[Seoul District News] Dobong-gu, Public Audit Request Result on January 25, Board of Audit and Inspection Decides 'Audit Implementation' on April 21... Dongdaemun-gu, Metaverse Job Fair Held from 11th to 13th with Video Interviews and Employment Lectures... Jung-gu, Book-Making Project with Residents Operated
[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Dobong-gu (Mayor Dong-jin Lee) has received notification from the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) that a public interest audit will be conducted regarding the public interest audit request submitted jointly by the 'GTX-C Line Dobong Section Aboveground Construction Opposition Committee (hereafter the Opposition Committee)', composed of resident representatives, local members of the National Assembly, and city and district council members.
The public interest audit request was filed on January 25 of this year. After document reviews and on-site investigations, the BAI notified on April 21 that the public interest audit would be conducted. The BAI stated, "The decision to conduct an audit does not mean that illegal or improper handling of affairs by the audited institution has been confirmed. It was decided to conduct the audit because it was judged necessary to verify and review the contents of the request through the audit process."
The GTX-C Line is a metropolitan area express train using a private investment method, running approximately 74.8 km from Suwon to Deokjeong Station in Yangju City. It was included in the National Railroad Network Construction Plans in 2011 and 2016, and was finalized as part of the national railroad network plan after a feasibility study and basic plan for the Seoul Metropolitan Area Express Railroad C Line in October 2020.
Initially, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) confirmed that the entire Seoul section of the GTX-C Line would be constructed underground. However, just before signing the implementation agreement with the Hyundai Construction Consortium, selected as the preferred bidder, the plan was suddenly changed to aboveground only for the Dobong section in Seoul.
According to the original plan, the Deokjeong Station to Dobongsan Station section would share the Gyeongwon Line 1 train tracks, and a new underground exclusive track would be constructed southward at the junction near Dobongsan Station. However, the 5.4 km section from Dobongsan Station to Chang-dong Station was changed to share the aboveground Line 1 tracks.
Dobong-gu and the Opposition Committee argue that this change reduces project costs by thousands of billions of won for the private operator but causes enormous damage to residents due to noise, dust, and vibration at speeds of 150 km/h, and therefore must be withdrawn.
Accordingly, the district and the Opposition Committee submitted a petition signed by 120,000 residents to MOLIT and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. On February 10, 2022, the Dobong-gu mayor and members of the National Assembly met with the Minister of MOLIT and received a promise to postpone the private investment project review committee schedule and collect residents' opinions.
Subsequently, on March 18, MOLIT and resident representatives held a meeting, but no clear alternative for underground construction of the Dobong section was presented, and the schedule for collecting residents' opinions was completely suspended.
Mayor Dong-jin Lee of Dobong-gu stated, "Public interest audits must be completed within six months from the date the audit is decided, and the results and requests for disposition will be notified to related agencies. However, even before that, we will strive to ensure that the original plan is implemented through continuous communication with MOLIT. We ask for the continued interest and participation of residents for the final underground construction of the GTX-C Line Dobong section."
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Deok-yeol Yoo) is the first local government nationwide to introduce the recruitment metaverse platform ‘Incruit Meta’ and will hold the ‘2022 Dongdaemun-gu Metaverse Job Fair’.
The job fair, held from the 11th to the 13th, was organized to strengthen residents’ employment capabilities and play a leading role in alleviating job shortages.
In particular, this fair has attracted attention by introducing the recruitment metaverse platform ‘Incruit Meta’, which uses the 3D virtual world metaverse in line with new employment trends in the 4th industrial era.
Although it is a virtual space, the fair space built within the metaverse, where social, economic, and cultural activities take place as in reality, allows participants to control avatars they create themselves to obtain recruitment information, visit company booths, and even have video interviews. Additionally, services such as resume review, employment counseling, special lectures on employment, and employment consulting programs are provided.
Those wishing to participate in the fair can pre-register on the Dongdaemun-gu Metaverse Job Fair website by May 10. For other inquiries, contact the job fair operation office.
An official from the district said, “This metaverse job fair was planned so that job seekers can easily and conveniently access the recruitment fair and conduct job search activities anywhere without the hassle of visiting company booths and interview rooms in person. We hope this virtual world (metaverse) fair will provide an opportunity for job seekers to plan their future, and we will continue to actively support providing good job information and connecting job seekers to employment.”
Jung-gu, Seoul is operating an independent publishing production education program titled ‘Book Making Project with Residents’ for residents interested in writing and one-person publishing.
The education started on the 26th of last month and will be held every Tuesday until June 14 at Eulji Unique Factory. Interest among local residents was high, with over 90 applicants of various ages for 20 available spots.
Participants receive training on publishing and printing production practices such as special printing, color management, and printing supervision processes, as well as overall independent publishing production processes including copyright management, publishing distribution, and marketing. A field trip to a printing industry site is also planned near the end of the course.
Upon completion of the course, students will publish their own works that they have planned and produced themselves. The district plans to hold a publication commemorative event and provide a platform for ‘authors’ book talks’ to introduce the works to the public.
Additionally, the works will be exhibited at the ‘2022 By Euljiro Book&Living Fair (tentative name)’ scheduled for October, and a distribution platform centered on local independent bookstores will be established to support sales channels.
The district aims to nurture talent to lead the creative future printing industry through this project and to revitalize the aging image of the printing industry, a representative manufacturing industry of the district, by rebranding it as a cultural industry.
An official from the district said, “We expect many interesting and creative works containing diverse stories from participants. We hope this education supports residents’ dreams as authors and serves as a stepping stone to entrepreneurship such as one-person publishing companies and independent bookstores.”
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