Wednesday Noon Seongdong Chaekmaru Cultural Performance Popular... Why?

Preparing for the 16th Annual Prestigious Performance This Year, Providing Healing and Leisure Time Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday... Seocho-gu Conducts 'Classic Instrument Exploration Life' for Elementary Students... Eunpyeong-gu Supports Social Economy Enterprises Growth through Crowdfunding... Seongbuk-gu Holds Healing Concert Commemorating Elder Abuse Prevention Day... Yangcheon-gu Provides Electric Bicycle Purchase Subsidies

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Twice a month, the Seongdong-gu district office (Mayor Jung Won-oh) presents a moment of leisure in daily life with beautiful musical melodies through its ‘Noon Cultural Performances,’ which have received great enthusiasm from residents.

On the 15th, about 60 people gathered at Seongdong Chaekmaru to listen to the invited singer’s performance, and more than 100 people watched the show from staircases on each floor and distant chairs.

Among them were people who secured front-row seats early to watch the performance, as well as those who paused their errands to briefly enjoy the show.

Groups of three to five people gathered to watch the stage together, listening vividly to the singer’s live performance, and it was not unusual to see some leave midway to attend to their business. After about an hour of performance, like a midweek pause, all audience members naturally returned to their daily routines. This scene can be seen at Seongdong Chaekmaru.

‘Noon Cultural Performances’ is a program that offers leisure and rest to residents and opportunities to participate in performances for participants. Residents and various arts clubs can participate in performances across diverse artistic fields, including traditional Korean music, instrumental performances, and magic shows.

Since its first run in December 2018, the program held a total of 47 sessions until 2019, involving 31 teams and 425 participants. It was temporarily suspended in February 2020 due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, leaving some regret, but resumed online performances last year.

The online performances, expanded to include Seongsu Art Hall as a venue, are continuously available on Seongdong-gu Office’s YouTube channel, providing residents with a healing moment to forget the pandemic and soothe their minds.

This year, under the theme ‘Time for Rest,’ the Noon Cultural Performances are held every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at noon. The 16 sessions will feature municipal art groups and outstanding teams from previous Noon Cultural Performances, promoting opportunities for local artists, residents, and staff to perform. The performance scheduled for July 6 will be prepared by a team of Hanyang University majors, featuring orchestral performances including bassoon, aiming to create a cultural enjoyment opportunity for communication and empathy that anyone can join and enjoy.

Staff members are also excited. Shin 00, an employee of Seongdong-gu Office who watched the performance, said, “There probably isn’t another district office where live music flows during lunch hours. It feels like a momentary recovery from the tension of work.”

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “I hope the ‘Noon Cultural Performances’ provide visitors to the office with moments of leisure and healing,” adding, “Seongdong-gu will continue to do its best to widely offer opportunities for refined cultural enjoyment such as cultural performances that can be enjoyed in daily life.”

Instrument Workshop Violin and Bow Making Experience

Seocho-gu announced that it will operate ‘Classic Instrument Exploration Life,’ a program where elementary school students can see, hear, and make classical instruments, starting July 2.

‘Classic Instrument Exploration Life’ is an experiential classical music tour education program conducted around Seoripul Instrument Street, a classical music-specialized area with about 180 small concert halls, instrument workshops, and instrument shops. The district has been operating this program since last year to provide local elementary students with easy access to classical music and instruments.

Currently, the district is recruiting 80 elementary students and 80 parents, totaling 160 participants from the local area, to join ‘Classic Instrument Exploration Life.’

The program runs every Saturday until July 24, with 20 teams of two (parent and child) participating in each of the 8 sessions.

The program consists of three sessions: Sound Exploration, Type Exploration, and Making Exploration, lasting about two hours in total. In the first session, ‘Sound Exploration,’ participants listen to explanations by instrument majors and closely watch classical performances to experience instrument sounds. The second session, ‘Type Exploration,’ involves visiting instrument facilities to experience various classical instruments such as string, wind, and keyboard instruments. The final session, ‘Making Exploration,’ offers a special time to make violins and bows with instrument craftsmen at an instrument workshop.

For more details, visit the Seocho-gu Office or Seocho Cultural Foundation websites.

