Seongdong-gu Partners with Market Kurly to Support Home Treatment Patients: Reasons for Praise?

[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Offers Various Options Including Quarantine Supplies and Food for Home Treatment Period with Comfort and Recovery Wishes... Nowon-gu Launches '2022 Ddokddokddok Care Team'... Dongjak-gu Provides One-Stop Services from Job Preparation to Success at Noryangjin Youth Job Center... Gangseo-gu Supports 500,000 KRW for Small Business Owners in Closed or Restricted Industries... Jung-gu Provides 500,000 KRW Employment Incentive for Unemployed Youth

The 'Recovery Support Package' allows you to choose from five types, including quarantine supplies, snacks, ready-to-eat meals, and health functional foods.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has launched a support program providing ‘Recovery Wish Packages’ filled with well-wishing items for Seongdong-gu residents undergoing home treatment after testing positive for COVID-19.

Following the surge in COVID-19 cases in March, the number of home-treated COVID-19 patients in Seongdong-gu also increased sharply. In response, Seongdong-gu started the ‘Recovery Wish Package’ support project on the 21st of last month to comfort those who must isolate for a week and to wish them a speedy recovery.

The ‘Recovery Wish Package,’ a unique project of Seongdong-gu, includes quarantine supplies such as disinfectants and masks sold on Market Kurly, as well as snacks, ready meals, and health supplements. Seongdong-gu residents diagnosed with COVID-19 and undergoing home treatment can access the website address sent via a notification text message and select one of five types of packages based on detailed item configurations, which will then be delivered to their designated address.

Notably, the project partnered with Market Kurly (CEO Kim Seul-ah), a popular online daily shopping platform known for its concept of ‘delivering freshness right to your doorstep.’

Seongdong-gu, seeking a convenient delivery system and distinctive product composition, proposed collaboration to Market Kurly, which has a large user base in the region. Market Kurly agreed to participate, sympathizing with the meaningful purpose of the project, enabling smooth progress of the ‘Recovery Wish Package’ support program.

Among the residents who received the ‘Recovery Wish Package,’ a relay of positive feedback has been shared along with ‘certification photos,’ including comments such as ‘The package is well-composed and satisfying’ and ‘It feels reassuring to be well taken care of.’

Seongdong-gu plans to continue the project until the COVID-19 spread subsides, as positive responses from residents keep coming in.

Kim Seul-ah, CEO of Market Kurly, said, “We thank Seongdong-gu for giving us the opportunity to participate in this meaningful project supporting home-treated patients in difficult circumstances. We hope the ‘Recovery Wish Package’ delivered by Market Kurly will help all home-treated patients recover faster.”

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, also stated, “With the ‘Recovery Wish Package’ filled with Seongdong-gu’s special care, we expect that COVID-19 home-treated residents will be able to receive quarantine supplies and health recovery items more easily and conveniently during their isolation period.” He added, “This collaboration is a pioneering example of private companies and public institutions pooling wisdom to respond to COVID-19. Seongdong-gu will continue to cooperate with various stakeholders to provide better administrative services.”

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that the ‘Ddok Ddok Ddok Care Team’ held its inauguration ceremony on the 30th of last month and will begin full-scale activities.

The Ddok Ddok Ddok Care Team is a resident-led care service where neighbors take care of neighbors, actively identifying blind spots and linking welfare resources.

This year, the district selected 6,696 households in need of care, including elderly, disabled, single-parent, and middle-aged single-person households. To prevent overlapping benefits and build a dense welfare network without blind spots, households unable to use other care services were selected.

The care team consists of 200 residents with high interest and sense of mission for the community. Each neighborhood has 4 to 16 care team members, with each member responsible for about 30 households.

Main duties include surveys of vulnerable groups, identifying care targets, linking welfare services, home visits, and welfare check-in calls. Regular monitoring by the care team helps quickly detect and respond to neighbors in crisis, providing significant assistance.

Last year, when a care team member could not contact welfare target A, who had been continuously monitored, the member reported the unusual situation promptly. A was found unconscious and collapsed, rescued, and linked to medical expenses and emergency welfare resources.

Additionally, this year, care team leaders were appointed for each of the 19 neighborhoods and appointed as ex officio members of the neighborhood welfare councils, enabling closer cooperation. The leaders represent members and play a leading role in seeking directions for welfare resource support.

A member active since last year said, “Building trust and winning the hearts of care recipients is not easy, but seeing neighbors change through continuous interest and greetings brings a sense of fulfillment and pride,” pledging to continue active activities this year.

Since its launch in 2021, the Ddok Ddok Ddok Care Team has been recognized as a solution to the rapidly increasing care demand amid COVID-19 and a pioneering welfare service, playing a key role in Nowon-gu’s welfare system.

