[Seoul District News] Dongdaemun-gu Receives 1,124 Applications for ‘Youth Tomorrow Savings Account’ Program; Starting November, 244 Youth Eligible & Monthly 100,000 KRW Savings Matched by Government for Total 7.2 Million KRW After 3 Years... Gwanak-gu × Samsung Electronics 'Youth Employment Mentoring' Leads to Samsung Job Success... Geumcheon Job Corporation Opens Cafe ‘CAFE_INN Doksan Branch’ for Vulnerable Job Seekers... Dobong-gu Pilots 'Small Business Manager' to Solve Small Business Management Issues...
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) will implement the ‘Youth Tomorrow Savings Account’ project targeting 244 young people starting in November.
The Youth Tomorrow Savings Account is a youth asset-building support project that matches the savings of low-income working youth with government subsidies on a 1:1 basis to help them accumulate a lump sum.
The eligibility criteria for the Youth Tomorrow Savings Account require applicants to be youth aged between 19 and 34 at the time of application, with personal earned (business) income between 500,000 KRW and 2,000,000 KRW per month, household income at or below 100% of the median income, and assets below 350 million KRW. However, for basic livelihood security recipients and near-poverty youth, the age range is from 15 to 39 years old, with no personal earned income criteria, household income at or below 50% of the median income, and assets below 350 million KRW.
From July 18 to August 5, the district received 1,124 applications for the Youth Tomorrow Savings Account, of which 538 met the criteria. Among these, 244 (214 below near-poverty level, 30 above near-poverty level) will participate in the first phase of the project starting in November. The remaining 294 (91 below near-poverty level, 203 above near-poverty level) will be enrolled next year once the Ministry of Health and Welfare allocates the budget.
Upon enrollment, participants save 100,000 KRW monthly, matched by a 100,000 KRW government subsidy, supported for three years. At maturity, participants receive a total of 7.2 million KRW including their own contributions of 3.6 million KRW plus interest.
For youth below the near-poverty level, the government subsidy is 300,000 KRW monthly, resulting in a total of 14.4 million KRW plus interest after three years. To receive the full government subsidy, participants must maintain employment, save at least 100,000 KRW monthly, complete 10 hours of education, and submit a fund usage plan.
A district official stated, “The Youth Tomorrow Savings Account offers a great opportunity for young people who have just entered society and face economic challenges to accumulate a lump sum. We will continue to devise and provide various policies to support youth social advancement from multiple angles.”
Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) operates the ‘Samsung Electronics Youth Employment Mentoring’ on the first Saturday of every month for young people seeking employment.
The Youth Employment Mentoring program is a talent donation by current employees of Samsung Electronics Suwon Plant (DX Division, Device eXperience) who provide informal and comfortable communication on various topics such as company and job information, workplace life, and career counseling for youth aiming to join Samsung Electronics.
Mentoring sessions are conducted one-on-one via video calls using platforms like Kakao FaceTalk, Skype, and Zoom, without spatial restrictions. The November mentoring session will be held on the 5th from 10 a.m. for about one hour.
Participants can be university students or unemployed youth job seekers. Those interested can apply by filling out the application form on the Gwanak-gu Office website under ‘News & Notices’ and sending it to the designated contact email.
Mr. Kim, who was finally hired by Samsung Electronics’ Network Division through the mentoring, said, “The Samsung Electronics mentoring provided by Gwanak-gu helped me resolve questions about the job and develop essential skills for employment. The mentoring from current employee mentors I met at the ‘Gwanak-gu X Samsung Electronics Youth Employment Mentoring’ was truly helpful.”
The district plans to continue operating employment mentoring with Samsung Electronics next year to provide job opportunities for youth. Additionally, it will continue supporting youth employment through partnerships with local social contribution organizations (companies), AI aptitude tests and interview experiences, and youth employment concerts.
Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “I hope many young people striving toward their goals can achieve their dreams in Gwanak. We will prepare various youth employment support programs to create a ‘Youth Special City Gwanak’ where young people can freely pursue their dreams.”
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) investment agency Geumcheon Job Corporation will operate the caf? ‘CAFE_INN Doksan Branch’ on the first floor of Geumcheon-gu Citizen Culture and Sports Center starting October 27.
CAFE_INN aims to create jobs for vulnerable groups in the local community such as women with career interruptions, seniors, and youth. This opening is the second after the first branch opened on the first floor of Gasan Data Hub Center in February.
