Jung-gu Installs Wall-Mounted Air Conditioners for Low-Income Households to Prepare for Heatwaves

[Seoul District News] Jung-gu Provides and Installs Wall-Mounted Air Conditioners for Basic Livelihood Security Recipients and Low-Income Groups · Purchases and Delivers 143 Air Conditioners (23 Funded by Donations) · Also Supports Fans, Electricity Bills, and Heatwave Prevention Kits for Vulnerable Groups... Dongdaemun-gu Recruits Participants for General Security Guard Training Targeting Middle-Aged and Older Adults

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gil-seong) provided cooling appliances to help low-income residents live healthily and safely during the midsummer heat.

On the 5th, Jung-gu selected 143 households among basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income groups in the area who are particularly vulnerable to heatwaves and installed wall-mounted air conditioners. Support was mainly provided to elderly households and disabled households living in places such as rooftops or semi-basements who are in urgent need of assistance.

To select the beneficiary households, the district conducted a full survey in March and April and began purchasing and installing air conditioners from May. Notably, 23 of the 143 air conditioners were funded by donations from 'Dream Hearty' (a customized welfare project started in Jung-gu in 2012), adding special significance to the support.

Additionally, 150 low-income households received fans sponsored by Gilead Sciences Korea, and a total of 400 households, including those who received air conditioners and fans, were selected to receive 50,000 KRW per household for electricity bills for two months.

The district will also produce and distribute prevention kits for heatwave-vulnerable groups. The kits include a folding umbrella, sports towel, KF94 mask, pain relief patches, mosquito repellent, and sunstick, with a total of 1,300 kits to be provided starting this month.

Since 2019, the district has been supporting low-income households with cooling appliances through the 'Dream Hearty' donations, and since last year, the project has continued with both donations and the district’s own budget. So far, about 590 air conditioners have been installed.

Moreover, continuous support such as repairing and replacing old air conditioners is being provided to ensure that assistance does not end as a one-time event.

District Mayor Kim Gil-seong said, "Since heatwaves, which are like disasters, occur every year, we are thoroughly preparing for heatwave measures for vulnerable groups this year as well," adding, "We will carefully monitor to ensure that no one’s health is harmed by the heatwave."

Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) is operating a new training course for general security guards targeting middle-aged and older adults who are having difficulty job hunting due to prolonged COVID-19 and employment stagnation.

The district plans to recruit 60 candidates for the general security guard training course in two sessions in July and October this year. The training is for residents aged 40 to 65 who intend to work as security guards, with 30 people accepted per session on a first-come, first-served basis. Thirty percent of the recruits will be prioritized from vulnerable groups.

The first general security guard training will be held from the 25th to the 29th, lasting 34 hours over five days, and the tuition is completely free.

The main training content includes mandatory legal education required for security guard employment such as the Security Services Act and crime prevention theory, elevator safety manager training, and a career design and job seeker course.

Furthermore, after completing the training, job placement services such as one-on-one customized counseling through the Job Center will be provided to help connect trainees to employment.

Residents wishing to apply can visit the Job Policy Division on the 6th floor of Dongdaemun-gu Office by the 13th. For more details, refer to the Dongdaemun-gu website or contact the Job Policy Division.

A district official stated, "We will continuously develop capacity-building programs to help middle-aged and older job seekers struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic succeed in employment," and added, "We will also do our best to ensure that completing the capacity-building programs ultimately leads to job placement."