[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Operates Bicycle Mobile Repair Center Every Wednesday at ‘Yongbi Shelter’, Sells ‘Recycled Bicycles’ at Oksu Bicycle Rental Station · Creates Flower Paths Along 10.55km Bicycle and Walking Trails by Jungnangcheon Stream with Pictogram Sign Blocks for Comfort and Safety... Special Lecture by Author Choi Seungpil of ‘Study Brain Reading Method’... Seodaemun-gu Supports Youth Learning Activities in Villages through ‘Nuguna Project’... Yongsan-gu Provides Psychological Counseling Services Worth up to 700,000 KRW per Person with 10% Self-Payment... Geumcheon-gu Offers Youth Facility Activity Guidance ‘Manbanjalbu’
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu, a waterfront city with the longest waterfront in Seoul, stretching 14.2 km.
Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is transforming into a better destination for cycling.
Starting mid-this month, the district began operating a 'Mobile Bicycle Repair Center' every Wednesday at 'Yongbi Rest Area.' Bicycle repair technicians check basic items such as tire inflation and chain oil, providing simple repairs like puncture fixes free of charge. Only the cost of parts is charged for replacement services.
Except on rainy days, the service operates every Wednesday from 1 PM to 4 PM in April, and from May, it will be open not only every Wednesday but also on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Along with the permanent bicycle repair center (168-1 Oksu-dong), which is available on weekdays and weekends except holidays, the district plans to enhance convenience for users.
Additionally, bicycles collected as abandoned bikes are refurbished into 'recycled bicycles' and sold. Fully repaired bicycles by participants of the Seongdong Regional Self-Support Center's bicycle project will be sold this month through the used bicycle trading platform 'Light Brothers.' After purchase, customers can pick up their bicycles directly at the Oksu Bicycle Rental Station and use them immediately.
Meanwhile, despite the fantastic scenery along the Han River and Jungnangcheon Stream, the waterfront area under Yongbi Bridge lacked separate convenience facilities, which was a disappointment for users.
In response, the district opened 'Yongbi Rest Area' last month, providing facilities for residents' convenience such as restrooms and resting spaces. A corner of the resting area is set up for drinking bottled water, coffee, beverages, and snacks, attracting many visitors daily and becoming a 'hot place' for bicycle riders to relax.
For the convenience of residents using the 10.55 km bicycle path and walking trail along Jungnangcheon Stream from Gunja Bridge to Seongdong Bridge to Yongbi Bridge, flower paths featuring tulips, zinnias, cosmos, and other seasonal flowers have been created. The flower-decorated Jungnangcheon Streamside, with its winter kochia garden, offers citizens freshness and relaxation.
Since 2017, the district has led bicycle use activation by providing bicycle insurance and diagnostic subsidies with high coverage for all residents. Last year, pictogram sign blocks with excellent durability and visibility were installed along 8,620 km sections including Achasan-ro and Gwangnaru-ro to maintain safe distances between cyclists and pedestrians. Approximately 450 new and replaced bicycle racks were installed between Seongsu Station and Ttukseom Station, where bicycle demand is high, improving user convenience.
Going forward, the district plans to actively promote lifestyle services to encourage eco-friendly transportation like cycling and support healthy and safe outdoor activities for residents in the COVID-19 era.
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “We have prepared various administrative services to help residents enjoy cycling, a green transportation mode, more. We will continue to strive to make Seongdong-gu’s riversides a healing space harmonizing with residents’ lives.”
Does reading many books really improve academic performance?
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced it will hold the 161st online Gangseo Knowledge Vitamin lecture titled ‘Study Brain Reading Method’ for parents.
The lecture aims to explain the relationship between reading and learning ability amid children’s growing distance from books and to provide proper reading education methods for children.
The lecture will be given by author Choi Seung-pil, a reading education expert and bestselling author of ‘Study Brain Reading Method,’ which has sold over 300,000 copies.