The Geumcheon-gu Citizen Culture and Sports Center, opened in 2001, offers various sports activities for residents. The Doksan branch of CAFE_INN was opened in response to residents’ requests for a caf? space within the center.
Geumcheon Job Corporation has been recognized for providing stable working environments to vulnerable groups such as seniors and people with disabilities through public service outsourcing (cleaning, security, facility management), pet food business, and caf? operations, receiving the Best Senior-Friendly Company Award (Minister of Health and Welfare Commendation).
Seo Bok-seong, CEO of Geumcheon Job Corporation, stated, “Profits generated from the caf? business will be reinvested in public interest projects to create a virtuous cycle of regional revitalization.”
Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon of Geumcheon-gu said, “Residents missed having a caf? inside the sports center, and the CAFE_INN Doksan branch will surely serve as a community gathering place. I hope Geumcheon Job Corporation will do its best to provide good jobs for vulnerable groups and grow into a good company in the region.”
Dobong-gu (Mayor Oh Eon-seok) will pilot the ‘Small Business Manager’ project in Chang 5-dong from October 31 until the end of the year to support local small business owners’ management.
This project was prepared as a pledge and strong commitment by Mayor Oh Eon-seok to listen to the difficulties and opinions from the field and revitalize the local commercial district and economy through practical support.
The Dobong-gu Small Business Manager project hires small business managers through open recruitment who visit individual stores in Chang 5-dong to listen to management-related requests and support business activities.
Issues that can be resolved on-site are addressed immediately, and areas requiring support projects are reviewed for suitability and guidance on application methods is provided.
Small business managers will be assigned by region?Banghak-dong, Ssangmun-dong, Chang-dong, Dobong-dong?with four managers responsible for a certain number of stores. The pilot operation starting on the 31st will cover the Chang-dong (Chang 5-dong) area, with plans to expand to all regions in 2023.
More specialized and detailed management difficulties will be referred to the ‘Dobong-gu Smart Innovation Support Group.’ This group, composed of experts such as Dobong-gu Chamber of Commerce executives, management consultants, labor attorneys, and tax accountants, diagnoses and assists with issues in 10 categories classified by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (▲Startup & Venture ▲Legal & Regulation ▲Finance ▲HR & Labor ▲Tax & Accounting ▲Management Strategy ▲Production Management ▲Marketing ▲Technology & Patent ▲Information Technology).
A Dobong-gu New Economy and Jobs Department official said, “Unlike traditional market managers who work with markets or merchant associations, the small business manager system supports individual small business owners regardless of markets or associations. Especially since many merchants are older and face difficulties applying for various subsidies, this pilot aims to check and address such issues.”
Mayor Oh Eon-seok of Dobong-gu said, “Chang 5-dong, where both established and new commercial areas coexist, was designated as the pilot area. From next year, small business managers will be actively operating by region. We plan to enhance the project’s completeness and accumulate operational know-how through this pilot.”
He added, “While visiting the field, I realized how urgently needed the manager system is to help small business owners with what they truly need. I hope small business managers become a communication channel and support for small business owners struggling economically due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.”
Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) will officially operate the ‘AI Welfare Check Service.’
Guro-gu announced on the 28th, “To prevent solitary deaths among socially isolated households and actively discover blind spots in care, we are introducing a system using artificial intelligence (AI). After a one-month pilot operation in October, full operation will begin in November.”
The ‘AI Welfare Check Service’ uses SK Telecom’s ‘NUGU Biz Call’ to make welfare check calls to recipients, assess their health status, record the call content, and notify the welfare planner at the local community service center.
The service targets about 180 households at high risk of social isolation.
AI makes calls at least once a week on predetermined days and times to inquire about meals, sleep, health, exercise, and other welfare checks. After the call, the summarized record is sent to the responsible welfare planner.
If the call is not answered, two additional calls are made at 30-minute intervals, followed by two more calls at 10-minute intervals from the community service center. If abnormal signs persist, the welfare planner immediately visits the site to check on the individual.
A Guro-gu official said, “We expect this welfare check service to become a warm friend comforting those living alone. We will continue to do our best to build a swift and thorough welfare safety net.”
Meanwhile, Guro-gu is promoting various safety net systems to discover and support vulnerable households, including IoT-enabled smart plugs, the Seoul Salpimi app, milk delivery, and KakaoTalk’s ‘Guro-ya Help Me’ service.
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