Expansion of Seongdong-gu Child and Senior Protection Zones... Why?

[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Expands Child and Elderly Protection Zones Near Geumbuk Elementary and Seongdong Dementia Relief Center, Enhances Traffic Safety Facilities, Promotes Traffic Safety for Vulnerable Groups with Seongdong-style Smart Crosswalks and Yellow Carpets to Achieve Zero Traffic Accidents... Yangcheon-gu Labor Welfare Center Recruiting Students for June Education Programs... Gangbuk-gu First Half Child Abuse Prevention Campaign... Jongno-gu Changsin-dong South Redevelopment Shows Positive Signs... Gwanak-gu Conducts Comprehensive Inspection of Community Parks for Residents' Rest and Safety

The intersection near Geumbuk Elementary School, newly designated as a child protection zone this month

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu announced that it has expanded the designation of two major roads frequently used by children and the elderly in the area as protection zones for children and the elderly.

According to the designation, vehicle speed will be limited to within 30 km/h and illegal parking will be completely prohibited in the designated areas.

The designated locations include part of Nonggol Intersection near Geumbuk Elementary School (13 Haengdang-ro 1-gil) and the existing elderly protection zone near Seongdong-gu Dementia Safety Center (30 Wangsimni-ro 5-gil).

The newly expanded child protection zone is a major school route between Geumho Byeoksan Apartment and Geumbuk Elementary School, where children frequently pass. However, due to heavy vehicle traffic and a high risk of accidents, there had been continuous demands for expanding the protection zone.

The area around Seongdong-gu Dementia Safety Center, designated as an elderly protection zone, is also densely populated with facilities frequently visited by seniors, such as daycare centers, dementia safety centers, and elderly welfare facilities. Despite frequent elderly pedestrian traffic, the surrounding commercial areas cause heavy vehicle traffic, increasing accident risks.

To address these issues, the district conducted on-site surveys and actively collected residents' opinions, expanding the child protection zone by a total of 148 meters: approximately 73 meters from Haengdang-ro 43 to Haengdang-ro 79 and about 75 meters from Haengdang-ro 5-gil 2 to Nangye-ro 36.

Similarly, the elderly protection zone around Seongdong-gu Dementia Safety Center was expanded by about 58 meters from Wangsimni-ro 5-gil 10 to Wangsimni-ro 5-gil 3, with overall vehicle speed restrictions implemented.

Following the designation of protection zones, traffic safety facilities such as traffic safety signs indicating child and elderly protection zones, speed limit road markings, and anti-slip pavement have been installed to prevent accidents and maintain a safer walking environment. The elderly protection zone will continue to see enhancements in traffic safety facilities considering the walking characteristics of seniors.

According to the Road Traffic Act, child protection zones are designated on certain road sections near facilities with high child pedestrian traffic, such as elementary schools. Currently, Seongdong-gu has 50 child protection zones and 5 elderly protection zones targeting roads near clusters of elderly facilities.

So far, the district has improved customized facilities suitable for protection zones, aiming for 'zero traffic accidents' among vulnerable groups by installing 'Seongdong-type smart crosswalks,' replacing solar-powered LED signs, and maintaining safety fences.

Following pioneering projects for school route safety such as walking school buses and traffic safety guardians, this year the district plans to continuously create a safe walking environment for vulnerable groups by expanding smart crosswalks, safe boarding and alighting zones, and yellow carpet installations.

Yangcheon-gu announced the recruitment of students for the June education programs operated by the Yangcheon-gu Labor Welfare Center, an institution dedicated to improving workers' welfare.

This program was prepared to provide opportunities for cultural enjoyment in daily life to residents exhausted by COVID-19 and workers employed at businesses located in Yangcheon-gu, as well as to help improve office skills.

The first lecture is "Humanities through Movies." Students will encounter our daily lives through various characters in films. By empathizing and communicating with the fascinating life stories depicted in movies, they can naturally build humanities knowledge. The lectures will be held twice on June 8 and 10, with the application period until June 3.

The second lecture, "Learning Excel Basics," is a course designed to help participants acquire basic skills necessary for document creation, including making tables and various forms needed when using Excel. The program runs from June 13 to 17, with 2 hours per day over 5 sessions. The application deadline is June 8. As a basic course, it is tailored to beginners, making it easy to attend without burden.

The final lecture is "Creating YouTube Videos Using Smartphones." This course fits the era of one-person media, where students will experience the entire process of producing their own videos and uploading them to platforms through expert-led smartphone video editing training. The course runs from June 20 to 24, with 2 hours per day over 5 sessions. The application deadline is June 15.

All three courses are free of charge, with 20 participants per program. Applications can be submitted online through the Yangcheon-gu Labor Welfare Center website. For more details about the lectures, inquiries can be made to the center.

