[Seoul District News] Introducing Works by Renowned Artists in Jamunbak Creative Arts Village to Help Residents Feel Closer to Poetry and Enjoy a Cultural Life · First Featured Work Selected as Poet Lee Geun-bae's 'Mother of Seoul' · Plans to Change Through Future Contests... Songpa-gu's Self-Education Support System 'Songpa Saem' Launches '2022 Parent Special Lecture Series'... Yeongdeungpo-gu Recruiting New Members for Resident Participatory Budget Committee
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jongno-gu, together with the Zamunbak Cultural Forum (Chairman Lee Soon-jong), erected the 'Zamunbak Art Village Bulletin Board Where Poetry Flows' in the Gugi-dong area and held an unveiling ceremony on the 16th to commemorate it.
The bulletin board aims to support residents in feeling closer to poetry and enjoying a life enriched with culture by introducing works of famous artists within the Zamunbak Creative Art Village.
Accordingly, careful consideration was given to the location selection, and the bus stop near the Samcheong Publishing Museum by the Gugi Tunnel, which can be called the starting point of the Zamunbak Creative Art Village (432 Jinheung-ro), was chosen.
Furthermore, the first work to illuminate this place was selected as "Mother of Seoul" by poet Lee Geun-bae, who is recognized as the author who wrote the most poems expressing congratulations and condolences in Korea, and who served as the president of the National Academy of Arts and the Korean Poets Association.
The unveiling ceremony was held from 2 p.m. with the attendance of Lee Soon-jong, chairman of the Zamunbak Cultural Forum, Ahn Jae-hong, executive director, and related officials from the district office, proceeding in the order of ▲opening and progress report ▲unveiling event ▲congratulatory speeches ▲reading of the work ▲commemorative photo.
In particular, the congratulatory speech by Kim Jong-gyu, chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Trust and director of the Samsung Publishing Museum, who first proposed the installation of the bulletin board, and the reading of Lee Geun-bae's work added great significance to the event.
Jongno-gu expects the bulletin board to continuously contribute to the improvement of the area's aesthetics and enhance the symbolism of the Zamunbak Creative Art Village. The displayed works will be changed every 2 to 3 months through an open call by the Zamunbak Cultural Forum.
Meanwhile, the nickname ‘Zamunbak,’ meaning outside Jahamun, refers to Gugi-dong, Buam-dong, Sinyeong-dong, Pyeongchang-dong, and Hongji-dong in Jongno-gu. Jongno-gu is steadily promoting the ‘Zamunbak Creative Art Village’ project by utilizing the rich cultural and artistic resources of this area, and last month held an entrance ceremony signaling the launch of the ‘Zamunbak Art Residency 2nd term.’
The Art Residency, part of the ‘Zamunbak Museum Project,’ provides a stable yet free working environment for cultural artists and opens opportunities for growth based on mutual exchange. Hong Ra-hee, former director of the Samsung Museum of Art Leeum, who sympathized with this purpose, also donated 1 billion KRW to the Zamunbak Cultural Forum last December.
A district official said, “We hope that everyone passing by can encounter high-quality literary works here, find solace for their hearts, and have an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of Zamunbak,” adding, “We will continue to generously support the Zamunbak area to establish itself as a leading cultural and artistic hub representing Korea by utilizing its abundant infrastructure.”
Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) held the first lecture of the five-part ‘2022 Parent Special Lecture’ series titled ‘How to Prepare for the High School Credit System?’ on the 15th both online and offline through its own education support system ‘Songpa SSEM (Songpa Smart Education Model).’
Mayor Park Seong-su explained the background of the initiative, saying, “As the educational environment and admission system rapidly change due to COVID-19, we prepared customized lectures by inviting Korea’s top education experts to bridge the growing information gap among parents.”
The first lecture of the 2022 Songpa SSEM Parent Special Lecture series was conducted by Professor Shin Jong-ho of Seoul National University’s Department of Education, who has appeared on EBS’s ‘Future Education Plus’ and authored works such as ‘Understanding Educational Evaluation’ (Hakjisa, 2018). The offline lecture was held at the Songpa SSEM Head Center with about 40 parents of 5th-grade elementary to 1st-grade middle school students attending, and was also live-streamed on the Songpa SSEM YouTube channel, attracting over 700 viewers as of March 16.
A parent who watched the lecture on YouTube commented, “It was really helpful to get practical information from the concept of the high school credit system to how grades are calculated.”
The special lecture ‘How to Prepare for the High School Credit System?’ can be rewatched on the Songpa SSEM YouTube channel until June 15.
This year’s Songpa SSEM Parent Special Lectures will cover diverse and beneficial topics such as reading guidance, metacognitive study methods, and conversation techniques to improve self-esteem. The second lecture, ‘Secrets of Moms Raising Elementary Literacy’ by Professor Choi Na-ya of Seoul National University’s Department of Child and Family Studies, is scheduled for May.
Mayor Park Seong-su said, “Through Songpa SSEM, we will continue to provide customized educational information that meets parents’ needs so that our children can develop the competencies necessary for the future society even at home.”
Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) is recruiting new members for the Resident Participation Budget Committee until March 29 to ensure resident participation in the budget formulation process and operate local finances more fairly and transparently.
The Resident Participation Budget System is a system where residents directly propose necessary local projects and actively participate in the entire process from voting to selection, contributing to the realization of fiscal democracy by reflecting diverse resident opinions in budget formulation.
The Resident Participation Budget Committee represents residents and participates in the financial operation process, performing various activities to facilitate the smooth operation of the system. The committee’s main functions and activities include ▲collecting and submitting residents’ opinions on budget formulation ▲discovering and reviewing resident-proposed projects ▲holding briefings and discussions for opinion gathering ▲monitoring participatory budget projects and providing feedback.
The district is newly recruiting residents who will gather residents’ voices and propose innovative ideas for regional development as members of the Resident Participation Budget Committee.
Out of a total of 30 members, 11 new members will be recruited excluding 19 members whose terms have been renewed. The term of office is two years from the appointment date.
Anyone residing in Yeongdeungpo-gu or a representative, executive, or employee of an institution or business located in the district can apply. For districts without committee members, one member recommended by the district head will be selected per district to ensure regional fairness.
Applications can be submitted by filling out the form posted on the Yeongdeungpo-gu website and visiting the local community service center of the applicant’s jurisdiction, or by mailing or faxing to the Budget Team of the Planning and Budget Division at the district office. Online applications via the district website and email submissions to the person in charge are also possible.
Final selected candidates will be notified individually. For detailed information about the committee recruitment, contact the Planning and Budget Division of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office.
Mayor Chae Hyun-il of Yeongdeungpo-gu said, “We hope many residents will participate as members of the Resident Participation Budget Committee to help make the district’s budget administration transparent and efficient,” adding, “We will do our best to ensure the system operates more solidly so that residents’ valuable voices are actively reflected in district administration.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
