What Future Do Gwanak-gu Residents Wish For?

[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Holds KakaoTalk Channel Event from July 11 to 24, Giving Away Ice Cream Vouchers and More; Strengthening Communication with Residents on 'The Future of Gwanak-gu Desired by Citizens' Theme... Jongno-gu Opens KakaoTalk Chatroom 'Jongno Good Neighbors' to Receive Reports of At-Risk Households... Seocho-gu Recruits 6th Generation 'Seocho SNS Supporters'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) will hold a KakaoTalk channel subscription event starting from the 11th to receive residents' hopeful messages about the future image of Gwanak-gu.

The district has prepared the ‘Hope Tok Tok’ event under the theme ‘What is the future image of Gwanak-gu you wish for?’ to gather the expectations and aspirations of residents for the newly launched 8th term of the Gwanak-gu government.

Those who wish to participate can subscribe to the ‘Gwanak-gu Office’ KakaoTalk channel and then leave a one-line message about the future image of Gwanak-gu they hope for along with a verification photo through a Naver form.

This event will run until July 24, and winners can be confirmed on July 27 through the official Gwanak-gu blog.

The district plans to give 10,000 KRW ice cream gifticons to 100 randomly selected participants and 30,000 KRW worth of chicken gifticons to 10 outstanding participants.

The Gwanak-gu Office KakaoTalk channel, established in January 2019, currently has about 83,000 subscribers, ranking among the top in Seoul’s autonomous district channels, and introduces major district news and information such as jobs, welfare, and cultural events to residents more quickly and easily.

In addition to the official KakaoTalk channel, the district operates social media such as blogs, Facebook, KakaoStory, Instagram, and YouTube channels, actively engaging in customized two-way communication with residents.

Mayor Park Jun-hee of Gwanak-gu said, “Through this ‘Hope Tok Tok’ event, which is realized by resident participation, we will more precisely understand the future image of Gwanak-gu that residents desire and implement policies for the 8th term that satisfy more people,” adding, “We will continue to make great efforts to promote so that many residents can enjoy useful information and administrative services provided by the district through various new media channels.”

Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Moon-heon) will operate the KakaoTalk channel ‘Jongno Good Neighbor’ from July as a permanent reporting window for households in crisis.

This is a non-face-to-face online communication channel prepared to quickly discover and assist residents in welfare blind spots who are in difficult situations that are hard to solve alone.

The channel name ‘Jongno Good Neighbor’ means residents with a good heart who quickly report households in crisis around them.

To use it, search for ‘Jongno Good Neighbor’ in the KakaoTalk app’s friend search, add the channel, and then send crisis household cases through chat.

Afterward, the district office staff will verify the information and refer the case to the relevant community service center. The community service center will immediately conduct a field visit to closely assess the current situation and needs of the target resident, then proceed with follow-up measures such as applying for public benefits or linking with private resources or other agencies.

Those in need can also receive welfare counseling non-face-to-face. The Jongno Good Neighbor counseling hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and responses are provided the next day outside business hours.

Since last year, Jongno-gu has also been operating the Sodam Tok (News-filled Talk) service, which opens individual chat rooms for basic livelihood security recipients and low-income youth in their 20s and 30s at all 17 community service centers and regularly provides customized welfare information.

This aims to communicate closely with vulnerable youth who refuse visits or phone calls due to personal privacy reasons and to help them receive timely community support. In addition to delivering customized information, efforts are made to minimize monitoring gaps by checking message receipt to prevent youth loneliness deaths.

Mayor Jeong Moon-heon said, “We will provide timely and necessary services to residents in welfare blind spots by operating various welfare channels using KakaoTalk, such as Jongno Good Neighbor and Sodam Tok services.”

Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will recruit the ‘6th SNS Supporters’ from the 8th to deliver vivid and prompt stories from around the region to residents through SNS.

‘SNS Supporters’ are a press corps that informs residents about Seocho-gu’s major policies, various events, and attractions through SNS channels including blogs.

Rather than a stiff government office tone, it is a kind of experiential report written from the perspective of residents who actually experience the policies, which has received very positive responses from residents. The 5th SNS Supporters, active since last year, gained much sympathy from residents through articles such as ‘Review of Convenient COVID-19 Testing via Drive-Thru,’ ‘Introduction to the Day and Night Views of Banpo Hangang Park,’ and ‘Experience at Seoripul Nori School.’

The ‘6th SNS Supporters,’ recruiting a total of 30 people until the 24th, are open to anyone interested in district administration and active in SNS use, and the activity period will be one year starting next month. Applications can be downloaded and submitted from the Seocho-gu Office blog or website.

Selection will be based on content creation capabilities. Especially from this year, to support active activities of supporters, the manuscript fee will be increased. Selected supporters will receive a certificate of appointment and press ID, and various benefits such as awards for outstanding activities will be provided later.

Mayor Jeon Seong-su of Seocho-gu said, “The ‘Seocho SNS Supporters’ have played a significant role in promoting Seocho’s charm from the residents’ perspective through SNS channels,” adding, “I look forward to the activities of the 6th supporters, who are united with exceptional passion and sensibility.”