Songpa-gu Provides 50 Disaster Response Masks Per Person to Low-Income Residents

[Seoul District News] Songpa-gu Distributes Approximately 1,155,000 KF94 Health Masks to Protect Residents' Safety... Jung-gu Secures 3 Billion KRW through Seoul Local Brand Contest for Jangchungdan-gil Alley Commercial Area... Gwanak-gu Startup Pinwheel Signs MOU with Gwanak-gu Disabled Welfare Center... Mapo-gu Provides Weekly Youth Psychological and Emotional Counseling Services for 3 Months, Total 10 Sessions

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) announced on the 8th that it will distribute a total of 1,155,200 KF94 health masks to low-income residents in the area to protect the safety of vulnerable groups from COVID-19 and fine dust.

This project was prepared with the purpose of protecting the health of vulnerable groups from fine dust, COVID-19 variant viruses, and various infectious diseases by distributing health masks free of charge to groups vulnerable to quarantine, preventing the local spread of infectious diseases, and creating a safe urban environment.

The district is providing approximately 1,155,000 KF94 health masks certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to a total of 23,104 basic livelihood security recipients and near-poverty groups in the area, distributing 50 masks per person.

In addition, a letter of warm consolation and gratitude for active quarantine cooperation is being delivered to residents facing difficulties due to COVID-19.

The district first delivers masks to people vulnerable to quarantine such as those with cardiopulmonary diseases, those with mobility difficulties, and seniors aged 65 or older through each neighborhood community center, prioritizing the protection of vulnerable groups. Along with mask delivery, they check on their well-being, monitor the difficulties of vulnerable residents, and continue to connect them with welfare support.

An elderly person who received the mask expressed gratitude, saying, "I am truly thankful for the mask support again this year following last year."

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, "I hope this mask support will help vulnerable residents whose lives have become more constrained due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic to live healthy and safe lives," and added, "We will continue to pay attention so that vulnerable residents are not excluded from quarantine and strive to ensure residents' safety."

The Jangchungdan-gil alley commercial district in Jung-gu has been selected for Seoul City's '2022 Local Brand Commercial District Development Project' and will receive 3 billion KRW in city funds.

The 'Local Brand Commercial District Development Project' is a program that discovers alley commercial districts with unique local content that have not been relatively activated and supports their growth into competitive local brand commercial districts.

When exiting Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station at Exit 2, you can see Taegukdang, the oldest bakery in Seoul. Along Namsaeyong-gil in Jangchung-dong, which stretches from Taegukdang to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, a unique alley commercial district is formed, filled with distinctive eateries ranging from old jokbal (pig's feet) restaurants to trendy cafes.

Nearby are historically and culturally significant resources and landmarks such as Namsan, Jangchungdan Park, Dasan Fortress Trail, Namsaeyong Square, and Jangchung Gymnasium, making it a place with great potential as a tourism-specialized commercial district.

With this selection, the Jangchungdan-gil alley commercial district will receive up to 3 billion KRW in support over three years. In the first year, the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation will carry out infrastructure establishment projects such as human and material infrastructure creation and environmental improvement. From the second year, the district will take over the project to promote full-scale branding linked with various local contents. Plans include developing marketing content for commercial district promotion, consulting, shopping platform entry, and expanding online sales channels through SNS promotions.

In particular, the district announced plans to organize various cultural performances and events utilizing local resources centered around Jangchungdan Park and Namsaeyong Square, which serve as the front yard of the commercial district, to attract tourists to the alley commercial district.

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) announced that Pinwheel (CEO Yoo Myung-gon), a tenant company of Nakseong Venture Startup Center, and Gwanak-gu Comprehensive Welfare Center for the Disabled (Director Hwang Seong-hye) signed a business agreement on the 23rd of last month to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Pinwheel, a tenant company of Nakseong Venture Startup Center, operates an integrated service for managing the employment of people with disabilities to address the mandatory employment burden and provides services to establish a smooth employment culture between companies and people with disabilities by developing sustainable jobs for people with disabilities, from job development to employment linkage and close management.

Through this agreement, the two organizations promised to build a cooperative system to help improve social awareness of people with disabilities, create jobs, and ultimately work together to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities.

The main contents of the agreement include ▲ mutual support for stable lives and smooth education of service recipients through information exchange ▲ exchange of understanding and solutions for the needs of service recipients ▲ provision of integrated services by both organizations if deemed necessary.

Following this agreement, the two organizations are jointly conducting the 'WHEELS Work-from-Home Social Contribution Group Training Course,' composed of people with disabilities from the company Pinwheel, with several people with disabilities currently participating at the Gwanak-gu Welfare Center for the Disabled.

The WHEELS Work-from-Home Social Contribution Group Training Course is a monthly program run by Pinwheel that provides information on various social contribution activities that people with disabilities can perform from home, strengthens related competencies, and nurtures them as social contribution experts. Completing this course equips people with disabilities with the basic competencies needed for employment in companies.

Pinwheel also provides services that connect people with disabilities to companies wishing to hire them and manages those employed.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, "This agreement is expected to present a new direction for companies with mandatory employment of people with disabilities in Gwanak-gu," and added, "We will continue to actively support venture and startup companies operating in Gwanak-gu."

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that it will implement the '2022 Youth Mental Health Voucher Support Project' to stabilize the psychological and emotional well-being of young people.

According to the National Interest Disease Statistics from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the number of depression patients aged 20 to 35 increased more than twofold from 117,709 in 2017 to 251,513 in 2021.

This figure reflects the difficulties young people face in employment, housing, and social relationship formation due to the rapidly changing modern society and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, the district has launched psychological counseling services to heal the mental health of young people and help them lead healthy lives as members of society.

Youth aged 19 to 34 residing in Mapo-gu can apply without any income or property criteria by visiting the neighborhood community center in their jurisdiction.

Selected applicants can receive psychological counseling services once a week for a total of 10 sessions over three months, with the possibility of extending up to 12 months if deemed necessary by the counseling institution.

The counseling service types are divided into Type A and Type B based on counseling level, provider expertise, and price.

Type A is for those experiencing general psychological issues or who want professional psychological counseling without burden related to mental health treatment, with a co-payment of 6,000 KRW per session.

Type B is suitable for youths requiring higher-level counseling services, such as those preparing for independence or visiting mental health welfare centers, with a co-payment of 7,000 KRW per session.

The service is provided via electronic vouchers; after receiving a National Happiness Card, recipients select their preferred counseling institution, pay directly, and use the service.

Applications are accepted until December this year, and recruitment will continue until the budget is exhausted. For more details, contact the Mapo-gu Child and Youth Division.

A district official said, "We hope young people experiencing psychological difficulties actively use this project to help them live healthier and happier lives."