[Seoul District News] Dobong-gu Holds Launch Ceremony for Task Force and Research Report Meeting for March 31 Community Security Plan... Geumcheon-gu Declares Vision of ‘Geumcheon-style Resident Autonomy’ for Happy Residents through Expanded Participation...
Eunpyeong-gu Provides Major Accident Prevention Training for Cleaning Contractors... Mapo-gu Holds 2022 1st Animal Welfare Committee Meeting... Gangseo-gu Implements ‘Gangseo Resident Bicycle Insurance’ Automatically for All Residents... Geumcheon-style Urban Regeneration Hope Site Project Calls for Resident Participation... Guro-gu, Public-Private Cooperation...
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) held the ‘Inauguration Ceremony of the 5th Local Community Security Plan Establishment Promotion Team’ and the ‘Research Service Kick-off Meeting’ at the district office’s CR Hall on March 31, officially announcing the start of the project.
The inauguration ceremony and research service kick-off meeting for the 5th Local Community Security Plan establishment promotion team were attended by 38 people, including Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, Lee Sang-rok, Chairman of the Private Sector of the Local Community Security Representative Council, and officials from the research service agency (Korea Industrial Information Research Institute).
The event included the awarding of appointment letters to the Local Community Security Plan establishment promotion team, a progress report on the plan establishment by the research service agency (Korea Industrial Information Research Institute), and a Q&A session.
The ‘Local Community Security Plan’ is a statutory plan established under Article 35 of the Social Security Benefits Act. It is a four-year mid- to long-term social security plan that investigates and analyzes welfare needs and resources within the region, analyzes the current status of welfare demand and supply, and is formulated according to regional characteristics. The Dobong-gu Local Community Security Plan will serve as an important framework for Dobong-gu’s local social security policies from 2023 to 2026.
The ‘Plan Establishment Promotion Team’ was formed with 38 members, including academic experts, social welfare facility experts, working group leaders of the Dobong-gu Local Community Security Council, and public officials, centered on the Dobong-gu Local Community Security Council. It is organized into three teams: planning, working, and research.
Dobong-gu plans to start a local resident needs survey targeting residents in April, followed by diagnosis and analysis of resident needs and local resource status, policy discussion forums, public hearings, and deliberations by the Local Community Security Representative Council, aiming to submit the final report of the 5th Local Community Security Plan to Seoul City by the end of September.
Mayor Lee Dong-jin of Dobong-gu said, “The core of the Local Community Security Plan is to properly reflect the needs and interests of residents. We will operate various methods to collect diverse resident opinions, including sample surveys of resident needs.” He added, “I support the official and vigorous start of the Local Community Security Plan establishment promotion team today. I hope you will establish a Local Community Security Plan that contains the blueprint of Dobong-gu welfare that all residents can empathize with and feel through public-private cooperation.”
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) held a ‘Vision Declaration Ceremony for Geumcheon-style Resident Autonomy with Expanded Resident Participation for Happy Residents’ at Geumnarae Art Hall on April 1.
The ceremony began with congratulatory performances by the International Youth Choir and Geumcheon Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by commemorative speeches, neighborhood vision presentations using videos, hand pickets, and flash mobs, the announcement of the district vision by Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon, and concluded with a vision declaration performance.
Since January, Geumcheon-gu has established visions tailored to the characteristics of each neighborhood through public-private collaboration meetings, vision establishment activity planning consulting, and workshops. Based on the visions of the 10 neighborhood resident autonomy councils, the vision for the 3rd Geumcheon-style Resident Autonomy Committee was finalized through a survey of committee members.
With this vision declaration, the pilot project of the Seoul-style Resident Autonomy Committee, which started in 2017, will end, and from this year, the full-scale activities of the Geumcheon-style Resident Autonomy Committee will begin.
The Geumcheon-gu Resident Autonomy Committee will pursue four tasks under the vision of ‘Geumcheon-style Resident Autonomy with Expanded Resident Participation for Happy Residents’: operation of the Geumcheon-style Resident Autonomy Committee, activation of neighborhood democracy, establishment of a sustainable support system, and revitalization of the autonomy center operation.
Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, “Geumcheon-gu is the first local government in the country where resident autonomy committees were launched simultaneously in all neighborhoods, leading resident autonomy.” He added, “I ask for the active efforts of resident autonomy committee members so that this reputation can continue for 5 or 10 years, and Geumcheon-gu will spare no support.”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it conducted major accident prevention education for cleaning contractors on March 31.
Cleaning sites are places where accidents such as traffic accidents, falls, and injuries can occur at any time. The district organized this cleaning education to identify, improve, and eliminate risk factors at cleaning sites.
The education was attended by 50 people, including representatives of cleaning contractors, supervisors, and cleaners. The main content of the education included establishing safety and health management systems, identifying and improving risk factors to prevent accidents at work sites, wearing safety protective gear, and maintaining proper posture.
