk.

Jung Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “Starting with the Gallery Art Festival, the world’s top three art fairs, the UK’s ‘Frieze’ and Korea’s largest art fair ‘KIAF,’ will be jointly held in Gangnam in September.” He added, “Gangnam-gu will continue differentiated collaborations in partnership with the Korea Gallery Association to show the world its status not only as a ‘global art market hub’ but also as a ‘first-class international city.’”

Details such as the operating schedule of ‘Gangnam Art,’ which consists of new plans and exhibitions every month, can be found on the Gangnam-gu Office website.

Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Kim Soo-young) is recruiting participants for the ‘Grow and Eat Box Garden’ project until the 18th.

In particular, this box garden is made of eco-friendly wood instead of the existing plastic boxes to minimize environmental pollution. The distributed set consists of ▲wooden garden box ▲40 liters of soil ▲seedlings (4 each of red leaf lettuce and green leaf lettuce). The size is compact, allowing even beginners to easily experience urban farming at home if they have a small space.

The district plans to distribute a total of 610 box garden sets this time. With partial cost support from Seoul City and Yangcheon-gu, anyone can participate by paying only 13,000 KRW per set. Note that only one set can be applied for per household.

The application period is until March 18, and applications can be made through the integrated reservation portal on the district office website. The district plans to select final recipients through a random computer draw among applicants.

The final selection results will be announced on March 21 on the district office website notice board, and delivery will begin from March 29 to the address entered at the time of application upon payment according to the text message guidance.

For detailed information regarding the box garden distribution, please contact the Parks and Greenery Division.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “This box garden is made of wood instead of plastic, adding an eco-friendly element.” He added, “We hope many people interested in this garden distribution, which allows easy cultivation of crops and harvesting of healthy food at home, will participate.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) announced that from the new semester in March, it has officially started supporting meal costs for lunch during the semester for all public and private kindergarten students in the area.

This is based on the business agreement made in December last year between the Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors, Seoul City, and Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, aiming to provide meals without discrimination to growing children, promote their health, and reduce the burden on parents.

The district has been promoting eco-friendly school meals since 2011 to realize universal educational welfare and provide quality meals. As a result of gradually expanding the support target, last year, a total of 45 elementary, middle, and high schools in the area received free meal support without exception.

From this year, the support target has expanded from elementary, middle, and high school students to include young children, providing free meals to all public and private kindergarten students regardless of the type or size of the kindergarten.

Thus, a total of 34,484 public and private kindergarten students from 39 kindergartens in the area, along with a total of 28,861 students, are expected to benefit.

The free meal budget is borne 30% by Seoul City, 50% by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and 20% by the autonomous district. The district has allocated a total of 5,257,060,000 KRW for free meal support this year, including 698,980,000 KRW for kindergarten free meal support.

The district expects that with the full implementation of free meals for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools after 11 years, the quality gap in meals will be resolved, providing children with safer and higher-quality food and realizing universal educational welfare without discrimination.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “I am pleased that with the full implementation of free meals, all young children and students will receive quality meals and the burden of educational expenses on parents will be reduced.” He added, “We will make Yeongdeungpo a good place to raise children so that all children can grow up healthy and happy without being left out.”

Dongjak-gu (District Mayor Lee Chang-woo) operates the Food Bank & Market Center (Daerim Apartment Shopping Center, 52 Sadang-ro 17-gil) to deliver food and daily necessities to welfare-vulnerable groups in the area, activating a sharing culture through systematic management of donations and food.

Especially this year, seven activation projects will be carried out, including ▲home delivery service for the mobility-impaired (once a month) ▲delivery of daily necessities packages to emergency crisis households ▲night store for office workers (twice a month) ▲user satisfaction surveys ▲visiting! Love Mobile Food Market ▲‘Hope Wagon’ with E-Mart ▲‘Food Sharing Day’ to establish a donation culture.

The Food Bank and Food Market provide donated food (items) to welfare-vulnerable groups (emergency support targets, near-poverty groups, basic livelihood security recipients, etc.). The Food Bank supports social welfare facilities such as meal centers and shelters with items, while the Food Market operates as a convenience store-type store where individuals visit directly.

The food (items) supported by the Food Bank & Market are funded by donors’ sponsorships. From November last year to February this year, about 40 companies participated in donations through warm winter projects. Donated items are secured in various categories, from preferred items by beneficiaries (rice, ramen, sauces) to hygiene products, fashion accessories, and snacks.

As of March, the status of food ingredients in the local Food Bank & Market is 46,384 items (equivalent to about 110.63 million KRW), operating without supply shortages.

The district plans to expand support prioritizing families in crisis and food-insecure households. It is also thoroughly managing quarantine according to COVID-19 response stages and establishing a constant hygiene management system to enhance food safety.

Additionally, the district is discovering year-round donation places such as ‘Hope Wagon’ with E-Mart to improve the imbalance in the supply and demand of donated food, building a sharing network within the region to ensure stable supply of goods to welfare-vulnerable groups.

For the convenience of beneficiaries, mobile food markets and delivery services will continue to operate. The ‘Visiting! Love Mobile Food Market’ received great responses last year by supporting individually customized items. This year, it plans to deliver to 900 households in two sessions in the first and second half of the year.

Meanwhile, last year, the Food Bank & Market delivered donated items to 68,823 people. Residents wishing to use the center can apply at their local community service center, and once selected as users, they can register and use the service.

Those who wish to donate or have inquiries can contact the Dongjak-gu Food Bank & Market Center.

Park Mi-young, Director of Welfare Policy Division, said, “Amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we thank the residents who extended helping hands to neighbors in need and hardship.” She added, “We will continue to manage systematically so that the sharing culture can be firmly established.”