[Photo] Korean New Intellectuals Association Donates 104 Bags of Rice to Dongdaemun-gu for Chuseok

[Seoul District Photo News] Korean New Knowledge Workers Association delivers 104 bags of rice for vulnerable groups following January 30 visit... Yeongdeungpo-gu presents appreciation plaques to outstanding winter donors... Gangseo-gu, Shinhan Bank, and Woori Bank join hands to support small business and SME financing... Yongsan-gu and Post Office sign welfare registered mail business agreement... Seongbuk-gu and Good Neighbors (Seo-in Regional Headquarters) sign agreement to support at-risk children and promote their rights... Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, attends 'Beautiful Journey' with Korean Women's Association...

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Lee Pil-hyung (right in the photo) is taking a commemorative photo with Kim Jong-baek, President of the Korea New Knowledge Workers Association (left in the photo), on the morning of the 30th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) announced on the morning of the 30th at 9:30 AM that the Korea New Intellectuals Association (KNIA) visiting Dongdaemun-gu Office for Chuseok donated 104 bags of rice (equivalent value of 3,016,000 KRW).

The donation ceremony was held with the attendance of Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, Kim Jong-baek, President of the Korea New Intellectuals Association, Park Seung-gu, CEO of Dongdaemun Newspaper, and other related officials. The donated rice will be distributed to vulnerable groups within the community.

Meanwhile, the Korea New Intellectuals Association, established in November 1999, strives to discover new intellectuals and support vulnerable groups under the motto of establishing a new human image that responds to the 21st-century knowledge information society and contributes to national development. Earlier this year in January, they also visited Dongdaemun-gu and donated 104 bags of 10kg rice.

President Kim Jong-baek said, “On the occasion of the great national holiday Chuseok, we donated rice so that our neighbors in need in the region can have a warm holiday,” adding, “I hope this can bring some comfort to neighbors going through difficult times.”

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, expressed deep gratitude, saying, “Even in these difficult times, I sincerely thank the Korea New Intellectuals Association for not forgetting and donating rice to help neighbors in need,” and added, “We will promptly deliver the rice so that Chuseok can be a time to feel the warmth of neighborly affection.”

On the afternoon of the 30th, Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, presented plaques of appreciation to outstanding donors of the ‘2022 Hope Ondol Warm Winter Campaign’ at the annex auditorium of the district office.

The district presented plaques of appreciation to 28 outstanding donors who practiced warm sharing for neighbors in need, including those who donated over 10 million KRW, expressing encouragement and gratitude.

Mayor Choi expressed deep thanks, stating, “Despite the difficult economic situation everyone is facing, thanks to those who willingly extended their warm hands, we were able to achieve the highest fundraising amount in the district’s history,” and added, “We will continue to spread a culture of giving in daily life and strive to support residents in need.”

Kim Tae-woo, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul (center), is taking a commemorative photo on the morning of the 30th (Tuesday) in the mayor's office after signing a business agreement with Shinhan Bank and Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation to support loans for small business owners. From left to right are Kim Seung-young, Executive Director of Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, Kim Tae-woo, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, and Jin Ok-dong, President of Shinhan Bank.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Tae-woo) signed a loan agreement with Shinhan Bank on the 30th to alleviate financial difficulties of small business owners struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The agreement ceremony held at the district office included Kim Tae-woo, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Jin Ok-dong, President of Shinhan Bank, Kim Seung-young, Executive Director of Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, and other officials.

Under this agreement, Shinhan Bank will contribute 150 million KRW to the Credit Guarantee Foundation, and the district will provide special credit guarantees totaling 2.88 billion KRW within 20 million KRW per small business owner with low credit. Interest will be fully supported for one year after the loan.

The district will also support loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to stabilize management. On the 31st, the district will sign an agreement with Woori Bank (President Lee Won-duk) for loan support from the SME Development Fund.

This agreement includes Woori Bank’s contribution of 200 million KRW as special guarantee funds for SME loan support and mutual cooperation to revitalize the local economy through credit guarantees. The district plans to support credit guarantees totaling 2.4 billion KRW within 50 million KRW per company.

Mayor Kim Tae-woo said, “I deeply thank all institutions that joined forces to help small and medium-sized business owners struggling due to the COVID-19 aftermath and economic downturn,” and added, “The district will do its best to revitalize the local economy and support SMEs.”

Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Park Hee-young), Yongsan Post Office (Director Seo Jeong-geon), and the Post Office Public Welfare Foundation (Chairman Park Jong-seok) signed a business agreement on the 29th for the ‘Welfare Registered Mail Project’ to discover and support vulnerable households in the community.

