Yeongdeungpo-gu's Warm Chuseok Neighbor Helping Event

[Seoul District News] Yeongdeungpo-gu Organizes Sharing Event to Support Flood Victims and Vulnerable Residents through Public-Private Cooperation & Delivers Sponsored Items Including Side Dishes, Songpyeon, and Charyesang Packages ... Dobong-gu Strengthens Hygiene Management of Seongsu Foods Ahead of Chuseok Holiday ... Dongdaemun-gu Conducts Special Inspection on Ritual and Gift Foods and Livestock Products with Increased Demand for Chuseok ... Geumcheon-gu Advises on Household Waste Disposal Starting Sunday, the 11th, During Chuseok Holiday

The Mullae-dong Community Security Council is delivering food packages to elderly single-person households in the area on the 30th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) is joining hands with various sectors of the public and private to help neighbors in need ahead of Chuseok.

They have prepared abundant sharing events such as delivering consolation goods and providing meals so that vulnerable residents including disaster victims from the recent heavy rains, low-income households, elderly living alone, and people with disabilities can have a warm holiday.

In particular, various events linked with local social welfare resources are expected to contribute to the spread of a culture of sharing.

First, on September 1, the Yeongdeungpo District Council of the Korean Red Cross Volunteer Society will hold a “Love-filled Songpyeon Sharing Event,” delivering songpyeon and various sponsored items to 200 marginalized households. The Yeongdeungpo-gu Social Welfare Council will deliver 300 Chuseok ancestral rite table packages sponsored by Lotte Home Shopping to flood victims in the area.

Also, on the 5th, the Yeongdeungpo Love Sharing Food Bank Market plans to distribute agricultural and marine products sponsored by the Export-Import Bank of Korea to 450 low-income households.

Consolation activities for elderly people with mobility difficulties, health vulnerabilities, and single-person households will also be carried out. Between September 5 and 8, Singil Comprehensive Social Welfare Center and Yeongdeungpo Comprehensive Social Welfare Center will provide vulnerable elderly residents with opportunities to watch performances and deliver holiday gifts, sharing the warmth of the holiday season together.

Each neighborhood will take the lead in practicing neighborly love centered on functional organizations such as the local community security council and volunteer associations. While continuing to help with daily recovery for households affected by flooding, since the end of August, they have been delivering homemade side dishes, songpyeon, and seasonal fruits to vulnerable neighbors who might be easily isolated during the Chuseok holiday, checking on their well-being.

Along with this, the district is conducting a donation campaign to help neighbors affected by heavy rain damage. Since August 9, residents, companies, and related organizations have participated, and as of August 30, a total of 426,796,000 KRW in donations and goods have been collected. These will be used for flood damage recovery and support for disaster victims through the Community Chest of Korea and the Yeongdeungpo-gu Social Welfare Council.

Choi Bong-soon, Director of Welfare Policy, said, “Not only the district office but also local residents and private companies from all walks of life have gathered their sincerity for vulnerable groups and residents deeply saddened by flood damage. We hope that this warm heart thinking of neighbors will be well conveyed so that everyone can have a happy Chuseok holiday without anyone being left out.”

Dobong-gu (Mayor Oh Eon-seok) will conduct guidance and inspections of Seongsu food manufacturing and sales businesses and livestock product handling businesses in the area until September 6 to manage hygiene ahead of the Chuseok holiday.

This inspection targets 360 places including instant sales manufacturing and processing businesses, livestock product handling businesses, and health functional food sales businesses, which see high consumption of ritual foods during Chuseok. Sampling inspections of seasonal foods will also be conducted to ensure the safety of distributed foods.

Main inspection items include ▲storage and sale of expired products ▲hygienic handling of food ▲compliance by business operators ▲compliance with livestock traceability system ▲violations such as mislabeling Hanwoo (Korean beef).

Instant sales manufacturing and processing businesses in traditional markets close to residents’ living areas will undergo simple contamination (ATP) tests, allowing business operators to check results on-site, and guidance on hygienic food handling will be provided. The simple contamination (ATP) test involves swabbing surfaces of knives and cutting boards, reacting with reagents, and measuring contamination levels including bacteria with a measuring device.

