Opening of Kiwoom Center Branch 5 in LH Happy Housing, Hwikyung 2-dong, Dongdaemun-gu

[Seoul District News] Care Services Available for All Elementary Students; Priority for Dual-Income, Single-Parent, and Large Families... Yeongdeungpo District Hosts Local Environmental Festival ‘Shindalchon Eco Olympics’... Jungnang District Runs Special Environmental Education Week ‘I’m GREEN Jungnang’ for World Environment Day... Yangcheon District Operates Children’s Health Challenge Program ‘Let’s Play’... Gangseo District Offers Fine Dust Awareness Education ‘Blue Sky Guardian Eco School’... Geumcheon District Conducts Online Survey for Public Design Policy Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) has opened its 5th Our Neighborhood Care Center on the 2nd floor of the resident convenience facility in Hwikyung 2-dong LH Happy Housing to reduce childcare burdens and minimize blind spots in care since its establishment and operation in 2019.

Our Neighborhood Care Center is a care space established and operated since 2019, providing various care services such as child protection, homework assistance, reading, and special activities for elementary school students who need after-school care through resident care teachers within the center.

The 5th Our Neighborhood Care Center, opened on the 16th, is located on the 2nd floor of the resident convenience facility in Hwikyung 2-dong LH Happy Housing, allowing students from nearby Hwibong Elementary School to use it conveniently and comfortably.

The 5th Our Neighborhood Care Center operates regular and temporary care services. It offers services so that children can enjoy their time within a strong care environment through common programs such as attendance confirmation, homework guidance, reading guidance, physical activities, as well as various special activity programs including arts and physical education, science, and cultural experience activities.

In particular, the 5th Our Neighborhood Care Center is expected to provide children using the center with opportunities to enjoy various reading-specialized activities such as discussions and post-reading activities, as the building houses a library on the 1st floor.

Our Neighborhood Care Centers are available to all elementary school students in the district, but priority admission is given to children of dual-income couples, single-parent families, and families with multiple children. The usage fee is 50,000 KRW per month for regular care, including snack costs, and 2,500 KRW per day for temporary care.

For detailed information such as reservation applications, please check the Seoul Our Neighborhood Care Portal.

A district official said, “We hope that the 5th Our Neighborhood Care Center in Dongdaemun-gu will become a comfortable and enjoyable resting place for children and a care space where guardians can entrust their children with peace of mind,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to expand public care spaces to become a better place for raising children in Dongdaemun-gu.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu will hold the local environmental festival ‘New Dalchon-gi Eco Olympics’ in collaboration with the Yeongdeungpo Environmental Education Center on June 4th, marking the 27th Environment Day.

This event is organized with the purpose of fostering a culture of environmental protection led by youth who will lead future generations by planning and operating the event themselves, and to raise mature civic awareness so that everyone can take interest and act on the rapidly changing climate crisis.

The event will be held at the parking lot in front of the Municipal Mullae Youth Center, which is frequented by many local youths, featuring sports games such as baseball, basketball, and archery, along with various eco-friendly experience activities.

The name of the event, ‘New Dalchon-gi Eco Olympics,’ includes Dalchon, the old name of Mullae-dong, named for its clear view of the moon.

The event will be an open festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 4th, open to all residents and youth.

Planned by local governance, the Environmental Education Center, and youth organizations, the event includes ▲a baseball game pledging eco-friendly actions ▲a basketball game using recycling ▲physical activities like track events encouraging public transportation and walking, as well as ▲making natural EM mist ▲succulent pot making ▲custom eco-bag making ▲custom pouch making featuring endangered animals, among various eco-friendly experience programs.

From 1 p.m., a 30-minute environmental performance featuring youth talents and passion, including dance and samulnori (traditional Korean percussion) performances, will take place.

Additionally, a booth for Eco Mileage registration and promotion will be set up to provide guidance on easy-to-practice environmental protection and carbon emission reduction methods in daily life.

Residents wishing to participate in the environmental festival programs can register on-site on the day of the event. To ensure smooth festival operation, strict safety management including booth disinfection and order maintenance will be implemented.

A district official said, “We ask for the cooperation and participation of many residents in the movement for environmental protection conveyed by youth and the local community,” adding, “We will wisely respond to the increasingly serious climate crisis and environmental changes and implement diverse and effective eco-friendly policies to protect a healthy and clean Earth.”

Jungnang-gu will operate a special environmental education week at the Jungnang-gu Environmental Education Center in celebration of Environment Day on June 5th.

From June 4th to 11th, various environmental education programs and resident participation events will be held under the theme ‘I am GREEN Jungnang.’

During the education week, there will be an environmental performance titled ‘Bring Down the Weather’ where toddlers and elementary students participate together on stage, and a magic show emphasizing the importance of environmental protection. Various hands-on programs such as making green pop-up books and dreamcatchers using marine waste will also be prepared for elementary students.

Programs for adults include zero food waste classes and making eco-friendly pest repellent garlands. There will also be age-inclusive activities such as environmental board games and treasure hunts. Additionally, visitors can view the center’s permanent planned exhibition ‘From Waste Plastic to Chair’ and immersive media experience ‘Save the Sea Friends!’