The agreement ceremony was held in the Yongsan Post Office’s main conference room with 10 officials including Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, Seo Jeong-geon, Director of Yongsan Post Office, and Park Jong-seok, Chairman of the Post Office Public Welfare Foundation. The event lasted 30 minutes, including introductions, greetings, signing the agreement, and commemorative photos.

The institutions plan to cooperate to find welfare blind spots in the community and provide customized welfare services to residents through postal workers who deliver mail to households as part of the Welfare Registered Mail Project.

Postal workers will deliver welfare information notices to households suspected of being in crisis, assess the health and safety status of the households, and complete a crisis investigation checklist. This information will be forwarded to the local community service center, which will review the contents and provide customized welfare services to each household. The postage costs incurred during this process will be covered by the Post Office Public Welfare Foundation.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “If postal workers carefully check each household and report the results, it will greatly help the district to promptly provide welfare support,” and added, “We will continue to practice visiting welfare services through ongoing collaboration with the post office.”

Seongbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Seung-ro) and Good Neighbors Seo-in Regional Headquarters (Head Hong Seon-gyo) joined hands.

Seongbuk-gu and Good Neighbors Seo-in Regional Headquarters signed a business agreement to support children in vulnerable families and promote their rights. Present at the event were Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, Hong Seon-gyo, Head of Good Neighbors Seo-in Regional Headquarters, and Moon Ki-deok, Branch Manager of Seoul Eastern Branch. Both organizations pledged active cooperation in referring and supporting children in need of welfare services and economic assistance within the community.

Good Neighbors Seo-in Regional Headquarters also donated sponsorship goods worth about 30 million KRW to Seongbuk-gu for low-income families. The donated items included food (nutritional growth kits), emotional growth play kits, feminine hygiene products (sanitary pad kits) for adolescent girls, and hand sanitizer hygiene kits for COVID-19 prevention. Good Neighbors Seo-in Regional Headquarters is also conducting side dish support projects for children from low-income families in Seongbuk-gu.

Hong Seon-gyo, Head of Good Neighbors Seo-in Regional Headquarters, said, “It is very meaningful to cooperate with Seoul Seongbuk-gu, the first city in Korea certified by UNICEF as a child-friendly city,” and added, “We will become an NGO that provides welfare services needed by the community as well as support for children in vulnerable families.”

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “No matter how dense the welfare network is, blind spots inevitably occur,” and expressed his expectation, “Through cooperation with Good Neighbors, which has provided various welfare services for the community, we will be able to support more thorough and better welfare not only for children in vulnerable families but also for other vulnerable groups.”

Park Kang-soo, Mayor of Mapo-gu, attended the ‘Beautiful Journey’ event held with the Korea Geunwoo Association on the 30th.

The event, hosted by the Korea Geunwoo Association, was attended by about 200 executives and members of the association, including Park Kang-soo, Mayor of Mapo-gu, and various figures from different sectors to commemorate the event.

The Korea Geunwoo Association, located in Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, was established in 1927 for women’s solidarity and anti-Japanese women’s movements. It was forcibly disbanded by the Japanese colonial government in 1931 but has been carrying out activities such as the Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) planting movement since 1982 under the leadership of President Lee Hee-ja.

Park Kang-soo, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “The patriotic and people-loving spirit of the Geunwoo Association, Korea’s first women’s organization, has been passed down from the past to the present thanks to the passion of its members,” and added, “Mapo-gu will also pour great passion into realizing the slogan of the 8th elected government, ‘New Mapo, Better Mapo,’ so I ask for your continued affection and participation in the community.”

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Seoul Eoullim Sports Center held near Suraksan Station at 2:30 PM on the 30th.

The Seoul Eoullim Sports Center will cover a total area of 14,779㎡, with two basement floors and three above-ground floors. It is planned to be a barrier-free facility where people with disabilities, non-disabled people, local residents, and professional athletes can enjoy various sports such as swimming, bowling, and basketball together without barriers. The target completion date is July 2025.

The center is designed as a barrier-free space to ensure convenient access and use by vulnerable groups in sports, including people with disabilities, children, and the elderly. It has already obtained the highest grade preliminary certification of the Barrier-Free (BF) certification for barrier-free living environment at the design stage.

The event was held with the attendance of Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, members of the National Assembly, city councilors, and district councilors. The program included progress reports, congratulatory speeches, groundbreaking ceremony, and commemorative photos.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “With the completion of the Seoul Eoullim Sports Center in addition to Bulamsan Sports Town, Madeul Sports Town, Choansan Sports Town, and Suraksan Sports Town to be completed in autumn, Nowon-gu will become a city of community sports.”