Safety Inspection of Dance-Allowed Establishments in Hongdae Area, Mapo-gu

[Seoul District News] Park Gang-su, Mapo District Mayor, Allows Dancing Venues Following Judgment and Decision; Special Inspections During National Mourning Period and Year-End Focused Checks ... Jungnang-gu Conducts Safety Inspections of Major Citizen Disaster Facilities and Public Use Facilities & Inspects All Facilities in Crowded Areas Including Alley Markets, Parks, and Sports Facilities ... Yeongdeungpo-gu Provides CPR Training for AED Managers ... Guro-gu Launches Information Service for 156 Facilities Along 4.77km Section from Sinjeonggyo to Gwangmyeonggyo on Anyangcheon River

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District (center), and Mapo District Office employees are conducting a special guidance campaign for dance-permitted establishments in the Hongdae area.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) will conduct a large-scale safety inspection of dance-permitted establishments in the Hongdae area.

Following the recent Halloween Day when many people visited the streets of Hongdae, the plan is to strengthen pre-inspections of dance-permitted establishments in preparation for crowds expected during Christmas and the year-end holidays.

Dance-permitted establishments are places where dancing is allowed, such as clubs or club-type pubs. Currently, there are a total of 57 such establishments in Mapo-gu. These establishments, mainly located near Hongdae and Sangsu-dong, are mostly underground and see a large number of visitors, requiring caution regarding safety accidents.

Accordingly, the district organizes an inspection team every year to conduct regular safety inspections and occasional nighttime checks for the safety of these establishments and their patrons. During the recent Halloween period, about 200 personnel, including 150 public officials, were deployed to conduct special guidance and inspections at establishments around Hongdae.

Additionally, until the national mourning period ends on the 5th, an inspection team composed of the Mapo-gu Sanitation Division, Pedestrian Administration Division, Tourism Policy Division, and Resource Circulation Division will conduct inspections on dance-permitted establishments, illegal road occupation and storage, safety in crowded areas, unauthorized dumping control, and environmental maintenance according to each department’s responsibilities.

Following this, the district will carry out focused inspections of dance-permitted establishments throughout November. In particular, from November 10 to 18, joint inspections with the Architecture Support Division will be conducted to check for violations under the Building Act, such as illegal constructions. As seen in the 2019 Gwangju club collapse accident that caused many casualties, large-scale accidents can occur due to poor structures like illegal extensions when many people are crowded in narrow spaces.

The district also plans to revise related ordinances to strengthen safety personnel deployment standards and restrict the operation of dance-permitted establishments if safety standards are not met.

Furthermore, a letter of appreciation will be sent to the owners of dance-permitted establishments who actively participated in voluntary closures during the national mourning period.

As of November 1, a total of 41 dance-permitted establishments in the Hongdae area have joined the closure.

This is regarded as a measure resulting from the ideas and decisions of Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu.

Mayor Park Gang-su of Mapo-gu said, “The Hongdae area has a large floating population and is prone to accidents when crowds gather due to various events, so special attention is paid to safety management. We will conduct more thorough inspections focusing on dance-permitted establishments, which are popular among young people, and do our best to prevent safety accidents.”

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) will conduct urgent safety inspections focusing on all facilities in the area, including multi-use facilities and facilities subject to major citizen disasters, starting from mid-month.

This inspection aims to check overall risk factors such as building, electrical, and fire safety in facilities used by many residents and to prevent fire accidents during the winter season.

In particular, ahead of winter, the plan is to inspect building cracks, electrical leakage risk areas, fire facilities such as sprinklers, and investigate cracks and subsidence in densely packed facilities to identify potential risks to human life in advance.

The inspection targets include all multi-use facilities such as markets, parks, and multipurpose gyms, as well as 44 facilities subject to major citizen disasters (such as daycare centers and community centers). The management departments and specialized technical personnel will carefully examine risk factors to prevent any possible accidents.

Depending on the inspection results, minor harmful and risky factors will be immediately repaired or reinforced according to safety planning procedures, and in cases of serious issues that may cause human casualties, facility use will be suspended and preventive and supplementary measures will be prepared.

Meanwhile, the district regularly manages multi-use facilities through seasonal safety inspections and occasional self-inspections. A window for residents to directly request inspections through the National Safety Diagnosis Resident Participation System has also been prepared.

In February, the district established a safety plan to prevent major citizen disasters, and in May, conducted safety manager training and facility safety inspections for facilities subject to major citizen disasters.

Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi of Jungnang-gu said, “Safety can never be overemphasized, so we will do our best to create a safe living environment by identifying risk factors in advance. We will continue to protect residents’ lives and property through ongoing safety inspections and on-site worker training.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) will conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training for automatic external defibrillator (AED) managers in the district on November 3 and 10 as part of rescue and first aid projects.

During the transitional season with large temperature differences, the risk of heart disease increases, leading to a rise in fatal accidents. Especially when sudden cardiac arrest occurs, emergency treatment must be performed quickly within the golden time of 4 minutes to save precious lives.

Accordingly, the district provides customized rescue and first aid training to enhance proper response capabilities for emergencies such as cardiac arrest that can occur anytime and anywhere. So far this year, a total of 8,237 people, including elementary, middle, and high school students, childcare teachers, multi-use facility staff, and residents, have completed the training.

This training for 80 AED management personnel from institutions with AED installations will be held four times in October and November.

Professional emergency medical technicians dispatched from Seoul National University Hospital will provide theoretical CPR education and practical training using one training kit per trainee, teaching how to use AEDs and emergency treatment procedures for various situations.

A district official said, “Performing CPR and using an AED when an emergency patient occurs can increase survival rates by more than three times. As the frequency of cardiac arrest patients increases during the transitional season and the importance of initial response to sudden emergencies is highlighted, we will continue to operate rescue and first aid training to improve the community’s ability to respond to safety accidents.”

It is now possible to check information about major landmarks and facilities along Anyangcheon anytime and anywhere.

Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) announced that it has established and officially launched the ‘Anyangcheon Major Facilities Information Service’ using the smart one-click satellite surveying system (GNSS).

To use the service, access the ‘Anyangcheon Major Facilities’ list by visiting the Smart Seoul Map or the Guro-gu Office homepage main screen’s bottom section under categorized services on smartphones or PCs.

The locations of major facilities along Anyangcheon, such as ecological flower gardens, experience facilities, children’s facilities, and restrooms, are displayed on the map. Clicking on a facility icon provides information such as address, operating hours, usage methods, contact details, and photos.

The available section covers a total of 4.77 km from Sinjeonggyo Bridge to Gwangmyeong Bridge.

The most notable feature is the detailed subdivision of major landmarks and facilities to provide specific information.

The ecological flower garden is divided into rose garden, wetland, photo zone, and lawn yard; experience facilities are categorized into water playground, camping site, and ecological experience education center, each providing detailed information. The service also includes location information for restrooms, drinking fountains, exercise equipment, as well as benches, stairs, air pumps, and dusters within the usage section.

Additionally, contact information for facility managers is provided to report any inconveniences such as facility damage.

For detailed inquiries about using the service, contact the Real Estate Information Division of Guro-gu Office.

A Guro-gu official said, “The information service we provide this time contains much more detailed information than what is available on existing portal site maps, and we expect it to be a great help to residents using Anyangcheon. We will do our best to manage the service to ensure no inconvenience in its use.”