Seongdong-gu Designated as a 'Social Economy Friendly City'

[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Holds Social Economy Friendly City Unveiling Ceremony on the 3rd, Establishing a Foundation for Realizing Corporate Social Value & Wins Best District Award for Fostering Social Enterprises in 2022, the Only One Selected Among Seoul Districts ... Jongno-gu Provides Nation's Highest Level of Child Meal Support (9,000 Won per Meal, Up to 27,000 Won per Day) ... Gangseo-gu Launches Slogan Contest for '2022 Gangseo Innovation Education Festival'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) was selected as a ‘2022 Social Economy Friendly City’ hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and held an unveiling ceremony on the 3rd.

The Social Economy Friendly City is selected to share various cases of fostering social enterprises and to revitalize a regional-based social economy ecosystem led by the local community and supported by the central government.

This Social Economy Friendly City was established by integrating the selection of excellent local governments for fostering social enterprises, and through evaluation, three basic local governments including Seongdong-gu were selected for exemplary implementation of various policies to create a social economy ecosystem, such as establishing a support system for social enterprises and discovering and managing preliminary social enterprises.

The selection target was local governments that were selected as excellent local governments for fostering social enterprises within the last three years (’19~21) and were awarded the highest grade or above this year. Seongdong-gu won the Excellence Award for three consecutive years from ’19 to ’21 and received the Grand Prize this year, being selected as a Social Economy Friendly City.

Recently, centered around Seongsu-dong, the number of public shared offices, private shared offices such as Heyground and Cow & Dog, and knowledge industry centers has increased, creating a favorable environment for businesses. The number of (preliminary) social enterprises increased from 84 at the end of 2020 to 98 at the end of 2021.

Seongdong-gu has provided customized support not only for the quantitative increase of these enterprises but also to enable sustainable management in the future society. To revitalize the social economy, it has implemented comprehensive policies such as ▲operating the Social Economy Support Center and Social Venture Hub Center for workspaces and startup consulting ▲creating social finance through the Social Economy Revitalization Fund and Seongdong Impact Fund ▲supporting sales channels through the Social Venture Expo and SoYoungC Market ▲operating customized talent development programs.

Thanks to these various support policies, LAR, a social enterprise located near Seoul Forest that produces sneakers, bags, etc., using recycled plastic, started as a one-person company in Seongdong Anshim Shopping Center in 2018, and now has opened a standalone store in Seongsu-dong, continuously employing vulnerable groups and creating jobs, establishing itself as a representative social enterprise in the region.

This year, the district operates ‘Visiting Social Economy Exploration Life,’ where social entrepreneurs directly educate 335 elementary school students in the region. Linked with school classes, it provides understanding of the ‘social economy’ and activities to directly experience various social values pursued by each enterprise, such as ▲making my own wallet using waste leather ▲children’s career education experience ▲urban beekeeping experience ▲eliminating prejudice against people with disabilities.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said at the unveiling ceremony of the Social Economy Friendly City plaque, “This is a valuable result of the efforts of social economy enterprises, support organizations, and Seongdong-gu that have grown together.” He added, “We plan to conduct in-depth surveys on the status of social enterprises in the region through social enterprise and social venture surveys, reflect policy demands accordingly, and provide support befitting a Social Economy Friendly City.”

Jongno-gu (Mayor Jung Moon-heon) has been supporting a meal cost of 9,000 KRW per meal, which is among the highest nationwide, since May last year to improve the nutritional status and healthy growth of low-income children.

This measure reflects the surge in dining-out prices, the geographical characteristics of Jongno, where the average dining-out cost is high due to its location in the city center, and aims to solve the nutritional imbalance problem that hinders the development of growing children.

The Seoul City Child Meal Card (Dream Tree Card), provided to children under 18 at risk of missing meals due to economic or family circumstances, had a unit price of 6,000 KRW as of May last year. From August 1, it will be applied at 8,000 KRW.

In response, Jongno-gu proactively increased the meal unit price by investing its own budget, greatly expanding the menu choices for children.

According to the usage status of Jongno-gu’s Child Meal Card conducted in early 2021, local children used the meal card mostly at convenience stores, bakeries, and general restaurants in that order.

Moreover, they often ate retort foods and ready meals at convenience stores rather than at regular restaurants.

However, currently, children in Jongno-gu receive up to 27,000 KRW per day, 9,000 KRW per meal, and can enjoy various menus such as Korean, Chinese, Western, and snack foods.

As of August 2022, the number of child meal card recipients in the region is 181, and the number of affiliated stores is 3,981. Applications for the meal card can be made at the local community service center. Eligible children include those from recipient households or households with income below 52% of the median income.

Mayor Jung Moon-heon said, “We want to carefully take care of our growing children so that they do not worry about meals, with the heart of a parent.” He added, “We will prepare various support measures at the community level so that children can grow up healthily without losing their dreams despite difficult circumstances.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Tae-woo) is conducting a slogan contest for use in the ‘2022 Gangseo Innovation Education Festival’ to be held on October 15.

The Gangseo Innovation Education District is a project where schools and local communities cooperate to realize a village education community so that youth can grow happily, and it holds a festival every year to promote harmony among youth and the community.

The district is conducting a slogan contest with residents from the beginning to make this festival a resident-participation type festival.

The slogan should be a creative phrase in Korean within about 15 characters that clearly reflects the purpose and characteristics of the festival and is relatable to everyone.

The contest runs until the 16th, and anyone interested in the Gangseo Innovation Education Festival can participate regardless of their region. However, only one entry per person is allowed.

Residents who wish to participate can apply through the QR code (Naver Form) posted in the recruitment notice on the ‘Gangseo-gu Office website (homepage) - Notices/News’.

The district will comprehensively evaluate the submitted slogans for symbolism and creativity, select six excellent works (1 first prize, 2 second prizes, 3 third prizes), post them on the Gangseo-gu Office website in September, and individually notify the winners.

Winners will receive cultural gift certificates worth 100,000 KRW for first place, 50,000 KRW for second place, and 30,000 KRW for third place according to the award level.

The district plans to actively use the final selected slogan for promoting the Gangseo Innovation Education District.

An official from the district said, “The Gangseo Innovation Education Festival is a festival where youth, teachers, parents, and local residents come together to support children’s dreams.” He added, “We hope many residents will show interest and participate in the slogan contest that will brighten this festival.”