[Seoul District News] Seongbuk-gu Begins Resident Participation with a Resident Vote to Establish Local Autonomy Plans Starting July 6 in Jongam-dong, Holding Resident Assemblies in All 20 Neighborhood Autonomy Committees by Mid-August... Nordic Performance Early Childhood Program 'Scandiartlab' First Operated in Gangdong-gu for Only 4 Days; Pre-Reservation Opens July 2 on Gangdong Children's Center Website, Recruiting 60 Families... Gangseo-gu Provides Up to 300,000 KRW Support for 'Multiple Children Moms' Postpartum Recovery
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) will hold residents' general meetings in all 20 neighborhood autonomous committees from July 6, starting in Jongam-dong, until mid-August.
The residents' general meeting is a 'public forum for residents' and a 'field of direct democracy' where residents directly propose neighborhood projects, discuss them together, and establish and decide on resident autonomy plans through resident voting.
The resident autonomy plan is a comprehensive plan concerning resident autonomy and regional development that collects residents' opinions and demands to solve local issues in the neighborhood (dong). Each neighborhood autonomous committee establishes this plan annually, including the operation plan of the autonomous committee, resident autonomy projects, and resident participation budget projects.
In Seongbuk-gu, despite the COVID-19 situation last year, a total of 9,706 residents participated in the residents' general meetings, confirming strong interest and enthusiasm for resident autonomy activities.
Especially, unlike last year when online resident voting was emphasized due to COVID-19, this year's residents' general meetings plan to operate as a public forum for all residents, including ▲ reports on resident autonomous committee activities ▲ deliberation processes on project plans ▲ resident voting.
Resident voting will primarily be conducted by residents voting directly at the residents' general meeting site, and to enable more residents to participate in the decision-making process, advance polling stations visiting each neighborhood will also be operated.
Anyone residing or active in the respective neighborhood can participate in the residents' general meeting, and the schedule for each neighborhood's residents' general meeting can be found on the Seongbuk-gu Office and neighborhood community center websites.
Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, urged, "The core of decentralized autonomy is resident autonomy, and since the residents' general meeting is the foundation for realizing substantial resident participation and autonomy, we hope for active interest and participation from many residents."
The story performance program 'Scandiart Lab,' which always stimulates curiosity and is popular among mothers by word of mouth, is landing in Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon).
'Scandiart Lab' is a themed performance art program operated in Paju by Friends Edu Co., Ltd., a Nordic-style early childhood education specialist company, inspired by Scandinavian educational methods. It has been attracting great expectations with interesting and unique themes each time.
Earlier on the 13th, Gangdong-gu announced the operation of the 'I Mom Gangdong' summer night opening for two months in July and August, and the July night opening advance reservations were fully booked on the first day, reflecting the popularity of 'I Mom Gangdong.'
Especially, 'Scandiart Lab,' which is planned to operate for only four days during this night opening period, has been a hot topic among trend-sensitive mothers.
The Scandiart Lab program, held over four days at 'I Mom Gangdong,' includes ▲ Space Travel (Cheonho Park Branch) ▲ Glow Party with Trolls (Gildong Branch) ▲ Little Hero (Godeok Branch) ▲ Nostalgic 70s-80s Retro (Amsa Market Branch). These activities feature glow-in-the-dark play and Nordic-style cultural and artistic experiences suitable for the night opening, providing children with a unique experience that can develop their infinite creativity, observation, expression, and imagination.
Each theme offers opportunities to 15 teams, totaling 60 families, and advance reservations will be accepted simultaneously from 10 a.m. on July 2 on the Gangdong Children's Center website under the play program reservation section. Reservations will be closed on a first-come, first-served basis.
An official from the district stated, "Through the I Mom Gangdong open playground, we will not only provide a play space but also offer various programs and experiences that can play a role beyond just a space by providing opportunities for children to form a healthy self through interaction with parents in that space, helping them grow into children who can make decisions on their own."
For more details, please check the Gangdong Children's Center website or contact the Gangdong-gu Office Childcare Support Division by phone.
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) is helping mothers recover healthily after childbirth.
The district announced that starting in July, it will promote the 'Multi-child Mom Postpartum Recovery Support Project' targeting women who have given birth to their third child or more.
The purpose is to help mothers recover their health and reduce the burden of childbirth, creating a favorable environment for having children.
According to the 'March 2022 Population Trends' released by Statistics Korea, the total fertility rate, which is the expected number of children a woman of childbearing age will have in her lifetime, was 0.86 in the first quarter. This is the lowest level ever recorded for the first quarter.
Accordingly, the district decided to promote the 'Multi-child Mom Postpartum Recovery Support Project' to overcome the low birthrate problem and foster a childbirth-friendly atmosphere by assisting postpartum health care for mothers.
Last month, the district was selected in the Seoul City pilot project contest for multi-child mom postpartum recovery support and secured a budget of 20 million won for project promotion.
The 'Multi-child Mom Postpartum Recovery Support Project' is a program that supports postpartum medical expenses by linking with Western and Korean medical institutions to promote postpartum recovery and health improvement for women who have given birth to multiple children.
The support target is women who give birth to their third child or more after July 1, and up to 300,000 won per person will be paid for out-of-pocket expenses incurred from medical institution visits after childbirth.
The eligibility criteria require women to have been registered residents in Gangseo-gu for more than six months as of the application date and to have fully used the pregnancy and childbirth medical expenses covered by the National Happiness Card.
Women wishing to apply should visit the Gangseo-gu Public Health Center with identification, application form, resident registration certificate, and proof of National Happiness Card usage.
If confirmed as eligible, applicants will receive a support decision notice from the health center and can visit one of the 20 designated medical institutions in the area for treatment by December 10.
More detailed information about support can be found on the 'Gangseo-gu Public Health Center website (homepage) - About Health Center - Notices/News,' where application forms can also be downloaded.
An official from the district said, "We expect this postpartum recovery support project to help not only mothers' postpartum health care but also reduce the economic burden on childbirth families. We will strive to provide multifaceted support to overcome the social issue of low birthrate."
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