[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu and Gwanak Fire Station Establish Nationwide Unique Pre-Evacuation Vulnerable DB for Disaster Preparedness to Utilize On-Site Response in Case of Accidents; Targeting 4,000 Cases Annually, DB Completion Planned by 2026... Seocho-gu Signs Medical and Care Network MOU with Seoul St. Mary's Hospital... Yongsan-gu Launches Internet Broadcasting Station in 2022... Gangbuk-gu Announces 2022 Preliminary Village Enterprise Contest... Eunpyeong-gu Opens ‘Chukbok-ui Tongro Disabled Daycare Center’
On March 31, Gwanak Fire Station signed a business agreement for the 'Safety Rescue DB Construction Project for Evacuation-Vulnerable Individuals.'
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) signed a business agreement on March 31 with Gwanak Fire Station (Chief Seo Young-bae) for the ‘Establishment Project of Safety Rescue DB for Evacuation-Vulnerable Persons.’
People with disabilities and those with mobility difficulties find it hard to evacuate by themselves in the early stages of disasters such as fires, and face a high risk of casualties, requiring special measures. This agreement was prepared to resolve difficulties in rescuing evacuation-vulnerable persons during disasters and to prevent damage.
Currently, the ‘U-119 Safety Call’ service, which provides rapid rescue and customized emergency treatment based on information pre-registered by individuals at the 119 Safety Reporting Center, is operated nationwide, but the service registration rate is low, resulting in limited effectiveness.
Accordingly, the district plans to build a DB of evacuation-vulnerable persons by obtaining prior consent for the provision of personal information from people with disabilities, including necessary rescue information such as residential address, age, gender, type and degree of disability, and medical history, and share it with Gwanak Fire Station, linking it to the comprehensive disaster management system (Fire Safety Map).
The collaboration between local governments and fire agencies to build and share a DB of evacuation-vulnerable persons and establish a pre-response system in preparation for disasters is a unique case nationwide. It is expected that during disasters, information registered in the DB will be immediately provided to fire dispatch teams, enabling rapid rescue of evacuation-vulnerable persons within the golden time.
The district defines people with disabilities, excluding seven types of internal disabilities who can self-evacuate during disasters, as evacuation-vulnerable persons with disabilities. As of the end of March, among 18,735 evacuation-vulnerable persons with disabilities residing in the area, priority will be given to vulnerable individuals living alone, elderly, and those with severe disabilities, aiming to build the DB with 4,000 cases annually and complete it by 2026.
In this business agreement, the district and Gwanak Fire Station set out matters for cooperation to smoothly promote the ‘Establishment Project of Safety Rescue DB for Evacuation-Vulnerable Persons’ and pledged mutual cooperation to strengthen disaster response capabilities of evacuation-vulnerable persons with disabilities and create a disaster prevention environment.
Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, “Although obtaining consent for personal information provision requires considerable time and administrative effort, this project is essential to protect the lives of evacuation-vulnerable persons and prevent additional damage,” adding, “Let’s work closely with the fire station to create an environment where people with disabilities vulnerable to disasters can be rescued quickly and safely.”
Seo Young-bae, Chief of Gwanak Fire Station, said, “Using the evacuation-vulnerable persons DB at disaster sites will enable more efficient life-saving operations,” and added, “I hope these efforts will spread widely to other local governments and ensure the safety of all evacuation-vulnerable persons.”
Seocho-gu signed a business agreement (MOU) with Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital to establish a ‘Medical and Care Network’ that connects care for discharged patients and supports medical expenses for low-income residents.
The signing ceremony was held on March 30 in the large conference room of Seocho-gu Office, attended by the Director of Resident Life Bureau of Seocho-gu and the Deputy Director of Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.
Through this agreement, the district will link the Care SOS Center project it operates with the hospital’s medical support services to build a dense care safety net, supporting residents in economically difficult situations to receive treatment and care.
First, the district will promote the ‘Hospital Discharged Patient Connection Project,’ which provides necessary care services immediately upon discharge to residents who find it difficult to live independently and have no family to care for them among discharged patients from Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.
Before discharge, if the hospital determines that care is needed after checking the patient’s health status, it requests services from the ‘Seocho Care SOS Center,’ where care managers establish care plans and promptly provide customized services such as home visits, accompaniment support, housing environment improvement, and meal support.
In addition, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital will promote the ‘Medical Expense Support Project for Low-Income Residents.’ This project supports the full amount of outpatient medical expenses for up to six months for residents who need treatment but cannot receive it due to financial difficulties and hospital costs. The district and community centers will identify and recommend eligible individuals, and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital will decide on recipients and provide funding.
Moreover, the district plans to link and provide accompaniment support services to assist residents during hospital visits to Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital as needed, guiding various public care services required by residents to address care gaps caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
Seo Kyung-ran, Director of Resident Life Bureau, said, “Through this agreement, we can actively identify medically vulnerable groups and provide customized care services to reduce care blind spots,” adding, “We will continue to support residents to live healthy lives through cooperation between public health and medical sectors.”
Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) has completed the programming of its internet broadcasting station for 2022 and is beginning full-scale content production.
The district set this year’s production direction as ▲diversification of video content ▲reflection of changing media trends ▲revitalization of local commercial districts, programming a total of 13 programs including 5 new ones.
Major programs include ‘Daily Look,’ delivering various district news to residents weekly; ‘Yongsanchaek (Yongsan’s Walking Paths),’ exploring various neighborhood spots while walking together; ‘Aneun Maknae (The Knowledgeable Youngest),’ where the youngest public official introduces various departments and policies; ‘BaekSeodang,’ where an announcer teaches everyday Korean to foreigners; and ‘Yongsan-gu x Startup Stores,’ promoting newly opened stores in Yongsan-gu.
‘Daily Look’ is a sequel to last year’s popular ‘1 Minute 1 Second News,’ characterized by vertical videos optimized for comfortable viewing on smartphones.
‘BaekSeodang,’ produced using the metaverse platform ‘Zepeto,’ is expected to become a representative program of Yongsan-gu Internet Broadcasting Station in 2022 alongside ‘Daily Look.’
‘Yongsan-gu x Startup Stores’ promotes newly opened local stores, contributing to revitalizing the local economy, which has been depressed due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
An official from the district said, “We will become an internet broadcasting station that not only delivers information but also helps residents and small business owners in their daily lives.”
Yongsan-gu Internet Broadcasting Station programs can be viewed on the internet broadcasting station’s website and Yongsan-gu Office’s YouTube channel. Subscribing to the channel allows real-time notifications whenever new videos are posted.
Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “The role of internet broadcasting stations will become increasingly important in the digital transformation era,” adding, “We will create a broadcasting station loved as a communication channel with residents.”
Yongsan-gu Internet Broadcasting Station was launched in 2010 and has been operating for 12 years this year. It consistently produces over 200 video contents annually, striving to inform the community about various local news.
Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) is recruiting companies to participate in the ‘2022 Preliminary Village Enterprise Contest’ from the 4th to the 8th.
A ‘Village Enterprise’ is a village-level company established by local residents to solve common local problems and effectively realize the interests of the local community through profit-making businesses utilizing local resources. The preliminary stage of village enterprises aimed at discovering and fostering such enterprises is called ‘Preliminary Village Enterprises.’
Any company invested by five residents with a residential or workplace address in Gangbuk-gu can apply. However, if there are six or more investors, at least 70% must be local residents of Gangbuk-gu.
Corporations under the Civil Act, companies under the Commercial Act, cooperatives under the Framework Act on Cooperatives, and agricultural cooperatives under the Act on Agricultural and Fishery Management Bodies are eligible to apply. Non-corporate groups can also apply but must establish a corporation within two months after signing the agreement.
Afterward, the district conducts on-site investigations and eligibility reviews, followed by final evaluation by Seoul City. Selected preliminary village enterprises can receive up to 10 million KRW in project funds. However, at least 20% of the subsidy must be self-funded by the village enterprise through joint investment.
Interested corporations should complete the application and required documents and submit them in person to the Village Cooperation Division of Gangbuk-gu Office. Detailed information can be found in the ‘News’ section of the Gangbuk-gu Office website. Inquiries can be made to the Village Cooperation Division of Gangbuk-gu Office.
Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “Preliminary village enterprises will be an opportunity to revitalize the local economy facing difficulties,” adding, “We will continue to actively support fostering village enterprises that effectively realize the interests of the local community.”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) opened the ‘Blessing Path Daycare Center for Persons with Disabilities’ on the 1st to help the social independence of people with disabilities.
The Daycare Center for Persons with Disabilities provides daily living training, social adaptation and vocational adaptation training, and rehabilitation programs for people with severe disabilities and especially those with developmental disabilities.
It offers opportunities for outdoor activities to severely disabled persons who have been staying at home for a long time due to COVID-19, reducing the caregiving burden on families and guardians of people with disabilities, supporting smooth social and economic activities.
Located on the first floor of Eunpyeong Church in Yeokchon-dong, the center has a total floor area of 161.54㎡, including program rooms, offices, and a kitchen.
Yoo Seung-dae, representative of Blessing Path Social Cooperative (pastor of Eunpyeong Church), expressed gratitude, saying, “We deeply thank those who supported the establishment of the Daycare Center for Persons with Disabilities,” and added, “We will strive to provide various services to people with disabilities and vulnerable groups who need care and education.”
An official from the district said, “People with disabilities and their families are going through a more difficult time than anyone else due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic,” adding, “We will continue to support ensuring daytime activities for people with developmental disabilities and reducing caregiving burdens on guardians to guarantee a happy life for people with disabilities.”
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