Kwon Mi-jung, Director of Culture and Tourism, said, “Through ‘Classic Instrument Exploration Life,’ we hope to lower the barriers to classical instruments for elementary students, the future dream trees, and plant the seeds of musical DNA.”

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is promoting the ‘Eunpyeong-gu Social Economy Crowdfunding Project’ to encourage ‘value consumption’ and revitalize the social economy.

‘Crowdfunding’ is a term combining ‘crowd,’ meaning the public, and ‘funding,’ meaning raising funds, referring to a method of collecting money from many people through online social networks and other platforms.

Last year, the first operation of the ‘Eunpyeong-gu Crowdfunding Exclusive Hall’ involved six projects (Nuyahouse, Healthbridge, International Solar Power Cooperative, Gurumi, Spring Shine, etc.), raising 10 million KRW from 230 investors, achieving 110% of the target.

This year, seven social economy enterprises will participate, focusing on strengthening the economic base of companies weakened by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and enhancing corporate self-sustainability by exploring funding methods and diversifying sales channels.

In August, a ‘Eunpyeong-gu Social Economy Crowdfunding Exhibition’ will be held on the crowdfunding platform ‘OhMyCompany,’ selling rewards that embody each company’s social value.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, said, “This social economy crowdfunding project will create opportunities for residents to participate in buy-social activities that realize social values,” adding, “We expect Eunpyeong-gu’s social economy, which was weakened by COVID-19, to grow to the next level.”

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) held a healing concert on the 15th to comfort elderly residents who have had difficulty engaging in outdoor activities due to prolonged social distancing caused by COVID-19, commemorating the sixth Elder Abuse Prevention Day this year.

Hosted by the Dawon Cultural Welfare Foundation (Honorary Chairman Jeong Bo-seok), the event was held at Seongbuk-gu Arirang Cine Center and was successfully conducted for 160 elderly residents using the Samseon and Jangwi Silver Welfare Centers, which the foundation operates under contract from the district.

No Hyun-tae, a program instructor at Samseon Silver Welfare Center and a director of Dawon Cultural Welfare Foundation, served as the recreation instructor for the day. Following this, lively performances by singer Kim Kyung-ho, Doori from Miss Trot, Kim Dana from Miss Trot 2, and Choco Five delighted the attending elderly. Elderly users of the centers also took the stage to showcase their talents.

The event was attended by Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, Jeong Bo-seok, Honorary Chairman of Dawon Cultural Welfare Foundation, and Park Ki-ryang, the foundation’s ambassador, who generously supported the elderly’s outing for the performance. Mayor Lee said, “I am grateful and proud that a concert was prepared for elderly residents who had difficulty going out, allowing them to fully enjoy themselves on Elder Abuse Prevention Day,” adding, “We will continue to focus administrative efforts to ensure local elderly can enjoy healthy leisure activities.”

Elder Abuse Prevention Day is a legally designated commemorative day established under the Elderly Welfare Act to protect elderly human rights and raise awareness and interest in preventing abuse.

Yangcheon-gu announced that it will accept applications for electric bicycle purchase subsidies from the 20th until July 15.

This project is designed to support purchase costs to establish electric bicycles as a daily transportation mode replacing cars and to contribute to carbon neutrality.

The target is 100 people, with subsidies provided for one bicycle per person, covering up to 50% of the purchase price, with a maximum of 300,000 KRW.

The electric bicycle must be pedal-assist (PAS) type, requiring pedaling to move forward. Throttle-only or throttle and pedal-assist combined types, which can be driven solely by electric battery power, are excluded from support.

Applicants must be residents aged 18 or older as of the announcement date (June 15), who have purchased or intend to operate an electric bicycle and have continuously registered their residence in Yangcheon-gu for at least two years.

The application period is from 9 a.m. on June 20 to 6 p.m. on July 15. Applications can be submitted through the Yangcheon-gu Office website’s integrated reservation portal (Other Reservations → Others → Electric Bicycle Purchase Subsidy Application).

If there are many applicants, a lottery will be conducted electronically. Results will be announced on July 20 on the district office website. To prepare for disqualified or withdrawn applicants, a reserve list of 100 candidates will be drawn and notified individually as needed.

For more details regarding the electric bicycle purchase subsidy application, contact the Transportation Administration Division.