Sampling inspections will also be conducted on popular seasonal foods, livestock products, and health functional foods used as gifts during the holiday. Minor violations will be corrected on-site, while serious violations will be dealt with according to relevant regulations. Immediate administrative action will be taken if products are judged unsuitable.

Oh Eon-seok, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “Considering the COVID-19 situation, we will also check compliance with quarantine rules such as mask-wearing by workers. We will do our best to strengthen hygiene management of seasonal and gift foods with high consumption during Chuseok so that residents can purchase with confidence.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) is conducting special inspections of Seongsu foods and livestock product handling businesses frequently visited by residents ahead of the Chuseok holiday.

The inspection targets include 2 food manufacturing and processing businesses, 4 instant sales manufacturing and processing businesses, 2 other food sales businesses, and about 70 livestock product handling businesses, with inspections to be completed before Chuseok.

Main inspection items include ▲sale of expired or unlabeled products ▲appropriateness of raw materials, finished product preservation and distribution standards ▲proper labeling of livestock products ▲compliance with livestock traceability system ▲mislabeling of domestic livestock products.

In particular, to eradicate illegal distribution activities, sampling inspections were conducted on processed foods such as noodles (dangmyeon) and confectionery, food processed products, and packaged meat. Inspections focused on small and medium-sized marts, apartment shopping areas, alley markets, and traditional markets to enhance effectiveness.

The district conducts inspections together with honorary hygiene monitors to enhance objectivity and transparency, and will take strong administrative actions such as fines, business suspension, and prosecution for serious violations.

Kim Hwan-myeong, Director of Health and Hygiene, said, “We conducted inspections targeting ritual and gift foods and livestock products with increased demand for Chuseok to provide safe food to residents. Since safe food is essential for a healthy life, we will do our best in inspection and management so that residents can purchase food with confidence.”

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Park Il-ha) held a joint memorial service for displaced persons at the Imjingak Mangbaedan in Paju on the 30th of last month to mark the nation’s biggest holiday, Chuseok.

This memorial service was especially meaningful as it was held for the first time in three years due to COVID-19.

Hosted by the Dongjak-gu Council of the National Unification Advisory Council (Chairman Yoon Hong-il), it was held to soothe the pain of displaced persons whose hometown is North Korea. About 100 people including Mayor Park Il-ha, displaced persons residing in Dongjak-gu, and North Korean defectors attended.

The memorial service began at 11 a.m. with an opening address, followed by ▲reading of memorial rites ▲flower offering and incense burning ▲reading of letters to hometown.

Afterwards, the group sang “Spring in My Hometown” and “Our Wish is Unification,” concluding with three cheers of “Manse” (long live).

Displaced person Mr. Kim said, “It’s regrettable that the number of attendees seems to be decreasing even though it was held after a long time due to COVID-19. I pray for peaceful unification as soon as possible.”

After the ceremony, participants toured security sites such as the steam locomotive and Dokgae Bridge within Imjingak and comforted displaced persons while wishing for unification through writing unification messages.

Mayor Park Il-ha said, “We held this joint memorial service to comfort the pain of displaced persons who lost their hometown and to soothe their longing for home. We will continue to support various peace and unification projects at the district level.”

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) announced that during the Chuseok holiday period, the Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corporation and cleaning contractors will be on holiday, so household waste (general household waste, food waste, recyclables) will not be collected.

The prohibited period for disposing of household waste is two days from September 9 to 10. Household waste that could not be disposed of during the holiday should be put out starting from 6 p.m. on September 11.

Geumcheon-gu plans to mobilize cleaning personnel and equipment from the night of the 11th to collect the accumulated waste all at once. Additionally, a cleaning task force will operate during the Chuseok holiday, and environmental officers will be on emergency duty to promptly respond to household waste complaints.

Yoo Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the suspension of household waste collection during the Chuseok holiday, but we ask for residents’ understanding and active participation so that everyone can have a pleasant holiday by considering each other.”