[Seoul District News] 72 Households in Songpa-gu Participate in Seoul's 'Seoul Anshim Income' Pilot Project to Alleviate Income Polarization and Welfare Blind Spots... Gwangjin-gu Provides 1.2 Million KRW Childcare Support for Teen Parents; Couples Both Under 24 and Below 60% Median Income Can Apply at Community Centers... Gwanak-gu Wins Grand Prize in Gwanak S-Valley Administrative and Policy Excellence Competition... Lee Suhee, Gangdong-gu Mayor, Meets Residents Online... Geumcheon-gu Distributes Safety Gear (Safety Vests and...
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) is embarking on a hopeful journey together starting with the first payment on July 11 for the Seoul Guaranteed Income pilot project, a new income security system by Seoul City.
The 'Seoul Guaranteed Income' pilot project is a policy experiment by Seoul City to establish a new welfare model as a social safety net for vulnerable groups by supplementing the shortcomings of the current welfare system. The guaranteed income system provides half of the difference between the standard amount of 85% of the median income and the household income to households earning 85% or less of the median income.
Songpa-gu received applications from a total of 1,584 households and, through a three-stage selection process including income and property investigation based on household size and random sampling, finally selected 72 households: 24 in the support group and 48 in the comparison group. These households signed agreements with Seoul City and will receive payments for three years from July this year to June 2025.
The payment will be up to KRW 826,550 per month for a single-person household with no income, KRW 1,385,540 for a two-person household, KRW 1,782,750 for a three-person household, and KRW 2,176,460 for a four-person household. The support amount decreases as income increases.
Additionally, research work analyzing and verifying the effects from the start of the survey on participating households until after the support ends will continue until June 2027.
Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “I hope Seoul City's experimental policy of 'Guaranteed Income' will be established as a new welfare system in Korea, reducing welfare blind spots and providing many benefits to Songpa residents without leaving anyone behind.”
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) will provide child-rearing expenses of KRW 200,000 per child per month until December to reduce the childcare burden on adolescent parents who are balancing school and support healthy families.
This is the first time that child-rearing support is provided to 'adolescent parents' who are not single adolescent parents, and it will be conducted as a six-month pilot project.
The support targets adolescent parents under the Youth Welfare Support Act, where both parents are 24 years old or younger, maintain a marital relationship including common-law marriage, and have a household income at or below 60% of the median income, with the adolescent parents actually raising the child.
Adolescent parents wishing to apply can visit the local community service center where the child resides with their ID. Required documents include ▲ID ▲childcare expense application form ▲2021 income certificate ▲family relation certificate ▲resident registration ▲bankbook copy, etc.
If selected, they will receive a total of KRW 1.2 million over six months, KRW 200,000 per child per month, until the end of the year. Payments start from the application date and are not retroactive.
For more details, contact the Family Counseling Hotline or the Child and Youth Division of Gwangjin-gu Office.
Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “Adolescent couples face many difficulties as they experience pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare while preparing for school and employment during their youth. I hope this project will provide practical help for adolescent parents to become independent and build healthy families.”
Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) won the grand prize at the '2022 First Half Excellent Administration and Policy Case Selection Contest' for the 'Korean-style Silicon Valley, Gwanak S-Valley Creation' project.
Hosted jointly by the Korea Public Policy Evaluation Association and the Korea Policy Development Society, the 'Excellent Administration and Policy Case Selection Contest' is held annually to promote policies and successful cases that contribute to the competitiveness of the public sector and improve citizens' quality of life, targeting central government ministries, metropolitan, and local governments.
The district attracted attention for successfully promoting 'Gwanak S-Valley,' a self-sustaining startup ecosystem based on excellent local infrastructure and capabilities such as 'youth' and 'Seoul National University,' strengthening startups' capabilities and support so that young people can stay, work, and start businesses locally.
Efforts to transform the region, once a barren land for startups, into a venture startup hub resulted in the establishment of 13 startup infrastructure facilities within four years, including Nakseong Venture Startup Center, Startup HERE-RO 2, 3, 4, 5, and Seoul Startup Center Gwanak, currently housing 112 startup companies developing their capabilities in various fields.
