Guro-gu Parking Enforcement Officers to Wear New Bright Blue Uniform Tops

[Seoul District News] Guro-gu Creates Noticeable 'Bright Blue' for 'Parking Enforcement' to 'Establish Traffic Order' to Reduce Resident Resistance... Songpa-gu Women's Classes Resume from August... Geumcheon-gu Calls for Entries for 2nd Fashion Film Festival Competition... Gangseo-gu Recruits Students for '2022 Future Academy Summer Camp'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Parking enforcement officers in Guro-gu will wear new bright blue tops.

Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) announced on the 11th that "new uniforms for parking enforcement officers, who are responsible for parking order and safety, have been newly produced to instill pride and dignity in the officers and to give residents a softer impression."

The new uniforms are made in bright blue, which is highly visible for the safety of the workers, and are designed with reflective materials to be visible at night. Considering the nature of traffic enforcement work conducted outdoors, the uniforms are designed as lightweight and easy-to-wear vests.

The front of the uniform features the official BI (Brand Identity) of the district, the ‘Smart Guro’ logo, to reduce confusion with private parking managers' uniforms, and the back replaces the previous phrase ‘Parking Enforcement’ with the more positive phrase ‘Establishing Traffic Order’ to reduce residents' resistance.

There are a total of 20 parking enforcement officers in Guro-gu, all of whom are public officials. According to Article 35 of the Road Traffic Act, ‘Measures for Parking Violations,’ they have the authority to order the relocation of vehicles if they pose a risk or obstruction to traffic.

The district selects parking enforcement officers through a first written exam and a second in-depth interview to ensure fairness and professionalism in enforcement.

A Guro-gu official said, "We expect that this uniform improvement will boost the morale of enforcement officers working on the front lines to establish traffic order and reduce residents' resistance, thereby preventing unnecessary complaints in advance," and added, "We ask residents to refrain from illegal parking and stopping in areas such as child and elderly protection zones, around fire hydrants, fire truck routes, sidewalks that threaten pedestrian safety, and intersections."

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will fully resume the women's classroom programs, which had been suspended for over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, starting this August to ensure residents' safety.

Following the recent lifting of social distancing measures by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the district decided to reopen three women's classrooms in the area, considering the increased fatigue among residents caused by reduced outdoor activities and COVID blues, as well as the declining trend of COVID-19 cases.

Before reopening, Songpa-gu formed a pool of professional instructors through public recruitment and plans to offer various courses such as exercise, cooking, foreign languages, conversation, and beauty services to promote self-development and leisure culture among residents.

The ‘Munjeong Women’s Classroom’ has completed renovations by repairing and replacing outdated facilities and has expanded its enrollment since July. Improvements include lighting installation in the sewing workspace and replacement of old tables and chairs, brightening and cleaning previously neglected spaces.

The programs cover a wide range of fields, including certification classes for baristas, cooks, and beauticians, as well as hobby classes like cooking, making children's clothes, and clothing repair.

‘Oryun Women’s Classroom’ and ‘Solbaram Women’s Classroom’ will reorganize their programs and resume operations starting in August. They will offer self-development courses such as basic English and Chinese calligraphy, exercise classes like aerobics and yoga, and unique programs that have recently attracted attention.

Residents interested in enrolling can contact the Women and Childcare Division of Songpa-gu Office by phone or use the Songpa Run website. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Kim Ran-su, head of the Women and Childcare Division, said, "With the full lifting of social distancing, we will do our best to operate the women's classrooms effectively to provide more opportunities for residents and women who have struggled due to COVID-19."

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) will begin accepting submissions for the ‘2nd Geumcheon Fashion Film Festival’ starting July 12.

First held last year, the Geumcheon Fashion Film Festival is Korea’s first and only film festival focused on the fashion industry. It has been recognized as a meaningful attempt to combine Geumcheon-gu’s specialized fashion industry with film. In its inaugural year, about 480 works were submitted, and nine films, including the grand prize winner ‘Sil,’ were awarded.

This year’s submissions will be accepted in two categories: the ‘Fashion Section,’ for films where fashion is the subject, theme, or background, and the ‘Advertising Film (Video)’ section, which requires storytelling. Films connected to fashion in any way, regardless of genre or format?feature films, documentaries, animations?can be submitted to the fashion section.

Notably, the eligibility criteria have been relaxed this year to allow more filmmakers to participate. The previous limit of ‘short films under 25 minutes’ has been extended to ‘films under 40 minutes,’ allowing mid-length films to be submitted.

Prize money has also been increased and the award categories expanded. The grand prize has been raised from 5 million won to 10 million won, and the total prize pool has nearly doubled to 24 million won. A new ‘Jury Special Excellence Award’ has been introduced, and the ‘Special Award’ will be divided into categories essential to filmmaking such as acting, makeup, art, costume, and cinematography.

Submissions will be accepted from July 12 to August 31 via the festival’s official website. Selected works will be screened at the festival held at Lotte Cinema Gasan Digital from November 4 to 6, where they will meet audiences.

Yoo Sung-hoon, mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “The Geumcheon Fashion Film Festival, which combines the fashion industry and visual culture, is expected to create new value beyond Geumcheon, reaching the southwestern Seoul area and the film industry,” and added, “We hope many filmmakers will show interest and participate so that great works can gather at the festival.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Tae-woo) will operate the ‘Future Academy Summer Camp’ to nurture future talents who will lead the 4th Industrial Revolution era.

The camp aims to foster creative talents and help children discover their talents early through education on coding and AR (Augmented Reality), which are among the core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

This summer camp will be conducted in two courses: ▲Let’s Play Coding! and ▲AR-t (Art).

First, ‘Let’s Play Coding!’ includes theoretical lessons on algorithms and artificial intelligence, as well as coding practice to create one’s own game and chatbot.

Classes will be held from July 26 to 28, recruiting 15 students each for beginner and advanced levels.

‘AR-t (Art)’ combines AR and art, where students create their own secret garden through drawing and then implement it in AR.

Classes will run from August 9 to 12, with one class of 30 students.

Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the 22nd. Any 4th to 6th-grade elementary student residing in Gangseo-gu can apply through the Gangseo Lifelong Learning Center website. However, only students who completed the ‘Let’s Play Coding!’ course in 2020 or 2021 can apply for the advanced class.

The tuition fee for both courses is 5,000 won, and classes will be held at Seoul Media Graduate School, a university specializing in advanced media fields.

More details on how to apply can be found on the Gangseo Lifelong Learning Center website under ‘Lifelong Learning Information - Notices.’

An official from the district said, “This summer camp is designed to help children develop interest in coding and AR and foster scientific thinking and creativity,” and added, “We hope many future talents who will lead the 4th Industrial Revolution era will show interest and participate.”