Gangseo-gu Announces Certification as an 'International Safe City'

[Seoul District News] Gangseo-gu, International Safe City Certification Ceremony on 14th, Certification Declaration, Prioritizing Resident Safety with 4 Years of Efforts... 'I-Mom Gangdong' Summer Night Opening After Work... Jongno-gu, June 7?September 27 Program 'Lives of Outsiders and Our Perspectives Through Literature' at Children and Youth National Studies Library with Diverse Content like Novel 'Pachinko' and Film 'Assassination' Including Lectures, Tours, and Follow-up Reading Meetings... Nowon-gu Provides Food Waste Container Cleaning and Disinfection Service for Small Restaurants

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) announced on the 14th that it will officially proclaim the district's certification as an International Safe City by holding the ‘International Safe City Certification Proclamation Ceremony’.

Since 2018, the district has been dedicated to promoting safe city projects for four years with the goal of ‘making Gangseo a safe environment city where all residents live comfortably.’

Starting with establishing a plan to pursue International Safe City certification, the district enacted the Gangseo-gu Safe City Ordinance, signed a business agreement with the International Safe City Support Center, and laid the groundwork for obtaining the certification.

As a result, in May, the district achieved International Safe City certification through an evaluation by the Sweden-based International Safe Community Certification Center (ISCCC). It is the 28th in Korea and the third among Seoul’s autonomous districts.

Accordingly, the district will hold a proclamation ceremony on the 14th to announce internally and externally that Gangseo-gu is an International Safe City where all residents can live with peace of mind.

The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. at the Woojang Hall of the Gangseo Residents’ Center, with attendance expected from Mayor Roh Hyun-song, the district council chairman, members of the National Assembly, city and district council members, heads of major local institutions, the director of the International Safe City Support Center, and representatives of Gangseo residents such as the local autonomous disaster prevention group, safety security officers, and members of the Safe City Working Committee.

The event will last about one hour, starting with a pre-ceremony performance, followed by screening of the Gangseo International Safe City promotional video, guest congratulatory speeches, introduction of the International Safe City, proclamation of certification, and reading of congratulatory letters.

In particular, the final designation procedure of the International Safe City, the certification agreement ceremony, will take place at this event, along with the presentation of the International Safe City certification plaque and emblem.

Based on this International Safe City certification, the district plans to continuously promote safety enhancement projects aimed at preventing community injuries and improving safety levels.

The International Safe City concept is based on the 1989 Stockholm Declaration from Sweden, which states that ‘all people have equal rights to enjoy a healthy and safe life.’ It refers to a city where all community members actively and continuously work to create a safe city free from accidents and injuries.

Therefore, this International Safe City certification internationally recognizes that the district has the foundation and capacity to continuously improve its safety levels.

Mayor Roh Hyun-song said, “This proclamation ceremony is a pledge to continue efforts to protect the lives and property of residents by prioritizing their safety,” and added, “I deeply thank all related safety organizations and groups who devoted themselves to achieving this great accomplishment of International Safe City certification.”

For more details, inquiries can be made to the Gangseo-gu Safety Management Division.

Space Experience

Rushing home from work with an excited heart, holding a child’s hand, this is the scene of ‘I-mom Gangdong’ that you will see on summer evenings.

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) will open ‘I-mom Gangdong,’ which has become a hot place among mothers, for night-time operation during July and August.

This summer event, specially prepared by Gangdong-gu under the subtitle ‘Friday and Saturday Festival to Enjoy with Dad,’ is for working moms and dads who have been disappointed because the facilities usually close by 5:30 p.m.

During the tropical nights of summer, it will operate from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with each location preparing a unique theme to cool down the heat and welcome children and parents.

At the Gangil branch (No. 3), themed ‘Night Goblin Night Market,’ visitors can enjoy market play and experience an air bounce amusement park. The Cheonho Park branch (No. 4), themed ‘Space Center,’ offers a ride on the Mom’s Space to explore the mysterious universe, stimulating children’s imagination. The Gildong branch (No. 6) hosts a ‘Midsummer Night’s Music Camp’ where kids can become little musicians with various instruments. The Godeok branch (No. 7), filled with the sparkling ‘Firefly Country,’ and the Amsa Market branch (No. 8), featuring nostalgic dance halls and a rocket launch playground for moms and dads, will enhance children’s sensitivity.