Additionally, various startup support programs such as forums, demo days, and consulting are operated to spread venture culture and create a friendly venture environment. The district also established a KRW 20 billion startup support fund, the first of its kind among local governments nationwide, to continuously foster startups based on original technologies within the region.
In particular, the district was recognized for its achievement in designating the 'Venture Business Promotion Zone' in January, which provides various benefits such as tax reductions and exemption from charges for venture companies, significantly boosting the demand for relocation of promising startups, earning the grand prize.
In the 8th term of the elected government, Gwanak-gu plans to establish the 'Gwanak Small and Medium Venture Promotion Agency,' a specialized institution for comprehensive and systematic support as a business partner for small and medium venture companies, providing growth foundations and innovation solutions for startup ventures and SMEs.
It also plans to strengthen investment in local companies through the 'Gwanak S-Valley Corporate Support Fund,' promote technology consulting support projects to solve technical difficulties faced by venture startups, and expand the 'Startup Scale-Up' project to provide commercialization funds.
To realize 'Gwanak S-Valley 2.0,' the district has pledged to add startup support facilities around Daehak-dong, promote open innovation linked with large corporations such as KT and KB Financial Group, expand startup infrastructure such as privately-led shared offices and venture company clusters, and create startup streets around Nakseongdae-dong and Daehak-dong as part of the 8th term promises.
Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “The Gwanak S-Valley project, aiming to make our district a global startup hub like Silicon Valley or Zhongguancun, is progressing smoothly. In the 8th term, we will accelerate support for resident companies' global expansion, investment attraction, and provide support in space, technology, and investment to make Gwanak-gu a venture startup mecca.”
Lee Soo-hee, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, will meet residents online.
From the 11th, a two-week period was set for the mayor to visit 18 community service centers to listen to residents' opinions on-site, but since it operates during weekday daytime hours, it is difficult for office workers or self-employed people to participate.
Therefore, Gangdong-gu has prepared an online communication channel for residents who cannot attend in person.
The 'Online Dialogue with Residents' where Mayor Lee can be met online will be held three times on the 19th, 21st, and 22nd at 7:30 PM for about one hour each.
A total of 94 residents who applied in advance by the 15th will participate via the video conferencing platform Zoom, sharing their proposals for the 8th term and introducing new policies that will change Gangdong in the future.
Previously, starting from the Gangil-dong Community Service Center on the 11th, Mayor Lee toured all 18 community service centers in the district, meeting residents directly on-site to listen to various opinions.
At meetings with key institutions, organizations, and resident representatives in each neighborhood, the sessions drew consensus for creating a 'Vibrant Change, Proud Gangdong' and fostered communication and harmony by listening to vivid voices from the field.
Mayor Lee Soo-hee said, “We plan to establish various communication channels with residents to actively collect opinions and lead district administration. We will do our best to make Gangdong-gu an attractive and vibrant city where everyone wants to live.”
On the 18th, the '2022 Safety Equipment Delivery Ceremony for Recyclable Collectors' was held at Siheung 3-dong Community Center.
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) will provide safety equipment to 97 recycling collectors starting from the 18th.
On July 18, at the Siheung 3-dong Community Service Center, safety vests and foldable carts were handed over to 19 recycling collectors.
Geumcheon-gu's 'Safety Equipment Support Project for Recycling Collectors' is implemented to ensure the safety and welfare of elderly people collecting waste and recyclables, and to promote resource recycling, based on the ordinance on support for recycling collectors enacted in September last year.
The support targets recycling collectors who are registered residents of Geumcheon-gu and actually reside there, including seniors aged 65 or older and people with disabilities. Geumcheon-gu plans to conduct annual surveys on recycling collectors and continue support for eligible recipients.
Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon of Geumcheon-gu said, “I hope this project will help elderly recycling collectors carry out their collection activities more safely. We will continue to strive to provide necessary safety equipment for recycling collection activities.”
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