Guro-gu's 6th Smart Library Opens at Onsu Station... Seongdong-gu Operates Commercial Lease Consultation Center

[Seoul District News] Guro-gu Smart Library Offers 24/7 Contactless Book Loan and Return Service... Jung-gu Establishes Educational Infrastructure for Local Youth... Seongdong-gu Commercial Lease Counseling Center Operates Every 2nd and 4th Thursday with Expert 1:1 Consultations... Seongbuk-gu Hosts Resident Autonomy School... Gangbuk-gu Holds Volunteer Activity Experience Essay Contest... Seodaemun-gu Gender Equality Events Include Gender Equality Film Festival, Women’s Safety Book Talk, and Exhibition on Women Independence Activists... Gangdong-gu Provides 32 Scholarships to Foster Local Talent

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The ‘Onsu Station Smart Library,’ accessible 24/7 throughout the year, has opened its doors. It is the sixth smart library in Guro-gu.

Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) announced that on the 19th, it held an opening ceremony at the Onsu Station Smart Library located in the lobby between exits 5 and 6 of Line 7 Onsu Station, with the participation of Moon Heon-il, Mayor of Guro-gu, library officials, and about 30 residents.

The newly opened Onsu Station Smart Library can hold a total of 600 books. Equipped with a 43-inch touch monitor that allows book search, borrowing, and return, as well as providing book information and additional services, it enables users to access library services without restrictions of time and place.

Any Guro-gu resident registered with the Guro Integrated Library ‘Lighthouse of Wisdom’ can use the service.

Three years ago, there were only three smart libraries in Guro-gu, but with the openings of Oryu-dong Station in 2021, Guil Station in 2022, and now Onsu Station, the number has increased to six. By the end of this year, the seventh smart library, Namguro Station Smart Library, is scheduled to open.

A Guro-gu official said, “Since smart libraries are mostly demanded by younger generations, we installed them in Line 7 stations where there is relatively high foot traffic. In the future, we will expand smart libraries not only in subway stations but also in public facilities to provide residents with intellectual nourishment.”

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) is establishing educational infrastructure for local youth and implementing various educational support policies. In particular, efforts are being made to assist elementary, middle, and high school students in making decisions about their academic advancement and career paths.

From the 17th to the 19th, Jung-gu operated the ‘2022 University Major In-depth Exploration Program’ in collaboration with Seoul National University Lifelong Education Institute. This program provided youth with opportunities to explore university majors through various career lectures, department introductions, and mentoring.

A total of 199 high school students from Seongdong High School, Ewha Girls’ High School, Jangchung High School, and Hwanil High School participated. Over three days, students attended special lectures by Seoul National University professors and experienced various practical activities. Through mentoring, students were able to ask and resolve various questions they had.

Unlike last year’s non-face-to-face format due to COVID-19, this year’s program allowed students to visit the site directly and engage in diverse activities, enabling a deeper major experience.

Additionally, Jung-gu offers various career and academic exploration opportunities for youth.

Starting from the end of this year until the end of November, about 100 middle school students in the area will participate in the ‘2022 Second Half Online University Student Mentoring’ program.

Participating students will receive 1:1 mentoring and career exploration counseling both online and offline. Mentors are university students from Dongguk University, and application fields include Korean, English, Math, Science, Social Studies, History, Physical Education, and Career.

The ‘Dream Growth Career Experience’ program for elementary students is also ongoing.

Held at the Jung-gu Career and Job Experience Support Center (4th floor of Sindang Nuri Center), the Dream Growth Career Experience offers career exploration and job experience programs tailored to elementary students’ levels. Through this, children can design their own career paths based on their interests and aptitudes.

From the 1st to the 12th, the Jung-gu Academic Counseling Center conducted career and academic counseling and career assessments for local elementary, middle, and high school students.

Mayor Kim Gil-seong said, “An educational environment is the most important factor for making Jung-gu a desirable place to live. We will continue to prepare and support various programs so that youth can develop their individual aptitudes and design a fruitful future.”

“I just finished interior work, but the landlord is telling me to leave. Is there any way to handle this?”

When running a store, disputes related to lease termination, excessive rent increases, and key money refunds frequently occur, causing difficulties.

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that starting August 25, it will operate a Commercial Lease Counseling Center at Seongdong Safe Shopping Mall in Seongsu-dong 1-ga to prevent commercial lease disputes and create a stable business environment for tenants.

The district will operate the counseling center every second and fourth Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. at Seongdong Safe Shopping Mall, where many stores are concentrated. Counseling applications must be submitted at least three days before the counseling date. One-on-one face-to-face and telephone consultations with experts are available, with up to eight applicants accepted per session on a first-come, first-served basis.

Counseling covers contract drafting, rent adjustments, key money recovery, contract renewal and termination, and other commercial lease-related issues, as well as tax consultations (once a month) on comprehensive income tax, business registration, and closure.

