Geumcheon-gu, Signature Campaign Demanding Noise Countermeasures from Residents Near Airport Noise Areas

[Seoul District News] Geumcheon-gu Airport Noise Countermeasure Resident Support Center to Conduct Signature Campaign Until July, Demanding Government Amendments to Related Laws... Seodaemun-gu Holds General Meeting to Establish Sustainable Development Implementation Plan... Gwangjin-gu Hosts Instagram '#Gwangjinimnida' Certification Event

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) announced that the Geumcheon Branch of the Airport Noise Countermeasure Resident Support Center (hereinafter Geumcheon Branch) is conducting a signature campaign until the end of July, demanding the implementation of airport noise countermeasure projects extending to nearby areas with noise levels below 75 WECPNL caused by aircraft.

The Geumcheon Branch is affiliated with the Airport Noise Countermeasure Resident Support Center, a private consignment institution of Seoul City, and handles resident complaints and consultations related to aircraft noise in Geumcheon-gu.

Current airport noise-related laws promote airport noise countermeasure projects such as summer electricity fee support and soundproofing facilities only for residential areas with noise levels of 75 WECPNL or higher.

However, the Doksan-dong and Gasan-dong areas of Geumcheon-gu experience discomfort due to airport noise but fall under nearby areas with noise levels below 75 WECPNL, which is the current noise standard, and thus do not receive support, leading to continuous complaints and grievances.

Accordingly, the Geumcheon Branch will conduct a ‘Visiting Airport Noise Consultation’ at the Doksan-dong Community Center on June 24 and 28, and at the Gasan-dong Community Center on June 29 and 30, while carrying out a signature campaign to expand the scope of airport noise countermeasure areas. Starting with the signatures, a petition will be submitted to the National Assembly and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport requesting amendments to related laws.

Residents wishing to participate in the signature campaign can do so at the community centers where the ‘Visiting Airport Noise Consultation’ is held, and in July, they can visit the Geumcheon Branch to participate.

Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “The Airport Noise Countermeasure Resident Support Center aims to gather opinions from residents affected by aircraft noise and develop appropriate countermeasures and plans to reduce airport noise,” adding, “We hope for active participation from residents.”

For more details, inquiries can be made through the Airport Noise Countermeasure Resident Support Center website or the Environment Division of Geumcheon-gu Office.

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) held a plenary meeting on the 22nd and 23rd in the main conference room of the district office to announce and discuss the results of the ‘Deliberation and Public Forum for Establishing the Sustainable Development Implementation Plan.’

‘Sustainable development’ refers to progressing toward a better and improved state by balancing economic growth, social stability and integration, and environmental conservation without wasting or harming resources that future generations will use to meet the needs of the present generation.

Earlier this year, the district formed 11 groups (elderly, women, disabled, education sector, business/industry, workers/labor unions, civic groups, children/youth, multicultural/migrants, volunteers, youth) by recruiting stakeholders.

These groups held 2 to 4 sessions of deliberation and public forums each from April to May to ensure that residents’ opinions were directly reflected in the sustainable development goal implementation plan.

At the plenary meeting, four groups participated on the first day and seven groups on the second day. Group leaders presented their opinions on the implementation plan through statements, and officials from the district’s project departments responded.

The elderly group proposed changing the term ‘lonely elderly’ which has a negative connotation to ‘single-person household seniors’ or ‘single-person household elderly.’

The multicultural/migrant group suggested projects such as energy welfare for vulnerable groups, home repairs for housing-vulnerable groups, and safety inspections for vulnerable households, with a total of 160 opinions raised across the groups.

Stakeholders said, “We reviewed all projects of Seodaemun-gu from our respective perspectives and provided opinions, hoping they will be reflected in the sustainable development implementation plan.”

Gwangjin-gu is holding the ‘Instagram #ThisIsGwangjin’ event until July 6.

The district organized this event to commemorate the official registration of the Gwangjin-gu character ‘Gwangijini’ as a moving sticker on Instagram’s GIPHY and to promote the district’s Instagram and distinctive local spots.

Those who wish to participate should follow the official Gwangjin-gu Instagram account, take photos of places that well represent Gwangjin-gu’s characteristics, and post stories using the Gwangijini GIPHY sticker.

Participants complete their entry by capturing the posted story and uploading it to their feed with the hashtag ‘#ThisIsGwangjin.’

The event runs for ten days from June 27 to July 6, and 20 winners will be selected by lottery to receive a chicken mobile gifticon worth about 20,000 KRW.

Winners will be announced on July 8 via the Gwangjin-gu Office website and social media channels. Posts that do not align with the event’s purpose or are unrelated to the district will be excluded from the draw.

An official from the district said, “We hope for much interest and participation in this event, which introduces various aspects of the region and the Gwangjin-gu character sticker through Instagram.”

Since its launch in August 2018, the Gwangjin-gu Instagram account has gained 6,094 followers and provides residents with the fastest updates on major district projects.

In addition to the official Instagram, Gwangjin-gu operates a blog, Twitter, Facebook, KakaoTalk channel, and YouTube channel to deliver district information promptly and actively engage in two-way communication with residents.