Jungnang-gu Provides Home Repair Assistance and Loans Up to 12 Million Won

[Seoul District News] Jungnang-gu to support up to 12 million KRW for single-family house repair costs within 50% from April 29 to May 13 for 2 weeks... Gangnam-gu collects 2.1 billion KRW in delinquent property taxes from 600 foreigners...
Gangseo-gu promotes '2022 Korean Medicine Infertility Treatment Support Project'... Jung-gu offers free safety inspections for vulnerable households

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) will accept applications for the ‘Seoul Gakkum Housing Repair Support Project,’ which provides subsidies and loans for home repairs within the housing performance improvement support zones, for two weeks starting from the 29th.

The Gakkum Housing project subsidizes or loans costs for performance improvement works such as roofing, waterproofing, insulation, and window repairs for detached, multi-family, row, and multi-unit houses that have been approved for use for over 20 years within the housing performance improvement support zones. Since 2019, Jungnang-gu has received and supported a total of 306 cases of home repair subsidies and loans through last year.

Currently, the target areas within Jungnang-gu include five zones: ▲Mug 2-dong Urban Regeneration Activation Area ▲Junghwa 2-dong Urban Regeneration Activation Area ▲Myeonmok Fashion Sewing Specific Development Promotion District Urban Regeneration Activation Area ▲Junghwa 2-dong Housing Performance Improvement Support Zone ▲Myeonmok 2 and 5-dong Housing Performance Improvement Support Zones.

Subsidies cover up to 50% of home repair costs, with a maximum of 12 million KRW for detached houses. Loans cover up to 80% of construction costs, with a maximum of 60 million KRW at a low interest rate of 0.7% per annum.

This year’s home repair project will prioritize support for vulnerable groups, and general applicants will be selected as final beneficiaries through quantitative evaluations such as housing aging and residence period, as well as Seoul city reviews. However, even if located within the housing performance improvement support zones, areas under redevelopment projects may have reduced or excluded maximum subsidy amounts.

Applications must be submitted in person at the Jungnang Gakkum Housing Support Center (30, Dongil-ro 157-gil, 2nd floor) within the application period. Counseling on home repairs is also available at the center. For detailed information on the Gakkum Housing project and loan support, refer to the announcement posted on the Seoul Home Repair website or contact the Jungnang Gakkum Housing Support Center.

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “We hope that residents who have struggled with repair costs for old houses can alleviate their inconveniences through the Seoul Gakkum Housing project.”

In the era of ultra-low birth rates, Gangseo-gu is taking active steps to address infertility issues.

Seoul Gangseo-gu (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it will promote the ‘2022 Korean Medicine Infertility Treatment Support Project’ to assist families struggling with infertility.

The project aims to increase the chances of pregnancy and raise the declining birth rate through traditional Korean medicine methods.

The Korean Medicine Infertility Treatment Support Project helps improve the health and quality of life of infertile couples through Korean medical treatments (herbal medicine intake), thereby increasing the success rate of pregnancy.

The district plans to support 54 infertile couples this year. Eligible applicants are couples residing in Gangseo-gu diagnosed with unexplained infertility, including common-law couples. However, applicants must have resided in Seoul for at least six months as of the application date, and women must have been born after January 1977. Concurrent support with national infertility treatment subsidies is not allowed.

Selected applicants will receive 90% coverage of the cost of herbal medicine for infertility treatment over three months, and basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income groups will receive full coverage of herbal medicine costs.

Infertile couples wishing to apply must first visit the Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center website to conduct a self-assessment of eligibility.

After the self-assessment, applicants must print the results and submit them along with the participation application form, consent for personal information use, a diagnosis confirming unexplained infertility, preliminary test results, and other related documents in person at the Gangseo-gu Health Center’s Health Management Division. Additional proof is required for common-law couples.

Detailed information and application forms are available on the Gangseo-gu Health Center website under ‘Health Center Introduction - Notices/News.’

The district will select beneficiaries through document screening, and selected infertile couples will receive a support decision notice and can choose a designated Korean medicine clinic for treatment.

A district official said, “We hope this support project will alleviate some of the economic and psychological burdens of families suffering from infertility. We will continue to make efforts to support overcoming the social issue of low birth rates in various ways.”

Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) will strengthen property tax delinquency management for foreigners with unclear residences and those who have moved abroad for three months starting in April.

As of 2022, 600 foreigners and overseas movers in Gangnam-gu have delinquent property taxes, with 2,517 cases amounting to 2.1 billion KRW. Although foreigners account for only 5.1% of all property tax delinquents, it has been difficult to proceed with delinquency measures due to delivery issues when residences are unknown.

Accordingly, Gangnam-gu will visit the locations of taxable real estate to meet with delinquents or their relatives and tenants to understand reasons for delayed payments and assess their financial situations, encouraging payment. If payment is difficult due to financial reasons, support such as installment payments and delinquency suspension will be provided to help economic activity and recovery.

Additionally, the district plans to promote electronic tax notices via email or apps and inform taxpayers that tenants can be designated as tax managers for systematic local tax collection management.

Jung Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “Through tailored delinquency management for foreigners with hard-to-identify residences, we will eliminate blind spots in tax collection and maintain fairness with taxpayers who faithfully fulfill their tax obligations despite difficulties caused by COVID-19.”

Jung-gu (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) announced that it will conduct safety inspections of aging living facilities targeting vulnerable households in the district.

The inspection items include electrical, gas, boiler, and fire safety facilities, focusing on facilities such as circuit breakers, gas pipes, and fire detectors to prevent various safety accidents in advance.

The district plans to select about 400 households by May through basic surveys and reviews by neighborhood, targeting vulnerable groups such as basic livelihood security recipients, disabled persons, and elderly living alone who have difficult living conditions and poor housing environments.

Inspections will be conducted from July to November, with specialized technicians visiting target households to inspect and repair hazardous facilities. Disaster prevention and life safety education will also be provided to raise residents’ awareness of safety accidents and enable them to conduct self-inspections regularly, including safe usage of various devices and guidelines for self-safety inspections.

In addition, fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire detectors will be provided, and necessary repairs and replacements of safety facilities and parts will be carried out.

Households wishing to be inspected must apply at their local community service center by the 22nd.

The district has been conducting safety inspections and maintenance for vulnerable households since 2013. Last year, 1,197 facility safety inspections and repairs were carried out for 270 households.

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “We will thoroughly remove risk factors in the daily lives of vulnerable households through meticulous inspections of aging residential spaces to prevent safety accidents in advance.”