Last year, the care team recorded 137,989 household visits and phone consultations and 16,632 public/private welfare service linkages, totaling 154,621 activities. There were 133 cases where the team’s prompt response helped overcome urgent crises, showing tangible effects.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Please carry out activities with the determination not to miss even a single neighbor in crisis,” and added, “We will actively support the Ddok Ddok Ddok Care Team to build a dense Nowon-type welfare system.”

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) provides all necessary services from job preparation to success in a one-stop manner at the Noryangjin Youth Job Center to help young people solve their biggest concern: employment.

According to the Statistics Korea social survey on concerns of youth aged 19 to 24, job-related worries (jobs and employment) accounted for only 8.6% in 2002 but surged to 40.3% in 2020, ranking first overwhelmingly.

Considering the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the difficult youth employment market, the district prepared programs for youth aged 15 to 39, including ▲employment support and ▲programs to strengthen employment capabilities.

The employment support program offers one-on-one customized employment counseling and mental coaching. ▲Employment counseling is held every Monday and Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m. until November 16. It provides consulting through one-on-one sessions, resume clinics, and mock interviews. ▲Mental coaching is held twice a month for three hours each, helping participants build mental strength and set visions for employment success.

The employment capability enhancement program runs online mentoring and special lectures related to job duties with current employees from companies such as Google, Naver, and Samsung Electronics from April to October.

The center is located on the 2nd and 3rd floors of 190 Noryangjin-ro and consists of an employment counseling room for counseling and support, a mini studio for interview suit rentals, an education program room, a multipurpose room, and a seminar room suitable for study.

This year, the district established a customized dedicated system reflecting recruitment trends to prepare for the post-COVID era and actively operates online-centered employment programs responding to changes such as non-face-to-face recruitment.

It also provides offline employment support services for continuous employment activities. Four dedicated counselors for youth jobs in New Deal and Safe Job sectors have been assigned.

The center operates from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Youth wishing to participate in programs can apply through the Seoul Job Portal. For more details, contact the Noryangjin Youth Job Center.

Jeon Hye-young, Director of the Employment Policy Division, emphasized, “We will actively support job-seeking youth stressed by employment problems by providing various customized programs this year so they can find jobs where they want.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it will provide 500,000 KRW in support funds to small business owners who closed their businesses due to the impact of COVID-19.

This is intended to comfort small business owners who suffered management difficulties and decided to close their businesses due to the COVID-19 crisis and to encourage their re-challenge.

Most government disaster relief funds have focused on small business owners still operating, leaving those who closed early in a support blind spot.

Accordingly, the district decided to provide support funds again this year following last year to help small business owners going through even tougher times after closure due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

For this support, the district secured a budget of approximately 360 million KRW, enough to support about 700 closed small business owners in the area.

The support targets small business owners in Gangseo-gu who operated businesses but closed between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2022, in sectors subject to gathering bans or business restrictions.

They must have maintained business for at least 90 days before closure and meet small business criteria regarding sales and number of regular employees.

Businesses that did not report sales to the National Tax Service, violated gathering ban or business restriction orders, or received last year’s closure support funds are excluded.

The application period is until December 9, and applications can be submitted via the ‘Gangseo-gu Office website (homepage) - Communication and Participation - Event Registration’ menu.

Required documents include proof of closure, sales evidence, and proof of regular employees. Support may end early if the budget is exhausted.

Support funds will be paid within two weeks from the application date to eligible small business owners after screening.

A district official said, “We hope this support fund offers some comfort and help to small business owners who had to make the difficult decision to close due to COVID-19,” adding, “We will continue to prepare various support measures so residents struggling from the prolonged pandemic can regain strength.”

Jung-gu (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) announced on the 4th that it will provide employment encouragement funds to unemployed youth in the district.

The ‘Unemployed Youth Employment Encouragement Fund’ was established to support young people struggling in the prolonged COVID-19 employment downturn by ensuring minimum living stability during job seeking and allowing them to focus on job search activities.

The support targets unemployed youth aged 19 to 34 residing in Jung-gu, who graduated within the last two years. Even those enrolled in employment insurance can apply if working less than 26 hours per week or for less than three months. Previous recipients of employment encouragement funds or Seoul Youth Allowance can receive overlapping support. However, university (graduate) students, students on leave, unemployment benefit recipients, military service members, and those with business registration are excluded.

The support amount is 500,000 KRW per person, paid as mobile Jung-gu Love Gift Certificates. Applications are accepted from April 1 to May 31 via the Seoul Youth Portal website online.

The district will select final recipients through document verification, duplication checks, and payment review, and pay the funds sequentially. Final selection results can be checked on the Seoul Youth Portal. For more details, contact the Jung-gu Office Urban Industry Division.

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “Youth unemployment is a serious problem hindering the growth engine of our future society,” adding, “We will do our best not only to provide a minimum social safety net through the employment encouragement fund but also to develop more fundamental and effective policies for creating quality youth jobs.”