[Seoul District News] Dobong-gu Selected for Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Advanced IT Public Service Promotion Project and Launches Smart City Project ... Yeongdeungpo-gu Lifelong Education Website Offers 36,496 Courses with One Click ... Jongno-gu and Socar Partner to Introduce Eco-Friendly Electric Official Vehicles, Utilizing Idle Time of Commuting Officials for Resident Rentals ... Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Choi Ho-kwon Donates Congratulatory Flowers Received on Inauguration and Staff Promotions to Support Resource Recycling and Sharing Culture... Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center Cafe Business Unit Food Truck and Ca
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dobong-gu (Mayor Oh Eon-seok) has been selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Advanced Information Technology Utilization Public Service Promotion Project’ and will officially commence the smart city project from August 2022.
This contest was held targeting public institutions to solve social issues and regional problems by utilizing advanced information technology. Dobong-gu proposed the ‘Cloud Platform-Based Air Environment Measurement Network Implementation’ and ‘AI-Based Response System’ and was selected. The contractor was decided this month, and the project has begun.
The cloud-based platform refers to a platform capable of aggregating any urban data. It is the ‘nation’s first’ platform concept where any administrative agency can register and use its own smart city services.
With the establishment of this platform, the district plans to provide a cloud-based foundation that can be jointly used without building individual data aggregation systems for each project, such as smart crosswalks and smart illegal parking enforcement for the disabled. This will minimize budget duplication and waste, and accumulated data can be shared.
Based on this, the district will install about 80 IoT measuring devices like a mesh network on major roads in the area to monitor over 20 types of air environment factors such as nitrogen oxides (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide) and fine dust in real time. The collected information is expected to be practically reflected in daily administration through big data analysis, such as dynamically changing the routes of water spraying trucks to reduce fine dust.
Along with this, Dobong-gu has been steadily making efforts to solve urban problems and resident inconveniences through new technologies. Achievements so far include ▲installation of data-based smart crosswalks ▲installation of smart illegal parking enforcement systems in disabled parking zones ▲smart management of electric vehicle charging zones ▲installation of sterilizers in major public facilities ▲installation of ‘Cold Relief Stations’ and heated chairs at outdoor bus stops during winter.
Mayor Oh Eon-seok said, “Big data may seem far removed from daily life, but looking at Dobong-gu’s advanced utilization cases, from indoor air quality measurement to management of disabled parking zones, it is closely connected to practical aspects of life such as carbon neutrality and human rights protection. The district establishes detailed annual smart city project plans and is progressing related matters, so we will continue to strive to ensure that smart city projects can complement practical administrative areas.”
Since the launch of the 8th elected term, Dobong-gu Mayor Oh Eon-seok has emphasized ‘data-driven administration,’ which supplies administrative services timely and appropriately where there is demand, without budget waste.
Mayor Oh said, “Data-driven scientific administration means collecting and analyzing data and applying it to policies. While the private sector has long applied strategies based on data, our administrative area has been lacking in this regard when establishing policies. We will fully introduce this throughout administration, establish it as an administrative model, and contribute to nationwide standardization activities through the spread of the Dobong-type cloud platform.”
Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) has greatly expanded opportunities to learn through lifelong education courses.
The district operates an online lifelong education site that gathers 36,496 courses from 13 institutions nationwide, allowing users to take courses with just one click.
Recently, participation in lifelong education has sharply declined due to COVID-19. Participation dropped by 9.3%, from 40% in 2020 to 30.9% last year.
The district judges that the trend of online courses will continue due to the pandemic and technological development, and plans to increase participation by broadening choices through linkage among lifelong education institutions.
The online lifelong education site accessible through the district’s homepage includes 13 platforms such as K-mooc and Neulbaeum operated by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Culture Portal, Seoul Lifelong Learning Portal, Gyeonggi-do’s Knowledge (GSEEK), Ministry of Science and ICT’s Learning Country, and the National Gugak Center’s e-Gugak Academy.
Access is simple: by clicking on Lifelong Education - Online Lifelong Education within the integrated reservation section on the Yeongdeungpo-gu website, anyone can easily move to the respective sites.
Without the hassle of searching each homepage, users can find, compare, and take courses in humanities, social sciences, education, science, nature, medicine, arts, and physical education among the 36,496 courses.
Course registration procedures vary by site, but aside from membership registration, there are no additional steps, and all courses are free of charge.
By accessing the Yeongdeungpo-gu lifelong education homepage, users can also apply for various offline courses operated by the district, such as YDP Future Lifelong Learning Center, Yeongdeungpo Village University, YDP Yeongteukhan Academy, and Convergence Talent Education.