Furthermore, in cooperation with Seoul City, the district provides a ‘Visiting Commercial Lease Dispute Mediation Committee’ service to resolve disputes that cannot be settled through counseling alone.

Any commercial tenant or landlord in Seongdong-gu experiencing lease disputes can apply. For small business owners who find it difficult to leave their business premises for long periods, the mediation committee holds sessions near the applicant’s store location.

The Seoul City Commercial Lease Dispute Mediation Committee, composed of lawyers, appraisers, architects, and others, conducts mediation. The mediation agreement accepted by both parties has the same enforceability as a court judgment, helping resolve commercial lease disputes.

Mayor Jung Won-oh said, “Seongdong-gu has made many efforts for mutual growth, such as designating sustainable development zones. We are pleased to provide practical services through the Commercial Lease Counseling Center and will continue to strive for a gentrification-free, mutually prosperous Seongdong-gu.”

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) operated the 2022 Resident Autonomy School for two days on the 18th and 19th at the Seongbuk Art Hall on the 4th floor of the district office to select members of the Resident Autonomy Committee.

This Resident Autonomy School is a mandatory 6-hour basic preliminary education that must be completed before selecting Resident Autonomy Committee members. It was designed to strengthen resident-led autonomy capabilities and enhance understanding of resident autonomy.

From July 25 to August 10, the district publicly recruited additional members for the Resident Autonomy Committees in 10 neighborhoods, receiving about 100 additional applications.

The education targets were residents who applied to be members of the Resident Autonomy Committees in 10 neighborhoods (Seongbuk-dong, Samseon-dong, Dongseon-dong, Bomun-dong, Jeongneung 2-dong, Gireum 1-dong, Jongam-dong, Wolgok 2-dong, Jangwi 1-dong, Seokgwan-dong). The main education content consisted of two 3-hour lectures: ▲Lecture 1 ‘Understanding Resident Autonomy and Seongbuk-type Resident Autonomy Committee Projects’ ▲Lecture 2 ‘Democratic Meeting Methods and Roles of Resident Leaders,’ providing basic education on resident-led autonomous activities.

After completing the Resident Autonomy School, final members are selected through a public lottery. The selected members will be appointed and begin activities as Resident Autonomy Committee members from September. To ensure transparent and fair selection, a lottery operation committee is formed according to the quota for each neighborhood.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “I expect the Resident Autonomy Committee to become a strong foundation in the era of resident sovereignty, where residents’ authority and responsibility are strengthened. We will actively support the activation of ‘Seongbuk-type Resident Autonomy,’ which is leading lifestyle autonomy nationwide.”

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) is holding a ‘Volunteer Activity Experience Essay’ contest to share experiences and the importance of volunteer work.

Any volunteer affiliated with the Gangbuk-gu Volunteer Center can participate regardless of age. Even volunteers from other regional centers can apply if they have volunteered in Gangbuk-gu.

Applicants can download the application form from the Gangbuk-gu Volunteer Center website and submit it along with their experience essay. The essay should be written in prose format about volunteer episodes and impressions from this year’s activities.

The district will select six works from the submissions and award them at the Volunteer One Heart Grand Festival held in December.

More details can be found on the Gangbuk-gu Volunteer Center website.

Mayor Lee Soon-hee said, “I hope this contest will share diverse volunteer experiences and encourage more people to participate in volunteering. Please widely share your moving stories.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) will hold a commemorative ceremony and various cultural events from the 27th of this month to the 30th of next month in celebration of Gender Equality Commemoration Week.

Gender Equality Commemoration Week (September 1?7) is established under the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Gender Equality to realize a substantive gender-equal society in all areas including politics, economy, society, and culture.

The district has prepared a commemorative ceremony, gender equality film festival, women’s safety book talk show, exhibition of materials on women independence activists, and themed book exhibitions.

Under the catchphrase ‘Seodaemun-gu, Immersed in Gender Equality!’, the content is designed for residents to enjoy easily and comfortably.

The commemorative ceremony will be held online on the 31st of this month from 2 to 4 p.m. It will include an award ceremony for eight residents receiving the Gender Equality Award and a gender equality quiz show. Writer Choi Tae-sung will give a special lecture titled ‘People Who Changed the World, Becoming Stars and Immersing.’

The Gender Equality Film Festival will be held on September 2?3 at Leica Cinema in Yeonhui-dong, screening the films ‘Homage,’ ‘To Yoon-hee,’ and ‘Doom Doom.’ Among these, ‘Doom Doom’ is a mid-September release, and there will be director talks for ‘Homage’ and ‘Doom Doom’ to discuss various aspects of the films.

The Women’s Safety Book Talk Show ‘Is Your Relationship Safe?’ will be held on September 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Parang Whale in Sinchon, featuring presentations and panel discussions on ‘The Reality of Dating Violence and Countermeasures.’

