Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon District, Urgently Visits Site of Heat Pipe Leak Near Cheongwon Elementary School

[Seoul District News] Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, Responds to Heat Pipeline Leak Near Cheongwon Elementary School at 8 AM on the 5th; Emergency Meeting Held at 9:30 AM; Temporary Shelters and Electric Mats Secured for Elderly; Nowon-gu to Host Commemorative Event and Human Rights Class on December 9 for the 74th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the morning of the 5th, Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, visited the site of a heat pipe leak near Cheongwon Elementary School.

At around 8 a.m. that day, a heat pipe leak occurred near Cheongwon Elementary School, and recovery equipment is currently being deployed to address the issue. An emergency meeting was held at the site around 9:30 a.m. Temporary shelters are being prepared at the district office auditorium, nearby accommodations, and the Sangye 3 and 4-dong community centers, and electric mats have been secured for elderly residents living alone.

Additionally, vehicle access is completely restricted near the three-way intersection in front of Cheongwon Elementary School. City buses 1143 and 1137 passing nearby are also rerouted, so passengers should check for route changes when using these buses.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the heating interruption during the severe cold. The district office, together with its staff, will spare no effort to not only prevent such incidents in the future but also minimize the inconvenience to the residents affected.”

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will hold a commemorative event and a residents’ human rights class on the 9th in observance of World Human Rights Day.

The district prepared this event to raise residents’ interest in human rights and to promote a culture of respect for human rights on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10).

The human rights commemorative event, held at 10 a.m. on the 9th in the small auditorium on the 6th floor of the district office under the theme “Together, a Happy Human Rights City Nowon,” will present a somewhat serious topic in an easy and friendly way through performances. The event will feature a sand art performance combining the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Nowon-gu’s human rights vision, and a talk concert by comedian Ahn Sang-tae, who will enact situations of power abuse and human rights violations to encourage reflection on everyday language and behavior.

From 1 p.m., a residents’ human rights class will be held. It is designed to allow residents to easily approach human rights through films and photographs related to human rights. The first film lecture will be conducted by Won Eun-jung, director of the Human Rights Education Research Institute, and the second photography lecture by photographer Lee Yo-seop.

Applications for participation in the event and class can be made on the Nowon-gu website until December 8. Participation is free of charge.

In addition, the district operates a ‘Human Rights Monitoring Group’ in which residents directly participate and express opinions throughout the entire process of policy establishment, implementation, and evaluation to ensure and promote practical human rights for residents.

The monitoring group consists of 27 members, including residents interested in human rights, those with experience in human rights-related activities, and academic experts. They have completed training courses three times and are currently active in four subcommittees. The second half regular meeting will be held on Friday the 23rd, where this year’s activities will be shared and next year’s human rights policies will be discussed.

Meanwhile, to create a happy human rights city where all residents enjoy human rights, the district enacted the “Seoul Special City Nowon-gu Ordinance on the Guarantee and Promotion of Human Rights” in 2014 and has since established and implemented a five-year basic human rights policy plan along with annual implementation plans.

This year, based on four major strategies?customized human rights guarantees by target group, creation of a human rights-friendly urban environment, strengthening the foundation and capacity of human rights administration, and establishment of a human rights culture in the local community?the district is carrying out 17 promotion tasks and 143 detailed projects. A budget of 97.6 billion KRW is being invested in residents’ daily rights, including the nation’s first disability-friendly beauty salon, operation of cooling and heating shelters for the elderly, and creation of healing towns by region.

In the future, the district plans to introduce human rights impact assessments and develop human rights indicators tailored to local conditions to establish a human rights-friendly policy establishment and evaluation system. Through a cyclical process of evaluating and supplementing policy implementation results, the district aims to secure effectiveness. The district also plans to publish a ‘Human Rights White Paper’ to introduce human rights policies and raise residents’ awareness.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok of Nowon-gu said, “The starting point for creating a happy Nowon for all generations begins with mutual respect for each other’s human rights. We will continue to carefully monitor the field of public welfare to ensure that no one is left out in guaranteeing human rights.”