Gwanak-gu Supports Daily Recovery Package for Small Business Owners Affected by Flood Damage

[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Expands 'Small Business Development Fund' with 2 Million Won Emergency Recovery Support, 0.8% Interest Rate Reduction & Various Financial Support Programs for Small Business Management Funds & Additional Issuance of 14.4 Billion Won Gwanak Love Gift Certificates in Early September to Boost Local Consumption ... Yeongdeungpo-gu Conducts Intensive Disinfection to Prevent Infectious Diseases and Pest Spread in Flooded Areas ... Dongjak-gu Focuses on Rapid Disposal of Flood Waste ... Yongsan-gu Conducts Comprehensive Illegal Dumping Cleanup Throughout August

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) has launched a package of support measures for daily recovery, including disaster relief funds, various financial supports, and issuance of local currency, to stabilize the management of small business owners affected by the record-breaking heavy rain.

First, an emergency restoration fund of 2 million KRW per store will be provided to small business owners who suffered flood damage.

Considering that on-site verification takes time, the district started immediate field surveys from the 10th, mobilizing all available personnel including district office staff and volunteers to expedite the investigation and quickly disburse support funds.

In particular, to eliminate blind spots in application support, the district proposed to Seoul City to expand the support scope to small business owners operating on different floors of buildings that also serve as residences.

The district will provide financial support such as loan interest rate reductions and financing to help small business owners recover quickly and stabilize their management.

The ‘Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund Loan Project,’ which temporarily lowered the interest rate to 0.8% per annum for small business owners affected by COVID-19, will revise its fund operation plan to significantly expand the loan scale and minimize cases excluded during the screening process so that small business owners affected by this flood can overcome financial difficulties.

The district also operates the ‘Disaster Small Business Fund’ to quickly provide low-interest loans necessary for repairing equipment damaged by flooding. It offers a fixed interest rate of 2%, up to 200 million KRW, with a one-year grace period and five-year equal installment repayment. Additionally, an ‘Emergency Management Stabilization Fund’ of up to 70 million KRW under the same conditions is also available.

Small business owners wishing to apply for loans can submit an application to the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation with the Disaster Small Business Certificate issued by Gwanak-gu Office.

To facilitate rapid business consultations and issuance of necessary documents on-site, the district has been operating a ‘One-Stop Mobile Support Center’ at the Sinsa Market Customer Convenience Center in Sinsa-dong, where the highest number of affected stores are located, since the 13th. Experts from related organizations including Gwanak-gu, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Small Enterprise and Market Service, and Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation are stationed there to provide on-site consultations for small business owners.

Meanwhile, the ‘Gwanak Love Gift Certificate,’ which has received great response from both local residents and small business owners, will be additionally issued in early September with the same 10% discount benefit. The total issuance scale is 14.4 billion KRW, expected to revitalize the local commercial district depressed by the flood through increased consumption via local currency.

In particular, Mayor Park Jun-hee of Gwanak-gu proposed to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at the 171st Seoul City Mayors’ Council on the 17th to realistically increase the restoration fund from the current 2 million KRW to 4 million KRW for rapid daily recovery and practical damage restoration, and also requested Seoul City to provide additional matching funds between Seoul City and autonomous districts beyond the current restoration fund.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Small business owners who have struggled due to COVID-19 are now facing a management cliff crisis due to this flood. We will do our utmost to ensure rapid damage recovery and management stabilization through various small business support systems.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it is conducting intensive disinfection to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and pests in areas flooded by recent record-breaking heavy rain.

The continuous heatwave combined with sudden heavy rain increases the risk of waterborne infectious diseases such as typhoid fever and bacterial dysentery, which are transmitted through contaminated water.

Since the 12th, the district has deployed the public health center’s disinfection team, Saemaeul disinfection teams from each neighborhood, and professional disinfection companies to carry out disinfection work, completing disinfection at 1,200 flooded houses and facilities by the 17th.