The exhibition, in collaboration with the National Women’s History Exhibition Hall, will be held at the district office plaza and local libraries from August 31 to September 7 under the theme ‘Today, Meeting Women in History,’ and at two to three elementary schools in the district from September 1 to 30 under the theme ‘Here, Meeting Women Independence Activists 100 Years Ago.’

Additionally, there will be ▲events hosted by gender equality fund-selected organizations ‘Neighborhoods: Immersed’ (September 1?7), ▲‘Healing Chat Time! Gender Salon’ involving local women (September 7), ▲youth experiential activities ‘HEY! We Change the World’ at Lee Jin-ah Memorial Library (August 27), and a themed book exhibition for Gender Equality Commemoration Week (August 30?September 8).

For details such as film festival attendance applications, please refer to the Seodaemun-gu website announcements.

Mayor Lee Seong-heon said, “Through Gender Equality Commemoration Week with diverse cultural events, I hope men and women respect each other and take a step closer to a happy society together.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) announced on the 22nd that it plans to select about 70 students and provide a total of 32 million KRW in scholarships.

The scholarships are supported by the ‘Gangdong-gu Education Support Fund.’ Through this fund, a total of 742 students in the area have received about 654 million KRW in scholarships up to last year.

The application period is until September 2, and the eligibility is elementary, middle, and high school students who have been continuously registered residents in Gangdong-gu for more than one year as of the announcement date (August 15).

The selection categories are ▲General Scholarship ▲Academic Excellence Scholarship ▲Special Talent Scholarship ▲Community Service Scholarship. The support amount per person is 300,000 KRW for elementary students and 500,000 KRW for middle and high school students.

General, academic excellence, and special talent scholarships can be applied for through schools, while community service scholarships or students attending schools outside the area can apply through the local community service center of their residence.

After the application deadline, recipients will be selected through the Fund Operation Review Committee’s evaluation, and scholarships will be awarded in October.

Mayor Lee Soo-hee said, “I hope students facing economic difficulties can focus on their studies without other worries thanks to this scholarship support. We will continue to promote academic support and improve the educational environment to create an environment where all students in the area can fairly achieve their dreams.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) Public Health Center operates the ‘Nutrition Plus Project’ to support healthy living for pregnant women and infants.

The ‘Nutrition Plus Project’ provides supplementary food packages to pregnant women and infants with nutritional risk factors such as anemia, underweight, or growth retardation, and supports healthy living for mothers and babies through nutrition education and counseling.

Recipients receive food packages containing rice, eggs, milk, black beans, fresh vegetables, and formula milk necessary for growth and development twice a month free of charge.

Monthly nutrition education and counseling tailored to life cycle characteristics help participants develop self-management skills for their diet. Nutritional assessments such as body measurements, hemoglobin tests, and meal analysis are also provided.

The program targets pregnant women, postpartum women, and infants under 66 months in the area. Applications are accepted if household income is below 80% of the median income based on household size.

Those wishing to participate can apply by phone at the Nutrition Plus Counseling Office of Junggok Health Branch in Gwangjin-gu and will be selected after qualification evaluation.

Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said, “Proper nutrition intake for infants and pregnant women is crucial for laying the foundation for future health. I hope the Nutrition Plus Project will provide practical help to families with newborns, and we will continue to actively develop various projects to improve residents’ health and increase birth rates.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Tae-woo) has taken the lead in creating a society where everyone is equal.

The district announced that it will hold the ‘2022 Gender Equality Content Contest’ until September 30, focusing on gender equality.

The contest aims to raise residents’ interest in gender equality and build social consensus to create a society where everyone is equal.

The contest is divided into three categories: slogans, webtoons, and videos (UCC).

The themes include ▲gender equality in schools, workplaces, homes, daily life, and media ▲breaking gender role stereotypes, work-family balance, and examples of gender equality in daily life ▲prevention of domestic violence, sexual violence, dating violence, and cyber sex crimes, freely expressing content related to gender equality.

Slogans must be within 20 characters, and only one entry per person is allowed. Webtoons must be within 4 panels, and videos must be within 3 minutes, with no limit on the number of submissions.

Anyone interested in gender equality can apply regardless of region via the Gangseo-gu website (homepage) under Communication and Participation - Event Registration (online application).

More detailed information such as submission specifications can be found on the Gangseo-gu website under Notices/News.

In October, the district will select a total of 31 works through department screening and expert jury evaluation: one grand prize, five excellence awards (2 slogans, 2 webtoons, 1 video), and 23 encouragement awards (20 slogans, 2 webtoons, 1 video). Winners will be notified individually.

Winners will receive certificates and cash prizes up to 500,000 KRW.

The winning works will also be actively used as promotional materials to spread awareness of gender equality.

Mayor Kim Tae-woo said, “Through this contest, I hope to identify remaining gender discrimination elements in our society and create opportunities to practice gender equality in daily life. I encourage residents’ active interest and participation.”