‘Study Brain Reading Method’ presents various solutions to problems encountered in effective reading methods and reading education based on actual cases and data from the author’s 12 years as a reading and essay instructor.
The lecture introduces reading education methods that develop study skills such as math ability, language skills, and thinking ability through reading, using real children’s cases as examples.
It also teaches reading guidance methods that can be immediately practiced at home, such as how children who find reading difficult can choose books themselves and develop proper reading habits.
The lecture can be viewed on the Gangseo-gu Office YouTube channel until the 23rd without prior registration.
A district official said, “This lecture will be a valuable opportunity to understand why reading is important for children and which reading methods are effective. We hope many residents watch it comfortably online at their preferred time.”
For more information, contact the Gangseo-gu Education Support Division.
Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) is calling for proposals for the ‘Anyone Project’ to support healthy rest and learning for children and adolescents to grow happily in their communities.
The call targets those living or active in the area interested in innovative education, with two categories: ‘Village School Type’ and ‘Research Learning Club Type.’
For ‘Village School Type,’ groups of three or more individuals, institutions, or organizations can apply with programs related to the 4th Industrial Revolution, climate change, culture and arts, sports, or educational content for out-of-school youth and marginalized students.
For ‘Research Learning Club Type,’ groups of three or more parents, teachers, village instructors, or activists can apply by planning activities to discover educational resources and strengthen the capacity of educational stakeholders.
Applicants should refer to the Seodaemun-gu website’s public notice and submit application forms and project plans by the 26th of this month via email, visit, or mail.
The district offers face-to-face and phone consultations at the Seodaemun Innovation Education Support Center near Hongje Station until the application deadline for those who find it difficult to prepare plans. New applicants this year must undergo this pre-consultation.
The district will decide support recipients through document and interview evaluations by a review committee assessing plan appropriateness, budget realism, and project management ability, followed by tailored consulting for each project.
Selected projects will run from June to November this year, with funding ranging from 1 million to 5 million KRW within a total budget of 60 million KRW. The budget can be used for instructor fees, materials, publicity, etc.
Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “Through the Anyone Project, village instructors, teachers, and activists have grown as educational stakeholders in the community. We hope this year’s call will discover and implement more diverse projects for children and adolescents.”
Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) is launching the ‘Youth Mental Health Support Project’ to provide professional psychological counseling services to local youth struggling with COVID-19 depression and employment difficulties.
The target group includes about 600 youth aged 19 to 34 residing in the area. There are no income or asset criteria, and support is prioritized in the order of youth preparing for independence, youth linked with mental health welfare centers, and general youth.
Selected participants receive weekly professional counseling sessions for three months (10 sessions) along with pre- and post-assessments. Services are one-on-one, 50 minutes per session, with 90 minutes each for pre- and post-assessments, tailored to individual needs.
Service types are divided into Type A (master’s level professionals, 60,000 KRW per session) and Type B (doctoral level, 70,000 KRW per session). Users choose their preferred type when applying. The user pays 10% of the service cost, but youth preparing for independence are exempt from this fee.
High-risk mental health cases are referred to mental health welfare centers or medical institutions, and service extensions are possible after reassessment if needed.
A district official said, “We are selecting professional institutions to provide high-quality services as this is the first time offering youth mental health services. We encourage many youth to participate.”
Youth wishing to receive counseling can apply by visiting their local community service center. Applications started on the 15th and services will continue until the budget is exhausted.
The district notifies selected users by mail within two weeks after application, including information on registered counseling institutions and how to use the service.
Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Many youth have faced difficulties due to remote classes and social distancing over the past two years, shrinking their social networks. The district will be a strong support so youth can challenge themselves fearlessly as healthy members of society.”
Additionally, the district offers free facilities for youth use. ‘Youth Jium,’ opened near Yongsan Station in November 2020, is the largest youth space in Seoul (710㎡), featuring a book lounge, healing room, and mini cinema.
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced it will operate the ‘2022 Geumcheon-gu Youth Facility Stamp Tour’ from April 18 to the end of November.