During the Q&A session, questions mainly focused on what contractors need to prepare following the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act.
An official from a contractor said, “Until now, we were at a loss about what to do to prevent serious accidents, but through this education, we received detailed explanations about legal interpretations and preparations, which was very helpful.”
The district plans to expand guidance and education to establish safety and health management systems at workplaces, as the education was found to be practically helpful and generally satisfactory. A district official emphasized, “Where there is risk, there is an accident. We must identify and eliminate risk factors.”
Additionally, following the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, the district has taken preemptive measures such as establishing dedicated organizations, building inspection systems, and formulating comprehensive plans. It is also developing detailed plans for each hazardous workplace to promote systematic and organic serious accident prevention activities.
A district official said, “The mayor and the responsible departments will jointly inspect sites and promote effective and prompt accident prevention activities by establishing customized systems according to the characteristics of each project.” He added, “We have designated 2022 as the first year of zero accident occurrence and will devote all administrative efforts, including necessary budgets and manpower support.”
Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) held an ‘Animal Welfare Committee Meeting’ on the 8th floor conference room of Mapo-gu Office on April 1.
The district organized the ‘Animal Welfare Committee’ for the first time this year to prevent animal abuse and contribute to the protection of animal life and the promotion of animal welfare.
At this committee meeting, Kim Jae-hyun was elected as the chairman, and there was a Q&A session regarding the 2022 Mapo Animal Welfare Comprehensive Plan.
Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun of Mapo-gu attended the meeting and presented appointment letters to the members of the Animal Welfare Committee along with his greeting.
Bicycles, now ride safely anywhere nationwide.
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that from this month, it has introduced and is operating the ‘Gangseo-gu Resident Bicycle Insurance’ that benefits all residents.
The purpose is to create an environment where residents can use bicycles safely and reduce the economic burden caused by unexpected accidents. With the COVID-19 pandemic increasing interest in personal transportation, the number of bicycle users has significantly increased, and consequently, the rate of bicycle accidents has also risen.
Accordingly, the district has enrolled all residents in bicycle insurance to protect them from bicycle safety accidents. The ‘Gangseo-gu Resident Bicycle Insurance’ automatically covers all residents registered in the district without any separate enrollment procedures. The coverage period is one year, from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.
Coverage applies nationwide for accidents occurring ▲while directly riding a bicycle ▲while riding without driving the bicycle ▲and accidents caused by other bicycles while on the road.
In case of death or permanent disability due to a bicycle accident, compensation of up to 10 million KRW is provided. Injury diagnosis benefits range from 200,000 KRW to 600,000 KRW depending on the treatment period (4 to 8 weeks or more), and an additional 200,000 KRW hospitalization consolation payment is given for hospital stays of 6 days or more.
Additionally, fines up to 20 million KRW and attorney fees up to 2 million KRW due to bicycle accidents, as well as traffic accident handling support funds up to 30 million KRW, are covered.
Notably, death, permanent disability, and injury/hospitalization consolation payments can be overlapped with other personal insurance policies. Also, claims can be made within three years from the date of the accident occurring during the coverage period.
Residents wishing to claim insurance should contact the insurance company directly and submit claim forms and medical certificates. More detailed information on coverage and claim procedures can be found on the ‘Gangseo-gu website (homepage) - Gangseo News - Notices/News’ section.
Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, “We introduced this Gangseo-gu Resident Bicycle Insurance so that residents can use bicycles more safely.” He added, “We will do our best to promote and operate the project so that all residents can benefit without exception.”
The district is also carrying out various projects to promote bicycle use, such as providing free bicycle washing services, operating a mobile bicycle repair center, and installing bicycle crosswalks.
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced that it is recruiting resident groups to participate in the ‘2022 Geumcheon-style Urban Regeneration Hope Site Project’ until April 8.
The ‘Geumcheon-style Urban Regeneration Hope Site Project’ was prepared to increase local residents’ understanding and participation in urban regeneration. It is a resident participation project where residents directly establish plans for community activation projects such as historical and cultural resource surveys for discovering village agendas, urban regeneration education and workshops, and small-scale environmental improvement projects reflecting local characteristics.
This public contest targets old and dilapidated low-rise residential areas and small-scale housing maintenance project promotion zones within Geumcheon-gu. Resident groups of five or more can apply, and about three projects will be selected. The total budget is 60 million KRW, with up to 20 million KRW per project (5 million KRW for community activation projects and 15 million KRW for small-scale environmental improvement projects) provided.
Geumcheon-gu will provide pre-consulting at the Geumcheon-gu Urban Regeneration Support Center (2nd floor, 51 Doksan-ro 10-gil, Geumcheon-gu) until the application deadline of April 8 to help residents interested in the project understand the process.
Resident groups wishing to participate can download the application form from the ‘Notices and Announcements’ section on the Geumcheon-gu website, fill it out, and submit it via email or visit the Urban Regeneration Support Center.
Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, “I hope this project can be a turning point from the existing preservation and management-centered urban regeneration to second-generation urban regeneration, including development and maintenance.” He added, “We will spare no support to restore the local community and enhance the city’s competitiveness through urban regeneration projects.”
Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) is conducting a proposal contest for the ‘2023 Local Community Innovation Plan’ project.
Guro-gu announced on the 1st, “To discover and solve local community issues together with residents, we are promoting a public-private cooperation project. Prior to this, we are conducting a topic contest to reflect diverse opinions in policy proposals.”
The ‘2023 Local Community Innovation Plan,’ based on communication and cooperation between the public and private sectors, is a project that implements resident-proposed agendas for regional development and forms sustainable public-private networks.
The agenda topics include education, culture, safety, jobs, environment, and other areas closely related to residents’ lives, requiring the collection of opinions from many residents. However, simple complaints, facility installations, petitions, and grievances are excluded.
Any resident of Guro-gu or workers and students located in the area can participate in the contest. Those wishing to participate can submit proposals via Naver Form or email by the 15th. Applications can also be submitted in person at the Guro-gu Office Cooperation Policy Advisor’s Office, by mail, or fax.
Detailed information is available on the district office website.
After reviewing the proposals, the district will select agendas and recruit a citizen participation group in May. The citizen participation group will participate in public forums to concretize the projects for the selected agendas. Residents will vote, and the final agendas to be reflected in the ‘2023 Local Community Innovation Plan’ will be selected.
Last year’s selected proposal, ‘Creating Sugunggol Cultural Forest with Residents,’ is being promoted as a public-private cooperation project this year.
A Guro-gu official said, “We expect to create district policies together with residents through this public-private cooperation agenda contest.” He added, “We ask for the interest and participation of many residents.”
Jongno-gu has published ‘Insight Jongno,’ a collection of excellent policy cases and project processes that have represented the district over the past 10 years.
Comprising eight volumes, following the publication of ‘Hanok,’ ‘Luxury City,’ and ‘Library’ in June 2021, the series was completed in March this year with additional volumes on ‘Urban Management,’ ‘Healthy City,’ ‘Governance,’ ‘Child-Friendly City,’ and ‘Han Culture.’
The book contains various cases that have long strived to preserve traditional Korean culture and foster local residents’ pride. It aims to help understand Jongno and ensure that diverse projects to make ‘Jongno truly Jongno’ continue sustainably.
Volumes 1 to 3 focus on hanok, the beauty and wisdom of our ancestors’ lifestyle, the sidewalks and stairs encountered first when leaving home, and libraries as communication hubs based on knowledge culture.
Volumes 4 to 8 include innovative cases such as urban emptying projects to enhance citizen safety and convenience (‘Urban Management’), creating and enjoying personal and social health (‘Healthy City’), solving problems through communication and empathy (‘Governance’), guaranteeing healthy growth and participation of children (‘Child-Friendly City’), and the proud ‘Han Culture’ projects that have captivated the world.
The first print of volumes 1 to 3 sold out within a month, and a second print was issued. These volumes are available for purchase individually or as a series at Kyobo Bookstore, Youngpoong Bookstore, Yes24, Aladin, and other online bookstores. They are also available as e-books. Volumes 4 to 8 are not for sale and will be distributed to all departments, the Facilities Management Corporation, Jongno Cultural Foundation, and public libraries in the district.
A district official said, “We will continue efforts to make Jongno truly Jongno,” adding, “We hope the book conveys Jongno’s aspiration to become a people-centered luxury city to more people.”
Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) is calling for proposals for the ‘Youth Participatory Budgeting’ projects to be reflected in the Yangcheon-gu budget from April 1 to May 14.
Youth Participatory Budgeting is a policy project that enables youth to actively participate in local government projects, providing effectiveness to youth policies, developing capabilities, and spreading consensus on related policies.
This year’s project scale is a total of 200 million KRW, and applicants must be youth aged 9 to 24 who are residents of Yangcheon-gu or attending schools or youth facilities in Yangcheon-gu.
The recruitment fields include ▲projects to resolve inconveniences in daily life ▲support for career, learning, and leisure activities ▲youth mental health, and other programs that directly benefit youth. Each project can apply for up to 50 million KRW.
The district plans to select projects through review by relevant departments, deliberation by the Youth Participatory Budget Committee, and resident voting. Selected projects will be finalized as resident participatory budget projects for 2023 through the Yangcheon-gu Council’s budget review.
Youth wishing to participate can write a post in the ‘Administrative Disclosure → Open Finance → Budget Opinion Submission’ section on the district office website or download the related form and submit it via email to the person in charge by May 13.
For more details about youth participatory budgeting, contact the Planning and Budget Division.
Mayor Kim Soo-young of Yangcheon-gu said, “I hope many innovative projects that youth can feel directly will be discovered through the brilliant ideas of youth.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