Night-time operation can be accessed through advance reservations on the Gangdong Children’s Center website, with the reservation date set for the 18th. Due to expected high demand, reservation times vary by location, so it is recommended to check the times in advance along with membership registration. One reservation allows entry for up to four people, so visitors can invite acquaintances or friends to join.

For more detailed information about the eight branches of ‘I-mom Gangdong,’ please check the Gangdong Children’s Center website or contact the Gangdong-gu Childcare Support Division by phone.

◆Eunpyeong-gu ▲Public Relations Officer Im Eun-kyung ▲ ▲Public Relations Officer Public Relations Planning Team Park Young-soo

Jongno-gu has prepared a high-quality humanities program to enhance residents’ humanities literacy and activate library use.

From June 7 to September 27, the program titled ‘Lives of Strangers Seen Through Literature and Our Perspectives’ will be held at the Children and Youth National Studies Library (26 Myeongnyun-gil).

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korean Library Association as part of the ‘2022 Library Humanities on the Road Public Contest Project,’ this program will offer diverse content such as lectures, field trips, and follow-up reading groups to explore war, diaspora, and multicultural social phenomena in an engaging way.

First, from June 7 to July 5, lectures and field trips under the theme ‘Voices of Strangers’ will be conducted. Through literary works such as Lee Min-jin’s novel ‘Pachinko,’ recently adapted into a popular drama, Jo Hae-jin’s ‘Simple Sincerity,’ and Kim Ae-ran’s ‘Hiding Hands,’ participants will examine the lives of strangers and listen to their voices.

Additionally, a novelist guest will hold a book talk discussing stories about North Korean defectors and overseas adoptees, and a field trip to Incheon Chinatown will provide direct experience of multicultural sites, offering a valuable opportunity to empathize with the lives of strangers from a community perspective.

Then, from August 23 to September 27, a diverse group of lecturers will interpret works such as the movie ‘Assassination’ and the drama ‘Mr. Sunshine’ under the theme ‘Diaspora, Stories of Wanderers,’ exploring related issues.

After all lectures, follow-up meetings with authors will be held to discuss multicultural phenomena in our society.

This program will be held every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. from June 7 to September 27, simultaneously at the Children and Youth National Studies Library and online via ZOOM for a total of 11 sessions.

The course is free of charge, and those interested can apply online or by phone through the Jongno Cultural Foundation website.

A district official said, “We hope this humanities program will be a meaningful time to consider how to coexist with strangers around us,” and added, “We look forward to the active interest and participation of residents.”

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will conduct a pilot project for cleaning and disinfecting food waste collection containers at small restaurants in the district.

The project aims to suppress odors caused by food residues and prevent pests such as flies and cockroaches, maintaining cleanliness of the dirty food waste collection containers and creating a pleasant walking environment.

Through on-site inspections, six main commercial areas with high foot traffic and dense restaurant clusters were selected: ▲Nowon Culture Street ▲Suraksan Food Alley ▲Kwangwoon University Station ▲Seokgye Station ▲Gongneung-dong Noodle Street ▲192-gil, Dongil-ro, Gongneung-dong.

A total of 480 food waste collection containers of 120 liters each in these areas will be cleaned and disinfected three times a month by a professional company. Using high-temperature, high-pressure steam and specialized cleaning solutions, the containers will be cleaned and disinfected to remove food residues, followed by spraying with eco-friendly effective microorganisms (EM) solution to eliminate odors and suppress bacteria.

The pilot project will run for about five months from June to October, with monitoring to address any shortcomings.

Since food left in food waste bins causes odors and reduces container durability due to decomposition, regular cleaning is necessary, but it has been practically difficult for small restaurants to do this individually. The district expects this project to assist small business owners.

Meanwhile, the district has been focusing on improving urban aesthetics through systematic cleaning administration, ranking first among autonomous districts in Seoul in the ‘2021 Urban Cleanliness Evaluation.’ It continuously manages cleaning blind spots in cooperation with local self-support centers and deploys ‘Weekend Cleaning Teams’ to major commercial areas where large amounts of waste are generated on weekends for intensive management, among other initiatives.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “We will work with local merchant associations to create a pleasant environment and revitalize commercial areas,” and requested, “Residents are also asked to participate in reducing waste and disposing of it properly for a pleasant living environment and a sustainable planet.”