Seongdong District launches "Our Child Hospital Companion" service
Professional care teams provide free, safe, one-stop support
for children’s medical visits, from vaccination to COVID-19 testing
Yongsan District publishes the 2022 Welfare Information Handbook
Comprehensive guide to 17 welfare programs
distributed to public and private welfare agencies
Dongdaemun District offers "Five Senses Satisfaction" healing program
at Seoul Yangnyeongsi for spring visitors
Experience wellness activities in a traditional hanok setting
Jongno District selected for national sickness benefit pilot project
Up to 120 days of income support for workers
unable to work due to non-work-related illness or injury
Gwangjin District installs large-item sterilizers at community centers
Free disinfection service for strollers, car seats, and wheelchairs
to protect vulnerable residents from infectious diseases
[Asia Economy, reporter Park Jongil] Seongdong District (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced that it will open the "Our Child Safe Companion Center" on April 18 and launch the "Our Child Hospital Companion" service.
The "Our Child Hospital Companion" service is designed for parents (guardians) who have difficulty accompanying their children to the hospital due to dual-income work schedules or urgent matters. In this service, a care teacher accompanies the child throughout the entire hospital visit process, from pick-up to medical consultation and return home.
This service covers not only routine hospital visits for vaccinations, regular check-ups, and treatment for illnesses such as colds, but also visits to medical institutions for COVID-19 testing, which has recently surged.
The service is available to children aged 4 to elementary school students, and can be used on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
When a parent or guardian applies for the service, a team of two care teachers visits the child's location, safely accompanies the child to the hospital or clinic of the parent's choice within the district, and after the consultation, sends detailed information about the medical visit, prescription, medication instructions, and payment details to the parent or guardian via text message. After the appointment, the care teachers escort the child to the desired location, such as home, school, or a care facility. If the return location has not been decided, temporary care at the center is also available during operating hours.
To use the service, parents or guardians must register as members on the Seongdong District Office website or by phone, and then apply for the service at their preferred time. The service itself is free of charge, but the user is responsible for medical and prescription costs, so a deposit of 30,000 won is required at the time of registration.
The district introduced this service to support families vulnerable to care needs, such as dual-income households who have to take leave for their children's medical appointments. Seongdong District currently operates 14 "Child Dream Centers," and plans to open the "Seoul Forest Child Dream Center," a converged elementary care facility, in the first half of this year, and the "Songjeong-dong Child Dream Center" next year. Alongside various projects to build an all-day care ecosystem, the district will actively operate the "Our Child Hospital Companion" service to ensure children's safety and significantly reduce the burden on families requiring care.
Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong District, stated, "The Our Child Hospital Companion service was established to ease the care burden on families who have difficulty accompanying their children to the hospital, such as dual-income households," adding, "We will continue to develop comprehensive and diverse care policies tailored to residents' needs, making Seongdong District a place where children are safe and parents can feel at ease."
Yongsan District (Mayor Sung Janghyun) has produced and distributed 300 copies of the 2022 Welfare Information Handbook.
The 2022 Welfare Information Handbook is A4 size (297mm x 205mm) and consists of 178 pages. It organizes manuals for a total of 17 welfare programs, including National Basic Livelihood Security, Seoul-type Basic Livelihood Security, support for the near-poor, emergency welfare support, welfare for the elderly, welfare for low-income single-parent families and women, infant and child welfare, youth welfare, welfare for people with disabilities, and housing welfare.
Over 40 staff members from six district departments (Welfare Policy Division, Social Welfare Division, Senior and Youth Division, Women and Family Division, Welfare Investigation Division, and Public Health Center) and six related organizations (Yongsan Welfare Foundation, Hyocheong Community Welfare Center, Galwol Community Welfare Center, Yongsan Senior Welfare Center, Cheongpa Senior Welfare Center, and Yongsan Welfare Center for the Disabled) participated in the compilation to enhance its quality.
The 2022 handbook reflects major changes since the 2021 edition, such as median income amounts, livelihood benefit support amounts, dependent eligibility criteria, and basic pension payment standards.
A welfare officer at the Seobinggo-dong Community Center commented, "To provide welfare services tailored to residents' situations, it is essential to comprehensively understand the various policies and amendments issued by central government ministries. This handbook, which contains practical selection criteria and support details for each program, is extremely helpful during consultations with residents."
The district has distributed the handbook to social welfare and public health officials at the district office as well as private social welfare organizations. It is expected to contribute to public-private cooperation in the welfare sector.
Sung Janghyun, Mayor of Yongsan District, stated, "Strengthening the expertise of frontline officials is directly linked to trust in district administration. We will focus on enhancing the capabilities of public officials so that necessary services can be provided when needed."
Welfare policies increase every year. The criteria for selecting beneficiaries and the details of support are frequently revised, and the procedures for each program are increasingly detailed, which creates challenges for frontline social welfare officials. To address this, the district has been producing the Welfare Information Handbook annually since 2009 to provide prompt and accurate information to residents by enhancing staff expertise.
Dongdaemun District (Mayor Yoo Deokryeol) and the Seoul K-Medicine Promotion Center (Seoul Yangnyeongsi Korean Medicine Museum) are operating the "Five Senses Satisfaction (足)" healing Korean medicine experience program, allowing visitors to the Korean Medicine Industry Special Zone, Seoul Yangnyeongsi, to relax and enjoy the vibrant spring sunshine and breeze.
The newly launched "Five Senses Satisfaction (足)" program is a spring event held every Saturday throughout April, focusing on wellness experiences that help participants recover from the fatigue of COVID-19 and boost their immunity.
