Gwanak-gu Supports Traditional Market Recovery... Nowon-gu Provides Employment Insurance Subsidies for Solo Self-Employed

[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Contributes to Traditional Market Revitalization with Store-by-Store Management Consulting, Facility and Aesthetic Improvements, Event Support... Nowon-gu Provides Employment Insurance Premium Support for Solo Entrepreneurs, Low-Income Workers, Artists, and Special Employment Workers... Gangdong-gu Focuses on Local Economic Recovery with COVID-19 Disaster Relief Payments in Livelihood Economy Measures... Seodaemun-gu Holds University Student Policy Idea Contest for Sustainable Development

Fire Safety Inspection at Gwanak Sinsa Market

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is making every effort to revitalize the local economy by promoting various market revitalization projects to support small business owners in traditional markets who are struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

First, through the new project ‘Traditional Market Store Turnaround Support Project,’ the district aims to stabilize the management of stores in traditional markets and alley-type shopping districts facing economic difficulties and establish a foundation for independence by strengthening competitiveness. Customized management consulting for each store will be provided, and up to 2 million KRW will be supported for facility improvements such as signage, display cases, wallpaper, and interior design. Applications can be submitted in person at the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation Gwanak Branch by April 8.

Additionally, through the ‘Making Traditional Markets Easy to Find’ project, convenience such as location guidance will be provided to help residents visiting for the first time easily find the markets by installing pavement lighting (smart jector) and stickers.

Efforts are also being made to improve the aesthetics within traditional markets. The ‘Traditional Market Old Awning Replacement’ project unifies the design and standards of disorderly sunshades for revitalization, and the ‘Traditional Market Display Stand Improvement Project’ improves product display stands in each store to create an environment where customers can shop easily and comfortably. Various efforts are being made to revitalize traditional markets.

During peak seasons such as holidays, Korea Together Sale, and Korea Sale Festa, support is provided for holding unique events in each market, such as giving Onnuri gift certificates or prizes to customers who purchase above a certain amount, encouraging continuous customer inflow and expecting a return to the lively traditional markets of the past.

On the 4th, the district conducted fire safety inspections on six traditional markets in the area vulnerable to fire due to aging facilities and dense structures. The inspection focused on the operation of firefighting facilities such as sprinkler systems and fire detectors, the condition of fire extinguisher placement, whether flammable materials were left in gas cylinder storage rooms, and the normal operation of gas shutoff devices and alarms, aiming to raise individual fire safety awareness among merchants.

Along with this, the district is implementing a fire insurance subscription fee support project to reduce the financial burden of fire insurance for small merchants in traditional markets. Up to 120,000 KRW of fire insurance premiums will be supported. After subscribing to fire insurance through the Small Enterprise and Market Service, merchants can submit the insurance certificate to the Local Commercial District Revitalization Division.

A district official said, “We will strive to promote projects for market revitalization and recovery, reflecting the earnest hopes of small business owners who want to regain a vibrant appearance despite the difficulties of COVID-19, while actively pursuing the establishment of a safe quarantine system for daily life recovery.”

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has started the first quarter application for the ‘Nowon-gu Resident Employment Insurance Premium Support Project’ targeting one-person self-employed individuals and others.

The ‘Nowon-gu Resident Employment Insurance Premium Support Project,’ launched for the first time this year, was prepared to support one-person self-employed individuals and workers, artists, and special employment workers in businesses with fewer than 10 employees who are experiencing employment instability and economic difficulties due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The support targets residents registered in Nowon-gu who have newly subscribed to employment insurance (Durunuri Support Project) through the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service in 2022 and have completed premium payments: ▲workers, artists, and special employment workers in businesses with fewer than 10 employees ▲one-person self-employed individuals located in Nowon-gu.

Workers, artists, and special employment workers in businesses with fewer than 10 employees can receive full support for the employee’s share of premiums excluding the Durunuri social insurance support portion, and one-person small business owners can receive 20% support of the premium based on the standard wage grade.

The support period is from January to November 2022 and is provided quarterly. The first quarter application deadline is until the 15th, and applications can be submitted through the Nowon-gu Office website. Those who have difficulty applying online can visit the Job and Economy Division of the district office to apply in person.

For more detailed information such as required documents, contact the Job and Economy Division of the district office.

As of the end of October 2021, the number of employment insurance subscribers in Nowon-gu was 59,586, with an employment insurance subscription rate of about 51.1%. In particular, businesses with fewer than 10 employees account for 93.7% of all businesses, but the employment insurance subscription rate was only 36.5%.

The district expects that this employment insurance premium support project will further strengthen the social safety net for vulnerable employment groups such as one-person self-employed individuals and special employment workers.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Employment insurance can be a minimum social safety net for low-wage workers in small businesses and one-person self-employed individuals when disasters and crises such as COVID-19 occur,” adding, “We will continue to strive to expand the social safety net through various institutional supports.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) finalized the first supplementary budget for the 2022 fiscal year at the district council on the 4th, focusing on revitalizing the livelihood economy to overcome difficulties caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The finalized supplementary budget increased by 54.2 billion KRW (6.07%) from the original budget this year to 947.5 billion KRW, mainly covering livelihood economy revitalization, creating a safe and livable community, adjustments to major investment projects, and national and city subsidy projects.

Major projects include ▲6.1 billion KRW for disaster relief funds in various sectors to revitalize the livelihood economy ▲100 million KRW for serious accident prevention ▲900 million KRW for the Gangdong-gu Dementia Family Support Center ▲39.4 billion KRW for the construction of a resource circulation center ▲1.9 billion KRW for building a library in Myeongil Neighborhood Park, among others.

Lee Jung-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “We prepared the supplementary budget to promptly resolve local issues such as recovering the local economy depressed by COVID-19 by maximizing the use of available resources,” adding, “We will speed up budget execution so that residents can regain a safe and normal daily life as soon as possible.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) is calling for ‘University Student Policy Ideas’ to incorporate fresh proposals for sustainable regional development into district administration and expand youth participation in local governance.

The contest is divided into a specific field, ‘Seodaemun-gu’s Action Plan for Carbon Neutrality,’ and a general field, ‘Development Plans for Overall District Administration.’

Regarding carbon neutrality, participants can propose creative greenhouse gas reduction methods or practical measures to respond to the climate crisis.

For overall district administration, ideas can be freely submitted on topics such as ▲improving systems to enhance resident convenience ▲administrative efficiency ▲technology development for budget savings ▲increasing district revenue ▲revitalizing the local economy.

Any currently enrolled or on-leave students at universities or graduate schools located in Seodaemun-gu can apply individually or as a team of up to five members.

Applicants can download the proposal form from the Seodaemun-gu website notice section, fill in the title, overview, current status and issues, improvement plans, expected effects, etc., and submit it via email by the 29th of this month.

The district will select one winner each for the grand prize, excellence, and encouragement awards based on creativity, effectiveness, feasibility, scope of application, and effort, awarding prizes of 1 million KRW, 500,000 KRW, and 300,000 KRW respectively. The results are scheduled to be announced in early June.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “We look forward to diverse and creative ideas from university students to share and realize the values of sustainable development.”