Two Winter Shelters at Yangcheon-gu Dawn Labor Market to Operate Until March Next Year

[Seoul District News] Yangcheon-gu Prepares Job Waiting Spaces at Sinjeong Intersection Station Haenuri Fountain Plaza and Sinwol 3-dong Post Office Dawn Labor Market from Dec 5 to Next March with Temporary Shelters and Portable Heaters, Assigns Two Safety Staff per Shelter... Gangbuk-gu Opens Shelter for Visually Impaired with Karaoke and Leisure Spaces... Eunpyeong-gu Recruits Participants for 2023 Disabled Employment Project

Yangcheon-gu Dawn Labor Market Winter Shelter (Sinjeong-dong) Site

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Lee Gi-jae) will operate a "Dawn Labor Market Winter Shelter" at two locations near Sinjeongnegeori Station: Haenuri Fountain Plaza and in front of Sinwol 3-dong Post Office, from December this year to March next year, to support construction day laborers seeking jobs outdoors during the winter cold wave.

The district has been operating winter dawn shelters since 2009 at two locations where the dawn labor market naturally forms and many workers gather: Sinjeongnegeori Plaza and in front of Sinwol 3-dong Post Office, to improve the harsh job-seeking environment.

The shelters, equipped with temporary tents and portable heaters (stoves) to warm frozen bodies from the cold wave, are visited by an average of about 100 people daily (about 90 at Sinjeongnegeori and about 30 at Sinwol 3-dong), making them popular places for day laborers during dawn hours.

This year, the shelters will operate from December 5, when the severe cold wave begins, until March next year. Operating hours are Monday to Saturday, from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. for two hours. The district plans to assign two contract workers to each shelter to manage installation and operation, ensuring a safe waiting environment.

Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, "I hope the dawn labor market winter shelters will help workers who are struggling to find jobs due to the downturn in the construction industry to escape the severe cold and warm their bodies and minds, even if just a little."

Interior of a shelter space for the visually impaired

Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Soon-hee) opened the "Gangbuk-gu Shelter for the Visually Impaired" on the 19th.

The shelter was established on the first floor of Juhaneul Church (Senior Pastor Lee Jung-won) at 49 Samyang-ro 41-gil, Gangbuk-gu, covering an area of 241㎡. Juhaneul Church provided the space free of charge for the shelter.

To create the shelter, the district coordinated continuously with members of the Seoul Federation of the Visually Impaired Gangbuk Branch, the main users, to establish shelter space, office space, karaoke room, and leisure areas.

Among these, the karaoke room, frequently used by the visually impaired, and the recently popular sports equipment, the holttakgu table, received great positive responses from the visually impaired.

The opening ceremony held at 2 p.m. was attended by about 250 people, including Lee Soon-hee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, Pastor Lee Jung-won of Juhaneul Church, Lim Chae-seok, President of the Seoul Federation of the Visually Impaired Gangbuk Branch, about 150 members, members of the National Assembly, and city and district council members.

Lim Chae-seok, President of the Seoul Federation of the Visually Impaired Gangbuk Branch, said, "We deeply thank everyone who helped establish this dedicated shelter for the visually impaired, and we will operate it as a comfortable resting place for all members."

Mayor Lee Soon-hee said, "I express my gratitude to the related organizations that worked hard to create this special resting space exclusively for the visually impaired. We will do our best to make the shelter a warm resting place for the visually impaired."

Eunpyeong-gu (District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is recruiting participants for the "2023 Disabled Employment Project" general job positions until December 2 to expand social participation and income security for persons with disabilities.

The recruitment is for a total of 97 general job positions: 66 full-time positions working 40 hours per week and 31 part-time positions working 20 hours per week. After the first document screening to verify eligibility, candidates will undergo a second job competency interview for final selection.

Selected participants will be assigned from January to December next year to district offices, community service centers, social welfare facilities, and organizations to perform administrative support, environmental cleaning, welfare service support, librarian assistance, and guidance for disabled parking zones.

Eligibility requires applicants to be registered unemployed persons with disabilities aged 18 or older. However, those currently participating in job projects run by government ministries or local governments, those with business registration certificates, and those enrolled in workplace health insurance are excluded.

Applications can be submitted in person with required documents at the Disabled Welfare Division of Eunpyeong-gu Office. Application forms can be downloaded from the recruitment announcement board on the district website.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, said, "We will do our best to prepare job policies that expand social participation and income security so that persons with disabilities do not face difficulties in employment."