[Photo] Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, Visits Jungdonggyo Bridge at Bulgwangcheon to Check River Water Level

[Seoul Autonomous District Photo News] Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, visited Jungdonggyo Bridge on Bulgwangcheon at around 5 PM on the 19th to check river water levels and confirm road closures due to heavy rain... Jeong Mun-heon, Mayor of Jongno-gu, held a meeting with visiting nurses and elderly welfare officers for single-person households aged 65+ and conducted video calls with seniors possessing shared mobile phones... Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, elected as a new director of the National Lifelong Learning Cities Association... Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, cleaned at Hwayang-dong Konkuk University Food Street at 7 AM on the 18th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, conducted an on-site inspection in preparation for flood damage.

On the 19th at around 5 p.m., Mayor Park visited Jungdonggyo Bridge over Bulgwangcheon Stream in Mapo-gu to check the river water level and the closure status of the underpass road caused by heavy rain earlier that afternoon.

He then visited Seongsan Rainwater Pump Station to inspect the operation status of the drainage pumps, continuing on-site inspections of flood control facilities in preparation for possible heavy rain overnight.

Jung Moon-heon, Mayor of Jongno-gu, is launching the program "Mayor Meets Elderly Living Alone via Zoom" as part of a non-face-to-face communication policy to regularly connect online with elderly people living alone.

The program aims to prevent solitary deaths in the community and support socially isolated households. Mayor Jung will carefully check on the safety and well-being of the elderly through weekly Zoom sessions to help alleviate feelings of depression.

The target participants are residents aged 65 or older living alone in the area. Participants are selected by the village welfare team at the local community service center. On the day of the meeting, visiting nurses and elderly welfare officers carry a shared mobile phone to assist the elderly in connecting to the video call.

On the 18th, Mayor Jung spent time with 17 elderly people living alone, one from each neighborhood, asking attentively about their recent lives and whether they had suffered any damage from rain or heatwaves.

Meeting Mayor Jung through the mobile phone, Mr. Kim (90) expressed, "With COVID-19, heatwaves, and heavy rain, it has been difficult to go out, and I was feeling depressed, so having the mayor as a companion to talk to makes me very happy."

Jongno-gu plans to regularize these online meetings with elderly people living alone to invigorate their lives and increase participant satisfaction by linking with emergency medical support and visiting nursing services.

Mayor Jung Moon-heon said, "I volunteered to be a companion to ease the loneliness of elderly people living alone," adding, "Like a younger sibling or a friend, I will strive to have open and honest conversations with elderly residents from 17 neighborhoods every week to bring vitality to their monotonous daily lives."

Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, was elected as a new director at the temporary general meeting of the National Lifelong Learning Cities Association held on the 19th at the 19th floor of the Korea Press Center.

At the comprehensive discussion on the theme "Lifelong Learning Policy and Direction of Learning Cities Following the Launch of the New Government and the 8th Local Government," Mayor Lee presented three keywords for lifelong education policy: digital, learning tailored to Korean society, and inclusiveness of learning cities.

About 40 people, including heads of member cities, education superintendents, and advisory committee members, attended the general meeting.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, will start a thorough cleanup of old garbage in alleys across 15 neighborhoods in the district from the 18th, working together with residents.

Mayor Kim plans to conduct "Alley Cleaning with Residents" every two weeks in each neighborhood to create a clean living environment that residents can feel and to provide a communication platform to listen to residents' stories on-site.

The cleaning areas prioritize busy districts such as food alleys, traditional markets, multi-use facilities, places with frequent illegal dumping, and areas with habitual complaints.

On the 18th, about 40 residents of Hwayang-dong, including Saemaul leaders, volunteer camp members, residents' autonomy committee, neighborhood association, and the Konkuk University Taste Street Merchants' Association, joined the alley cleaning starting at 7 a.m.

Mayor Kim participated in the cleanup, starting from Chunchun Deurak, an area with many cigarette butt complaints, and moved along about 600 meters of Konkuk University Taste Street, collecting cigarette butts and old garbage left unattended, personally engaging in street cleaning.

During the cleanup, he explained available support projects to Hwayang-dong residents who had struggled with business due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and promised to continue various policies to revitalize the local economy, maintaining dialogue with residents.

Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said, "Providing a safe and clean environment for residents is of utmost importance," adding, "We will continue to roam the alleys with residents to create a pleasant Gwangjin and listen to voices from the field to reflect them in policies."

Moon Heon-il, Mayor of Guro-gu, was elected as the 2nd president of the Anyangcheon Beautification and Advancement Administrative Council.

Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) announced that at the regular general meeting of the Anyangcheon Beautification and Advancement Administrative Council held on the 16th, Mayor Moon was elected as the 2nd council president.

During his term, the newly elected Mayor Moon Heon-il will oversee the operation of the council and build cooperative relationships for the beautification and advancement of Anyangcheon.

Additionally, the council pledged at the meeting to actively implement beautification and advancement projects for Anyangcheon by each local government and to jointly strive to secure national funding through close consultations with related ministries.

A Guro-gu official said, "Considering the impact of green spaces on health and happiness, the Anyangcheon beautification and advancement project will directly and indirectly affect residents' quality of life," adding, "We will continue to take the lead in promoting the value of Anyangcheon."

The Anyangcheon Beautification and Advancement Administrative Council was formed in August last year by eight local governments sharing Anyangcheon: Seoul area (Guro, Yeongdeungpo, Yangcheon, Geumcheon) and Gyeonggi area (Gwangmyeong, Anyang, Gunpo, Uiwang) to systematically and efficiently promote the beautification and advancement projects of Anyangcheon.

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced on the 19th that it has provided relief supplies to its sister city, Buyeo-gun in Chungnam Province, which suffered damage from record-breaking heavy rain.

On the 14th, Buyeo-gun in Chungnam Province experienced severe damage, including flooding of over 130 buildings such as houses and shops, and loss of farmland due to heavy rain.

In response, Yangcheon-gu, upon hearing the flood damage news from its sister city Buyeo-gun, loaded relief supplies worth about 10 million KRW, including pre-cooked rice, ramen, and cup noodles, and on the 19th morning, the Director of Administrative Support and staff from the responsible department departed for Buyeo-gun.

Mayor Lee Gi-jae of Yangcheon-gu said, "I was very saddened to hear that our sister city Buyeo-gun suffered great damage from this flood," adding, "I hope the relief supplies delivered this time will be of some help to the residents of Buyeo-gun who suffered flood damage due to the sudden heavy rain."

Since signing a sisterhood agreement in 1997, Yangcheon-gu and Buyeo-gun have continuously engaged in active exchanges to share culture and promote friendship through participation in agricultural product direct markets and visits to each other's representative festivals.