This stamp tour allows Geumcheon-gu youth to visit various facilities designed for them and engage in diverse experiential activities to grow healthily.
The tour covers 24 facilities including Doksan Youth Culture House, Geumcheon Municipal Youth Center, Cheongchun Building, Geumcheon Youth Counseling Welfare Center, Geumcheon Youth Support Center, Geumcheon Career and Academic Support Center, Geumcheon Musical Center, Geumcheon Science Cube, Geumcheon Education Welfare Center Eoulsem, four public libraries, and eleven small libraries.
Visitors receive a stamp book and the Geumcheon Youth Facility Activity Map (‘Nice to meet you, please take care of me!’) upon visiting any one facility.
Participants collect stamps sequentially by visiting local youth facilities and receive souvenirs at the 6th, 12th, 18th, and 24th facilities.
Besides the stamp tour, scanning QR codes on the activity map for each facility provides the latest information and allows program registration.
Geumcheon-gu is expanding educational and cultural infrastructure for youth by recently starting the Career and Academic Support Center and consecutively opening Doksan Youth Culture House, Geumcheon Science Cube, and Geumcheon Musical Center.
Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We hope this stamp tour offers a great opportunity for our youth to visit facilities and engage in various activities and experiences. We will continue efforts to provide diverse programs and expand youth facilities so children and adolescents in Geumcheon-gu can grow healthily.”
Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) has selected the ‘Book of Guro’ for 2022.
On the 18th, Guro-gu announced, “To increase residents’ interest in books and promote a reading culture, we select the ‘Book of Guro’ and carry out related reading projects.”
The adult category selected ‘The Uncomfortable Convenience Store’ by Kim Ho-yeon, which portrays the joys and sorrows of neighbors living through tough times, set in a small convenience store.
The youth category chose ‘The House That Crosses Time’ by Kim Ha-yeon, about children gathering in a mysterious house and getting to know each other. The children’s category selected ‘Next to Plain Water, Next to Bean Sauce, Next to Kkamdori’ by Lee So-wan, depicting warm solidarity among people connected by a dog. The toddler category picked ‘Gift Plopped!’ by Kim Do-a, a picture book about finding vitality through a gift box that fell from the sky.
Previously, Guro-gu set 16 candidate books (four per category) under the theme ‘Neighbors’ and conducted preference surveys among reading clubs and residents, then finalized selections through the Book of Guro selection committee.
The selected books will be used in reading discussion leader training, reading relays, Guro Book Festival, and library-linked projects.
A Guro-gu official said, “We hope warm spring settles in residents’ hearts through reading. We will continue to prepare various reading programs.”
Seongbuk-gu conducted a mock drill on the 13th to create a safe civil service office in preparation for the increasing assaults and unusual incidents involving complainants.
The district simulated emergency situations in civil service offices where verbal abuse, assault, and other unusual complaints may occur during civil service processing, aiming to protect residents and civil servants and improve on-site response capabilities.
During the drill, a scenario was enacted where a complainant verbally abused, assaulted, and damaged property of the civil servant during consultation. Civil servants performed role-specific procedures including calming the complainant, notifying and recording the consultation, activating emergency bells linked to the nearby police station, calling security guards, isolating and protecting the victimized civil servant, and handing over the offending complainant to the police.
Currently, Seongbuk-gu has installed and operates emergency bells linked to the police station in five district office departments and 20 community centers where unusual complaints frequently occur. Measures such as CCTV installation, recording phones, and security guard deployment have been implemented to ensure safety for residents and civil servants.
A new civil servant who joined in 2022, Lee **, participating in the drill said, “The mock drill greatly helps improve civil servants’ quick on-site response capabilities.”
A Seongbuk-gu official said, “As the notice in the civil service office says, ‘The staff serving you may be one of your family members.’ We ask both civil servants and residents to make efforts to establish a culture of mutual respect in civil service.”
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