[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu’s Seoul Forest Complex Culture and Sports Center 1st Floor ‘Seoul Forest Ai Kkum Nuriter’ Offers Free Meals, Shuttle Service, and Various Programs Perfect for Dual-Income Families with Elementary Students... ‘Hwikyung Happy Library’ Opens... Guro-gu Installs 46 Safety Underground Passage Signs at 5 Locations Including Gamasan, Guro Station, Sindorim, Oryu, and Guil Stations... Seocho-gu Hosts ‘2023 Early Admission Dream Briefing’ on the 14th... Gangdong-gu Office’s Open Garden Screens ‘A Midsummer Night’s Classic’... Gangbuk-gu Launches 1st Academic-Industry Cooperative Startup Academy
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has opened its twelfth elementary after-school care center, ‘Seoul Forest Ai-Kkum Nuri Center’.
Located on the first floor of the Seoul Forest Complex Culture and Sports Center, ‘Seoul Forest Ai-Kkum Nuri Center’ began full operation in July, becoming an exciting after-school playground for children.
‘Seoul Forest Ai-Kkum Nuri Center’ is Seongdong-gu’s first integrated care facility. It adds functions to the Seongdong-type elementary care facility ‘Ai-Kkum Nuri Center,’ which fills care gaps caused by dual-income families and reduces parenting burdens.
Unlike existing general centers, it offers evening and weekend care and provides free meals. With an area of 227.8㎡, it can comfortably accommodate 30 children.
Located within the Seoul Forest Complex Culture and Sports Center, it has the advantage of allowing use of sports facilities. A shuttle bus operates to and from Kyungdong Elementary and Kyungil Elementary nearby, ensuring children can safely get to the center after school.
The center has a director, deputy director, and two care teachers on site, providing care services such as reading and homework guidance, and offering various special programs and activities.
With a dedicated cook, free dinner is provided during the semester, and both lunch and dinner during vacations, making it ideal for dual-income families with elementary school children.
The center plans to secure 10-20% of total capacity for children with disabilities, operating integrated care with general children. It is open from 1 PM to 8 PM during semesters, 8 AM to 8 PM during vacations, and from 9 AM to 1 PM on Saturdays.
Meanwhile, the district is preparing to open an additional Ai-Kkum Nuri Center in the Songjeong-dong public complex building in 2023. The district plans to continuously expand the 15 currently operating elementary care facilities to eliminate care blind spots and actively create a child-friendly environment.
Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh stated, “Seoul Forest Ai-Kkum Nuri Center will play a role not only in expanding elementary care facilities but also in improving care quality by providing specialized services linked with local resources. We will continue to make multifaceted efforts to build a dense care system where children can be born and raised with peace of mind, creating a happy Seongdong-gu for children and parents.”
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) has opened ‘Hwikyung Happiness Library’ to provide new knowledge and cultural services in daily life.
Located on the 1st and 3rd floors of the LH Hwikyung Happiness Apartment community convenience facilities, Hwikyung Happiness Library (323 Jangan Beotkkot-ro) is designed as a diverse cultural space where residents and local community members can share information and communicate together.
Situated in a ‘school zone’ area with six nearby elementary, middle, and high schools (Hwibong Elementary, Hwibong High, Jeondong Middle, Hwikyung Technical High, Hwikyung Girls’ Middle, Hwikyung Girls’ High), five universities (KAIST, Samyook Health University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Kyung Hee University, University of Seoul), a co-parenting room, and a neighborhood childcare center, the library operates as a ‘learning’-focused library for all age groups.
The first floor of the library is a children’s reading room (374.89㎡) equipped with books for infants and children, children’s periodicals, and displays of author and theme-recommended books.
Especially, the first-floor children’s reading room operates a learning-specialized bookshelf to support hobbies for parents visiting the library with their children and local residents. Separate bookshelves for education, parenting, hobbies, and practical life help users find and study books with detailed information and cases.
Additionally, to provide knowledge and cultural services related to child education in one place, various children’s and parenting education programs are conducted in collaboration with the neighborhood childcare center located on the second floor of the same building.
The third floor library (424.71㎡) is a space for teenagers and adults, consisting of a general reading room, reading culture programs, and a program room for club activities.
Hwikyung Happiness Library began pilot operation on June 20. As part of the opening event, a meeting with author Bamko, who won the 2021 Bologna Ragazzi Award for Non-fiction, was held, and the original artwork exhibition runs until the 17th.
Also prepared are opening events for various age groups, including a book curation by author Lee Su-ji of ‘Summer is Coming,’ winner of the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award, an exhibition of past Nobel Literature Prize winners’ works, a gardening program for healing with flowers, and pressed flower bookmark making.
The library operates from 9 AM to 6 PM and is closed on Fridays and public holidays. For more details, inquiries can be made via the Dongdaemun-gu public library website or by phone.
Meanwhile, the neighborhood childcare center on the second floor of the building currently operates as a play space for elementary students needing after-school care, and the Dream Growth co-parenting room providing infant care support services is nearing completion.
A district official said, “We hope residents using Hwikyung Happiness Library enjoy happiness through learning and diverse reading culture activities. As cultural life, which was stagnant due to COVID-19, begins to revive, we expect the library to serve as a stepping stone for residents’ daily recovery.”
Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) has assigned addresses and installed signboards in underground walkways.