Mayor Choi Ho-kwon said, “With technological development and increasing knowledge, the importance of lifelong education is growing day by day. We will do our best to ensure that all residents can conveniently enjoy the benefits of lifelong education.”
Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Moon-heon) has partnered with Socar (CEO Park Jae-wook) to introduce eco-friendly electric vehicles as ‘shared cars,’ aiming to tackle traffic problems and promote a sharing culture simultaneously.
On the 24th, the district signed a ‘Business Agreement for Mobility Platform Introduction’ with Socar in the mayor’s office.
Based on this agreement, the two organizations will continuously collaborate to ▲activate the shared mobility economy ▲expand residents’ mobility rights ▲promote eco-friendly vehicles.
In particular, as a pilot project this year, Socar’s eco-friendly electric vehicles will be introduced as official vehicles. During working hours, officials will use them for work, and during idle times, they will be registered on the shared vehicle platform for residents to use conveniently.
Additionally, they will cooperate to establish a shared electric bicycle and shared parking space usage base, build integrated parking solutions for government offices and public parking lots, and support diagnostic systems for work vehicles and vehicles belonging to local businesses.
Furthermore, Socar plans to actively support Jongno-gu’s policy projects overall. At the signing ceremony, Mayor Jeong Moon-heon said, “We expect to respond to the increasing demand for electric vehicles among residents while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We will create various mobility environments that enhance resident convenience and lead the activation of the sharing economy.”
CEO Park Jae-wook of Socar said, “We will apply our vehicle management technology and operation solutions to Jongno-gu to help residents and local business employees move freely and happily.”
Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Choi Ho-kwon participated in resource recycling and the spread of a sharing culture by donating congratulatory flower pots received during his inauguration ceremony and employee promotions.
The district announced that during the recent personnel reshuffle, flower pots received as promotion and congratulatory gifts by district office employees were voluntarily collected and donated to the Yeongdeungpo Self-Support Center’s ‘Yeonghee’s Thrift Store.’
About 180 flower pots collected this way are sold at affordable prices lower than market value, and all proceeds will be used to support the independence of low-income residents in the area.
An employee who generously donated orchids for this sharing said, “It feels more meaningful to share the joy of being congratulated and help neighbors in need. I plan to continue practicing sharing steadily, starting with myself, even if it is something small.”
‘Yeonghee’s Thrift Store’ is part of a social service-type self-support project jointly operated by the Yeongdeungpo Regional Self-Support Center and Yeongdeungpo-gu, providing stable jobs to low-income people and contributing to resource recycling by selling collected used clothes and donated items.
Since its opening in October last year, various donated items have been received, and about 3,200 people have visited, with usage gradually increasing. Users are highly satisfied as they can purchase needed items cheaply and also donate.
‘Yeonghee’s Thrift Store’ is located at 435 Digital-ro near Daerim 1-dong Community Service Center. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., where anyone can freely visit to buy clothes, kitchenware, school supplies, etc., and donate unused items. Donation receipts can also be issued.
Mayor Choi Ho-kwon said, “Employees gathered their small intentions to donate congratulatory flower pots, hoping to help marginalized neighbors in the community. We will continue to promote donation campaigns and spread a culture of practicing sharing big and small in daily life.”
Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) announced on the 25th that the Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center’s caf? business group ‘Coffee Jigi’ is actively operating a food truck and caf? store, enhancing self-reliance capabilities and self-support will.
‘Coffee Jigi’ consists of about 10 low-income residents in the area aiming for employment and entrepreneurship in the food and beverage sector.
After receiving professional training at the self-support center, they operate a caf? food truck daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at a rest area next to the Ansan Jarak-gil mountain road.
They also run a caf? store on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Seodaemun 50 Plus Center and the Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center.
The sandwiches, drinks, and coffee they make fresh daily are popular among hikers at Ansan in Seodaemun and customers visiting the store.
‘Coffee Jigi’ also operates a customized catering service providing beverages and refreshments for various meetings, trainings, and workshops.
The Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center is a social welfare facility supporting sustainable self-support capabilities of low-income local residents, operating 11 ‘self-support business groups’ including the caf? business group, and supporting 7 ‘self-support enterprises’ such as Dasom Dosirak and Everclean.
Lee Hyun-seon, director of the Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center, said, “I feel vitality from the Coffee Jigi members who come to work and meet customers. We will work harder to develop various self-support projects in cooperation with the local community.”
Seodaemun-gu Mayor Lee Seong-heon said, “We will actively support job creation with competitiveness and self-reliance of low-income groups together with the Seodaemun Regional Self-Support Center.”
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