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) successfully conducted the first half of 2022 child abuse prevention publicity campaign.

This campaign was organized to raise local residents' awareness of child abuse and to build consensus for preventing and eradicating child abuse. The campaign promoted topics such as the abolition of disciplinary rights under civil law, child abuse reporting procedures, and the 129 principles of positive parenting for proper child-rearing. Related organizations including Gangbuk Police Station and Seongbuk Child Protection Agency participated in the event.

On April 18, the district set up a child abuse prevention publicity booth at the eve event of the April 19 Revolution National Cultural Festival, conducting various programs such as child abuse prevention OX quizzes and exhibitions of child abuse status data. Additionally, from May 3 to 4, promotional materials on child abuse prevention were distributed mainly in convenience stores and commercial areas.

A district official stated, "With the abolition of disciplinary rights under civil law, corporal punishment for disciplinary purposes can also be considered child abuse," adding, "To prevent child abuse, it is necessary to change the perception that children are the property of their parents."

Mayor Park Gyeom-su of Gangbuk-gu said, "I hope this campaign serves as an opportunity to improve residents' awareness of child abuse," and added, "We will continue to make every effort to actively identify and support children in crisis so that children can be respected and grow up safely."

The long-awaited redevelopment project in Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu, is gaining momentum.

On the 28th of last month, Seoul City announced the designation (change) of the maintenance area and the decision (change) of the maintenance plan for the Changsin 1, 2, 3, and 4 urban maintenance-type redevelopment project targeting the southern part of Changsin-dong.

This area had previously reverted to an urban environment maintenance planned zone after the redevelopment promotion zone was lifted in 2013. Among these, Changsin 4 district was converted to an urban environment maintenance zone in 2014 at residents' request.

From 2015 to 2018, Seoul City conducted a service to revitalize this area, and Jongno-gu also started a maintenance plan (draft) service in November 2018 to improve the deteriorated urban environment, holding resident briefings and public inspections before submitting the plan to Seoul City in December 2020.

In 2021, the urban planning committee reviewed and approved the revised plan, followed by a second public inspection for residents, culminating in the confirmation of the designation of the Changsin 1, 2, 3, and 4 urban maintenance-type redevelopment project maintenance area.

According to the announced details, the redevelopment target area is divided into four districts. Considering local characteristics, Changsin 1 and 2 districts will be developed using small-scale maintenance and management methods, while districts 3 and 4 will be developed as general maintenance types.

This is expected to improve the urban environment of this area, which had lagged behind other regions, invigorate the local economy, and enhance residents' quality of life through various maintenance projects.

More detailed information can be found in the Seoul City newsletter and the 'Urban Creation News' section on the district office website. Related documents can be viewed through the Seoul City Urban Revitalization Division or Jongno-gu Urban Development Division.

A district official explained, "Designation of the maintenance area was essential to improve the aging urban environment," and emphasized, "We plan to establish infrastructure that will add convenience to residents' lives and will proceed step-by-step with the redevelopment project, prioritizing residents' opinions."

Gwanak-gu conducted a comprehensive inspection of the management status of 67 children's parks, 10 small parks, and 5 neighborhood parks in the area in preparation for increased outdoor activities during spring.

This aims to create a safe and clean play environment for children using the parks by improving inconveniences and removing hazards in advance, and to provide a comfortable resting place for residents.

The inspection covered ▲prohibited activities guidance within parks ▲operation status of CCTV and emergency bells ▲damage to drinking facilities, security lights, and benches ▲park cleanliness and facility painting ▲safety of sports and children's play facilities, among other overall facility management aspects.

Key maintenance tasks include reorganizing park usage guidance signs, repairing some damaged park facilities, repainting facilities defaced by graffiti to improve aesthetics, and reorganizing fine notice signs for smoking, all to be handled as quickly as possible.

Additionally, the district is reviewing ways to display public banners that effectively inform about prohibitions such as loud noise, illegal dumping, and pet regulations without harming the park's appearance.

Alongside this, the district is renovating children's parks such as Seonbong, Yaksu, and Tapgol in Bongcheon-dong, and Saekdong, Hobakgol, Namgang, and Taeyang Children's Parks in Sillim-dong as part of the Miracle Children's Playground project aimed at enhancing children's sensitivity and creativity, targeting completion in June.

A district official said, "Along with continuous park facility management, we will strive to create an ecological environment where all age groups can enjoy nature and heal their body and mind by opening facilities like Gwanaksan Healing Center, Forest Ecological Experience Center, and Infant Forest Experience Center." He added, "During the dry spring season, a moment of carelessness can lead to large-scale forest fires, so we ask for attention and cooperation in preventing forest fires."