Guro-gu stated on the 4th, “The underground walkways located on both sides of the underpass are heavily used by residents but lacked separate addresses, making it difficult to specify exact locations in emergencies. To help residents use them safely, we promoted the Safe Underground Walkway Creation Project.”
The safe underground walkway signboards display addresses and usage instructions. The instructions read, “When reporting to 112 or 119, say ‘My location is Guro-gu ○○-ro (road name) ○○○ (basic number) Safe Underground Walkway.’”
In emergencies, pedestrians can call police, fire stations, or related agencies and read the message as is. To ensure visibility even during power outages caused by flooding, the signboards are made with photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) materials.
Installation sites include five locations: Gamasan, Guro Station, Sindorim, Oryu, and in front of Guil Station underpasses, with a total of 46 signboards installed.
Before installation, the district shared the signboard locations and addresses with related agencies such as Guro Police Station, Guro Fire Station, and Gangseo Road Office. These agencies use the shared information to respond quickly and collaboratively to emergencies and civil complaints.
A Guro-gu official said, “We expect this Safe Underground Walkway Creation Project to resolve residents’ inconveniences and prevent safety accidents. We will continue to do our best to make Guro safe.”
Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will hold the ‘2023 Early Admission Dream Explanation Session’ at Seocho-gu Yangjae Library on the 14th to address various questions from examinees and parents about college early admissions.
This session will be conducted both in-person and online to facilitate easy participation for examinees and parents.
Notably, the session invites the director of the private education company Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute and a college admission specialist teacher from a local high school, dividing the event into two parts to provide more professional, Seocho-tailored early admission support strategies.
In the first part, Kim Byung-jin, director of Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, will lecture on the early admission roadmap, covering ▲2023 early admission issues ▲key checkpoints to know during the early admission application process.
The second part features Park Chang-wook, a teacher at Sangmun High School, who will explain the 2023 Seoripul early admission analysis, including ▲analysis of last year’s early admission application tendencies and results by grade ▲considerations when applying by grade.
The district expects this session to comprehensively cover early admission information from private academies and schools, providing differentiated early admission strategies satisfying all examinees, including current students and repeaters.
On the day of the session, up to 70 examinees and parents can attend in person on a first-come, first-served basis by applying through the Seocho-gu Education Support Center website by the 10th. Attendees will receive an early admission materials pack including the 2023 early admission booklet and selection summary table.
If attending in person is difficult, the session can be watched live on the YouTube channel ‘SeochoRunTV.’ Replays will be uploaded for repeated viewing, and presentation materials will be posted on the Seocho-gu Education Support Center website afterward.
Additionally, the district will offer ‘1:1 customized early admission consulting’ by professional admission consultants for 200 local examinees starting from the 19th. This free consulting provides expert career and admission planning including personalized early admission strategies. Applications open on the 15th via the Seocho-gu Education Support Center website.
Seocho-gu Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “We hope this session becomes the foundation for anxious and overwhelmed college examinees to realize their dreams. We will continue to support various programs for students’ career and admission paths without hesitation.”
Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) announced that it will hold a ‘Midsummer Night Classical Screening’ at the district office’s Open Yard Media Wall to help residents recover from fatigue caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic during summer vacation and holiday seasons.
Starting July 9 and continuing every Saturday at 7 PM until the 30th, opera, ballet, and classical performances will be screened. Residents can watch the performances free of charge.
The first screening on the 9th features the fantastic opera ‘The Magic Flute’ set on a lake, followed by a special concert by the world-renowned group Max Raabe & Palast Orchestra titled ‘Max Raabe in Berlin Concert’ on the 16th.
On the third Saturday, the 23rd, the ballet ‘Don Quixote,’ based on a Spanish novel and highlighting a lively Spanish color combined with classical Russian dance, will be shown. On the 30th, ‘BBC Proms: Gershwin Film Music Concert’ will screen Gershwin’s masterpieces from Hollywood’s golden age musicals.
A district official said, “We hope this viewing opportunity will provide healing for the mind and body exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to build cultural infrastructure and do our best to promote cultural enjoyment for residents.”
For more details, visit the Gangdong-gu website (Gangdong Introduction → District News → Gangdong News) or contact the Gangdong-gu Cultural Arts Division.
Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) is recruiting the first cohort of students for the ‘Public-Academic Cooperation Startup Support Academy,’ an educational program for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The ‘Public-Academic Cooperation Startup Support Academy’ is a special startup support course provided by Gangbuk-gu and Hanshin University Seoul Lifelong Education Center for prospective entrepreneurs.
Students will learn everything in one course, including ▲finding startup ideas ▲marketing planning ▲visiting excellent companies ▲raising startup funds ▲startup promotion.
Additionally, graduates who prepare excellent business plans will have the opportunity to move into the Hanshin University Campus Town Gangbuk Innovation Platform Incubating Space, enabling them to start their businesses immediately after completing the academy.
Applicants can apply by visiting or calling the Gangbuk-gu Education Support Division or online through the district website.
The application period is from July 1 to August 19, and the district plans to recruit 60 students.
The tuition fee is 30,000 KRW. The first cohort will attend 12 sessions from August 30 to October 11, held every Tuesday and Friday from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Hanshin University Seoul Lifelong Education Center Janggong Library and other locations.
For more information, contact the Gangbuk-gu Education Support Division or Hanshin University Seoul Lifelong Education Center.
Gangbuk-gu Mayor Lee Soon-hee said, “We hope this academy will be an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to realize their dreams. We will do our best to make Gangbuk-gu a good place to start a business.”
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