Residents wishing to receive disinfection can apply through the Health Support Division’s disinfection call center, and the district plans to continue disinfection for flooded households in affected areas until the situation is resolved.

Additionally, Yeongdeungpo-gu is providing self-test kits, hand sanitizers, masks, and other protective supplies to disaster relief facilities and affected areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and is conducting continuous monitoring.

Mayor Choi Ho-kwon of Yeongdeungpo-gu stated, “In the current situation where the risk of infectious diseases has increased due to recent heavy rain, we will strengthen disinfection activities and do our best to protect the health and safety of residents.”

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Park Il-ha) is making every effort to promptly dispose of flood waste generated by the record-breaking heavy rain on the 8th and 9th.

As of the 17th, the accumulated amount of flood waste collected in Dongjak-gu reached approximately 3,600 tons. The average daily collection volume after the flood is about 600 tons, which is about three times the usual daily average of 200 tons.

Flood waste, if left unattended for a long time, causes foul odors, damages the surrounding landscape, and poses a risk of infectious diseases, so prompt disposal is necessary.

Accordingly, the district mobilized about 4,000 personnel including employees, military forces, and volunteers, as well as 417 vehicles and equipment including support from Seoul City and other districts, to conduct concentrated collection in major flood waste generation areas.

Additional waste collection is being carried out in alleys difficult for vehicles to access and in underground flooded households where soil has not been removed, along with water cleaning of dirty roads.

The number of transport vehicles bringing waste to landfill sites was increased from 4 to 17. Additional vehicles from contractors and leased vehicles were secured to quickly transport collected waste piled up at Noryangjin Environmental Support Center and Daebang Transfer Station to the metropolitan landfill.

To expedite disposal of waste in the Sadang area, a newly constructed site near Sadang Station was used as a temporary transfer station with the cooperation of the landowner.

The district has designated this week as the intensive flood waste collection period and is striving to transport remaining waste to the metropolitan landfill as much as possible.

Mayor Park Il-ha of Dongjak-gu said, “We will mobilize all administrative power to promptly dispose of flood waste that could cause secondary damage to local residents,” and expressed gratitude to all who have contributed their efforts.

Just as the ‘Broken Windows Theory’ suggests that leaving a broken window unattended leads to the spread of crime centered around that point, illegal dumping recurs in places where garbage has been left unattended for a long time. This is why illegal acts do not easily disappear even with CCTV or warning signs.

Accordingly, Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) conducted a comprehensive cleanup of illegal dumping sites throughout August, actively working to create clean alleys.

To resolve residents’ inconvenience caused by long-term habitual illegal dumping, the district office, neighborhood community centers, and waste collection and transportation contractors joined forces. Before the cleanup, areas requiring maintenance were pre-registered by neighborhood. Among them, 94 locations requiring urgent special management were selected based on regional characteristics and main causes of illegal dumping.

Major target sites include Daesagwan-ro 6ga-gil, a redevelopment area, and the vacant lot of Jungsan Apartment. Neighborhood community centers and contractors collect illegally dumped waste in each area. Collected waste that can be incinerated is placed in volume-based waste bags and sent to the Mapo Resource Recovery Facility, while non-incinerable waste will be processed through separate waste disposal companies.

The district plans to thoroughly manage the sites after the comprehensive illegal dumping cleanup.

Mayor Park Hee-young of Yongsan-gu said, “Residents’ discomfort often lies in small daily matters. Especially alleyway garbage can be resolved with just a little attention, so we are prioritizing its disposal.”

The district operates Alley Cleanliness Keepers (3 to 6 people per neighborhood) and an Illegal Dumping Crackdown Task Force (5 dedicated personnel). The task force prioritizes neighborhoods with frequent illegal dumping. Monitoring and patrols of habitual illegal dumping areas have also been strengthened.

A district official said, “We will do our best to minimize residents’ inconvenience caused by illegal dumping,” and urged residents to keep their homes and storefronts clean and to dispose of household waste at designated times and places.