Those wishing to participate in the ‘I am GREEN Jungnang’ education week programs can apply through the Jungnang-gu website under Welfare Education → Jungnang-gu Environmental Education Center bulletin board.

The application period is until June 1st, and anyone residing in Jungnang-gu, including toddlers, children, and students, can apply. A district official said, “We have prepared various programs to commemorate the first Environment Day since the center’s opening,” adding, “We will continue to promote diverse events to raise residents’ interest in the environment.”

The Jungnang-gu Environmental Education Center opened in April this year in Sinnae Eoul Park. It is a facility spanning from basement level 1 to the 2nd floor, equipped with permanent exhibition spaces, dedicated experience education rooms for toddlers and children, and lecture rooms, serving as a hub for local environmental education.

Yangcheon-gu announced that it will tackle childhood obesity prevention through the operation of the children’s health challenge program ‘Let’s Play’ aimed at promoting physical activity.

This program targets children aged 6 to 7 in local daycare centers and Our Neighborhood Care Centers, with 19 participating institutions (16 daycare centers and 3 Our Neighborhood Care Centers) conducting both face-to-face and non-face-to-face sessions.

Participating daycare centers and Our Neighborhood Care Centers will receive ▲rental of new sports and traditional play equipment ▲distribution of educational materials (YouTube videos, textbooks) and health habit sticker playbooks ▲obesity and pre/post physical fitness assessments ▲children’s health calendars ▲support from new sports and traditional play instructors (only for Our Neighborhood Care Centers).

First, through obesity and pre/post physical fitness assessments, children’s muscular endurance, strength, agility, flexibility, and balance will be evaluated. Then, educational materials using various new sports equipment such as colorful ropes, foam balls, and running bells will be posted on YouTube, and play processes are designed so children can easily follow using the rented equipment.

Additionally, health calendars containing content that can be done at home will be produced and distributed to encourage the whole family to complete monthly physical activity and nutrition missions. Daily records help children consistently form healthy habits in daily life, and outstanding children who actively participate will receive physical activity equipment and promotional items related to atopy prevention and nutrition.

A local health official said, “Children’s activity levels have sharply decreased compared to before COVID-19,” adding, “We support children’s healthy growth and development through this program composed of diverse physical activities to improve fitness.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) operates the ‘Blue Sky Guardian Eco School’ to deliver information about fine dust, which threatens health, at a level understandable to children.

The program aims to provide children with easier and more interesting information about fine dust, helping them become aware of the dangers and learn how to protect their health.

The ‘Blue Sky Guardian Eco School’ is an educational program about fine dust awareness for children in local daycare centers, kindergartens, and lower-grade elementary school students. It is conducted non-face-to-face using age-tailored video educational materials and activity play kits utilizing air-purifying plants.

Education will be provided throughout June to about 1,500 children at 20 selected institutions, including 16 daycare centers and kindergartens and 4 elementary schools.

First, the district distributes a 25-minute online educational video titled ‘Saeroma! Please Take Care of Fine Dust’ to the target institutions. The video contains rich information on the definition, causes, hazards of fine dust, handwashing, mask-wearing methods, and other daily fine dust-related information.

Notably, the video is made friendly and fun using Gangseo-gu’s representative character ‘Saeromi’ and infographics to help children easily understand.

Along with this, the district distributes ‘Clay Scandia Moss Frame Making’ kits to daycare centers and kindergartens, and ‘Coconut Ionantha Doll Making’ kits to elementary schools.

Children will have a good opportunity to recognize the importance of clean air by making frames and dolls using well-known air-purifying plants Scandia Moss and Ionantha.

Each institution will conduct education according to their circumstances using the video educational materials and activity play kits provided by the district.

Geumcheon-gu will conduct an online survey on public design from May 30 to June 13 targeting residents and all visitors to Geumcheon-gu to select public design strategies and discover execution projects that residents can feel.

The survey includes 16 questions on ▲public design awareness in Geumcheon-gu ▲identity ▲design policies ▲public environment evaluation ▲opinions on public space improvement, and can be accessed via the popup zone on the Geumcheon-gu website or by scanning the QR code on promotional materials.

Geumcheon-gu is promoting the ‘Public Design Promotion Plan Establishment Project’ to redefine the mid- to long-term basic direction for public design to improve residents’ quality of life and realize identity, and to systematically improve and manage the urban landscape of Geumcheon-gu.

Based on the survey results, realistic execution plans that can be utilized when promoting public design projects, such as institutional improvements related to public design promotion, public design construction plans reflecting regional characteristics, and discovery of public design projects, will be reflected in the project.

The Public Design Promotion Plan is a statutory plan established every five years according to the Act on the Promotion of Public Design, and will be established after administrative procedures such as consultation with related departments, expert advice, and review by the Public Design Promotion Committee.

Kim Byung-ho, head of the Urban Planning Division, said, “As the role and scope of public design in urban spaces expand and its importance is emphasized, we plan to establish continuous and diverse public design policies that residents can feel,” adding, “We hope for much interest and good opinions on the public design survey to prepare an execution plan that residents can empathize with.”