Worried About Bacteria and Viruses? Done in 2 Minutes!... Nowon-gu Installs Stroller Disinfectors

[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu Installs Stroller Sterilizers at 2 Sites: Gureung-dong Bulbit Garden and Junggye-dong Bulamsan Butterfly Garden; Usable for Strollers, Wheelchairs, Walkers, and Infant Car Seats... Dongjak-gu Provides 1 Million Won Childbirth Support per Fetus for Disabled Families... Geumcheon-gu Creates Customer Parking Lot at Hyundai Market... Dobong-gu Prepares for Resident Safety Accidents with Public Property Liability Insurance

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has installed stroller sterilizers at two major walking trails and will operate them starting from the 11th.

With the worsening fine dust and various infectious diseases such as COVID-19, interest in hygiene is increasing, and especially vulnerable groups with weak immunity such as infants and the elderly require special attention.

Essential childcare items such as strollers and car seats are used by children with weak immunity, so hygiene is important, but since washing is difficult, they are vulnerable to bacterial growth, causing concerns for caregivers.

To solve this problem, the district installed stroller sterilizers at two locations frequently used by infants and caregivers: Bulamsan Nabi Garden (Junggye-dong) and Nowon Bulbit Garden (Gongneung-dong). The devices were installed outdoors along the walking trails, not inside buildings, so anyone can conveniently use them without hesitation.

The installed sterilizer measures 0.9m in width, 1.2m in length, and 1.3m in height. Inside, there are seven 15W ultraviolet lamps and two 185W infrared lamps that eliminate various bacteria, viruses, and mold. The sterilizing agent used is an eco-friendly natural sterilizer registered with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and harmless to humans.

Operation is simple via an LCD touchscreen. Pressing the start button on the screen initiates sterilization in sequence: ▲Step 1 - Ultraviolet sterilization ▲Step 2 - Sterilizer spray ▲Step 3 - Infrared warm air drying. The process takes about two minutes, and the sterilization progress can be checked via screen and voice.

Not only strollers but also car seats, large children's toys, wheelchairs for the disabled, and walking aids can be sterilized. Additionally, the sterilizer has built-in safety features that automatically stop the process if a child enters the device or if the door is opened during sterilization.

After operating the two locations, the district plans to expand the installation of stroller sterilizers based on operational status and resident satisfaction.

Meanwhile, after the bicycle steam cleaner pilot operation last year received great response with about 1,600 users over two months, the district added one more location this year and currently operates three locations: 'Sanggye Station Bicycle Rental', 'Junggye Station Children's Park', and 'Gongneung-dong Seombatgil Bicycle Rental'.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, "We installed stroller sterilizers at two walking trails frequently visited by residents so they can use them comfortably on their way," adding, "We will continue to listen carefully to the diverse voices of residents on the ground."

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) has created a customer parking lot at Hyundai Market.

On the 6th, Geumcheon-gu held a completion ceremony attended by Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon and about 50 people including merchant association officials.

Hyundai Market had an 8-space parking lot built as an annex facility along with the customer support center in 2012, but it was far from the market passageway and lacked space, so complaints about parking conditions persisted.

To resolve these issues, Geumcheon-gu secured land adjacent to the market passageway and built a 12-space flat parking lot by investing 2.9 billion KRW over four years.

Geumcheon-gu expects that convenience and accessibility for customers using vehicles will improve, leading to an increase in visitors to Hyundai Market.

The constructed parking lot will be operated by the Hyundai Market Merchant Association under consignment. With the introduction of an unmanned payment system, it will be open free of charge for trial operation until April 30, and from May 1, it will switch to paid operation.

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said at the completion ceremony, "Hyundai Market is regaining vitality through the merchants' own efforts and the district's support," adding, "I hope this parking lot creation will greatly contribute to market revitalization and recovery of the local economy depressed by COVID-19."

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) announced on the 7th that it will support 1 million KRW in childbirth expenses per fetus for families with disabilities.

This project was promoted considering that families with disabilities face many difficulties during pregnancy and childbirth and bear additional financial burdens. The plan is to reduce economic burdens through direct cost support and foster a childbirth-friendly culture.

Among registered persons with disabilities under the Disabled Welfare Act, female persons with disabilities themselves or spouses of male persons with disabilities who gave birth after January 1, 2022, can apply for childbirth expense support for persons with disabilities.

Applicants must visit the resident center of their district with documents such as birth certificates within one year after childbirth to apply. If they have a certified digital signature, online applications are also possible via ▲Government24 ▲Bokjiro.

Support is 1 million KRW per fetus, and in cases of miscarriage or stillbirth, support is provided if the pregnancy lasted at least four months. For detailed information about the project, inquiries can be made to the Elderly and Disabled Division.

Additionally, the district is establishing and promoting various childbirth and childcare-related policies to alleviate the economic burden of raising children.

First, children born after 2022 will receive a 2 million KRW First Meeting Voucher after birth registration. The amount is loaded as a lump sum on the National Happiness Card and must be used within one year from the date of issuance.

Also, if children born this year are raised at home without attending daycare centers, they can receive a monthly infant allowance of 300,000 KRW until before their second birthday (0-23 months). Payments are made on the 25th of each month to the registered account.

Accordingly, families with disabilities can receive childbirth expense support of 1 million KRW along with separate support from the First Meeting Voucher and infant allowance.

Lee Chang-woo, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, said, "I hope the childbirth expense support project will ease the economic burden of families with disabilities even a little," adding, "As the low birthrate problem becomes serious, we will work hard to create a child-rearing friendly environment with a sense of social responsibility."

Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) announced that it has subscribed to the Korea Local Finance Association's Property Damage Liability Insurance (Mutual Aid) to prepare for safety accidents involving residents.

Property Damage Liability Insurance is a system that guarantees stable living for residents by having an insurance company promptly handle legal compensation responsibilities when damage to residents' bodies or property occurs due to management defects of facilities (such as government buildings, welfare facilities, parks, libraries, performance halls, parking lots, roads, etc.) owned, used, or managed by Dobong-gu.

Based on investigations of facilities by each department, Dobong-gu completed subscription to about 1,300 cases of property damage liability insurance in 2022.

The compensation limits are set for each insured facility: for bodily injury, up to 10 billion KRW per accident and up to 500 million KRW per person; for property damage, up to 10 billion KRW per accident. The coverage period is from January 1 to December 31, 2022.

The compensation payment procedure is that when a victim requests compensation from the local government, the district promptly reports the accident to the mutual aid association, which pays compensation through a specialized insurance company.

Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, "Dobong-gu has subscribed to property damage liability insurance again this year following last year to prepare for unexpected damages to residents. We will continuously strive to make Dobong a safe city for residents."