The program offers a variety of activities for a joyful sensory experience, including: ▲herbal foot baths with strawberry bath bombs in a hinoki cypress foot bath, ▲restorative meditation to calm the mind and body, ▲balance yoga to support physical rhythm and equilibrium, and ▲tasting warm Korean herbal tea to relieve fatigue.
The participation fee for "Five Senses Satisfaction (足)" is 10,000 won, and the experience takes about two hours. Those interested can register through the Seoul Public Service Reservation system. For more details, contact the Seoul K-Medicine Promotion Center.
Yoo Deokryeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun District, stated, "The Seoul K-Medicine Promotion Center has prepared a Korean medicine wellness program for spring, allowing people to enjoy a relaxing break in the city. I hope many people will experience the beauty of hanok architecture and enjoy a healthy spring through all five senses."
The Seoul K-Medicine Promotion Center is a complex Korean medicine cultural facility recommended by the Korea Tourism Organization as a wellness tourism destination and designated as a Seoul-type wellness tourism site. This month, it won the Grand Prize for Tourism and Culture Services at the Korea Service Satisfaction Awards. The center offers a Korean medicine museum, as well as various educational, experiential, exhibition, and event programs related to Korean medicine.
Starting in July 2022, workers residing in Jongno who are unable to work due to non-work-related illness or injury will be eligible to receive sickness benefits for up to 120 days, allowing them to focus on treatment.
On April 12, Jongno District achieved the distinction of being the only one among Seoul's 25 autonomous districts to be selected in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's "Phase 1 Korean Sickness Benefit Pilot Project Local Contest."
"Sickness benefit" is a social security system that helps sick workers rest and guarantees their income. It is operated in all OECD member countries except Korea and the United States (where it is available only in some states).
Accordingly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is conducting a three-year phased pilot project starting in 2022, with the goal of developing a sickness benefit model suitable for Korea and fully implementing it nationwide by 2025.
As a result, among 63 basic local governments nationwide, six local governments, including Jongno District, were selected as final pilot areas, with two regions assigned to each of the three models distinguished by the scope and requirements of sickness. These regions will launch the main pilot project in July, with a total of 10.9 billion won in national funding invested over one year.
For Jongno District, regardless of whether the worker is hospitalized, the waiting period is 14 days and the coverage period is up to 120 days, which is the longest under "Model 2." The sickness benefit paid during the project period is 43,960 won per day, which is 60% of the minimum wage in 2022.
From July, eligible workers residing in the district may apply for up to 120 days of sickness benefits per year, totaling up to 5,275,200 won. In addition, even workers who do not reside in Jongno but are employed at partner workplaces within the district will be eligible for the same benefits, so the number of beneficiaries is expected to increase.
In its application, Jongno District highlighted its unique regional characteristics: ▲a concentration of office buildings in the city center, ▲abundant tourist attractions, and ▲a high density of small-scale urban manufacturing businesses, including hundreds of garment factories.
Based on these factors, the district emphasized the diversity of occupations and employment types, the potential to identify various cases of sickness benefit, and the ability to assess the project's effectiveness. The district also demonstrated its proactive approach by establishing a pre-coordination system with local businesses for designating partner workplaces, which contributed to its selection as a final pilot area.
Going forward, the district plans to designate a total of five partner workplaces, including companies that have expressed their intention to participate, general businesses (office jobs) with more than 100 employees, field positions, and industrial clusters consisting of small businesses with fewer than five employees. The district also plans to sign MOUs with these workplaces. In addition, Jongno District will operate the "Jongno Sickness Benefit Support Group," composed of experts from the medical, industrial, labor, and academic sectors, to continuously seek expert advice.
Gwangjin District (Mayor Kim Seonggap) will install and operate sterilizers for large household items such as strollers, car seats, and wheelchairs at seven community centers starting in April.
This installation aims to ensure the safety of vulnerable populations, including infants, people with disabilities, and the elderly, who are particularly susceptible to COVID-19 and fine dust. The policy is especially meaningful as it is a resident-driven, practical initiative proposed through the 2021 Participatory Budgeting process.
Taking into account accessibility for residents and the conditions of community center buildings, sterilizers have been installed in seven out of the district's 15 neighborhoods: Junggok 3 and 4-dong, Guui 1 and 3-dong, Jayang 2-dong, Hwayang-dong, and Gunja-dong. In Guui 1-dong, Jayang 2-dong, Hwayang-dong, and Gunja-dong, the sterilizers are located inside the buildings, while in Junggok 3 and 4-dong and Guui 3-dong, they are installed outdoors near the buildings.
The installed sterilizers measure 1 meter wide by 1.2 meters high and can disinfect not only strollers and wheelchairs but also large household items such as oversized toys that are difficult to sanitize.
The sterilization process uses ultraviolet and infrared drying to eliminate bacteria, viruses, and mold, as well as remove fine dust and dust mites, helping to alleviate residents' concerns about infectious diseases.
For user convenience, the sterilizers are equipped with voice support and an LED touchscreen, making them easy to operate. The sterilization process takes about one minute, allowing for quick and simple use.
Additionally, the sterilizers have built-in safety features: if a child enters the sterilizer or the door is opened during operation, the device automatically stops, ensuring safe use.
Residents who wish to use the sterilizers can visit the relevant community centers on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and use them free of charge.
Kim Seonggap, Mayor of Gwangjin District, stated, "To create a safer Gwangjin District, we have installed stroller sterilizers at conveniently located community centers. We will continue to transform community centers into practical service spaces that are close to residents and expand policies that meet residents' daily needs through various initiatives."
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