[Photo] Lee Gijae, Yangcheon District Mayor, Attends Love Warmth Sharing Ceremony

[Seoul District News] Lee Gijae, Yangcheon-gu Mayor, Attends '2022 Sharing Warmth of Love' Ceremony at Yangcheon Park on the Morning of the 5th, Takes Commemorative Photo with Democratic Peace Unification Advisory Council Yangcheon-gu Members Who Donated Goods... Gyeongdong Market Merchants Association Supports North Korean Defectors with Daily Necessities... Seoul Gangseo-gu Continues Warm Neighborly Love with Saemaeul Geumgo Scholarship Fund of 10 Million Won and Seoul Livestock Agricultural Cooperative Donation of 20 Million Won... Seongbuk-gu Wins National Assembly Suicide Prevention Award for Best Local Government, First in Seoul to Win Two Consecutive Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the morning of the 5th, Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon District, attended the '2022 Sharing the Warmth of Love Delivery Ceremony' held at Yangcheon Park and took a commemorative photo with the members of the Yangcheon District Council of the National Unification Advisory Council who donated goods.

The Yangcheon District Council of the National Unification Advisory Council donated 158 bags of rice (10kg each) and 158 boxes of kimchi (10kg each), which will be carefully delivered to 150 low-income vulnerable households in the area.

Mayor Lee Gi-jae said, "I sincerely thank the Yangcheon District Council of the National Unification Advisory Council for practicing warm hope and love every year for neighbors in need in the community, and I will carefully ensure that the donated goods are properly delivered."

"I am grateful to receive the essential daily necessities. I will work harder to settle well in the Republic of Korea as much as I have received help," said Mr. Kim, a North Korean defector who received goods from the Gyeongdong Market Merchants Association.

On the afternoon of the 5th, the Gyeongdong Market Merchants Association (President Kim Young-baek) in Dongdaemun District (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) held a love-sharing event delivering 13 types of daily necessities worth about 60,000 KRW, including rice and seaweed, to 40 North Korean defector households.

This event, jointly organized by the Gyeongdong Market Merchants Association and Dongdaemun Police Station, was prepared to provide warm comfort along with daily necessities to North Korean defectors who might have had a hard time settling in a new place during the year-end season.

Kim Young-baek, President of the Gyeongdong Market Merchants Association, said, "I hope this event provided some consolation to North Korean defectors, and we will continue to share warm affection with them and actively support their settlement as members of society," expressing his thoughts after the event.

A district official stated, "Currently, 179 North Korean defectors reside in Dongdaemun District, and our district has been conducting related projects for North Korean defectors every year," adding, "We will continue to do our best to protect the safety of North Korean defectors and help them settle well in our society in cooperation with Dongdaemun Police Station."

The district allocated 81,163,000 KRW for North Korean defector-related budgets this year and plans to expand related projects further in 2023.

Kim Tae-woo, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul (fourth from the left), is receiving a scholarship fund from Saemaeul Geumgo to support the academic studies of low-income students in the area and posing for a commemorative photo in the mayor's office on the morning of the 5th (Monday).

Warm gestures for the underprivileged continue in Gangseo District, Seoul (Mayor Kim Tae-woo), warming the local community.

On the morning of the 5th at 10 a.m., the district office received a scholarship fund of 10 million KRW from five Saemaeul Geumgo branches in the area (Yeomchang-dong, Deungchon-dong, Hwagok-dong, Ujangsan-dong, Gayang-dong).

The scholarship fund donated by Saemaeul Geumgo as part of the Local Hope Contribution Project will be used to support the academic pursuits of low-income students through the Gangseo District Scholarship Foundation.

Since signing the Local Hope Contribution Project agreement with Gangseo District in 2010, Saemaeul Geumgo has been carrying out various projects for local residents, including scholarship fund creation and small library facility improvements. The total amount donated to date reaches 255 million KRW.

At 11 a.m., Seoul Livestock Agricultural Cooperative (President Jin Kyung-man) donated 20 million KRW to help low-income families have a warm winter. On the 30th of last month, they also prepared 1,000 kimchi jars and delivered 10kg each to 100 households including the disabled and elderly living alone.

Additionally, M-Cube Technology (CEO Kim Jeong-hee) donated 20 million KRW for neighborly aid, Onnuri Real Estate Consulting (CEO Park Hyang-mi) donated 30 million KRW, and P&P Secure donated 100 bags of 20kg rice, continuing a wave of donations from various sectors in the community.

Mayor Kim Tae-woo said, "I deeply thank everyone who extended warm hands to help the underprivileged have a warm winter despite the difficult economic situation," adding, "The district will also take even better care of vulnerable groups in need of care."

Seongbuk District (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) received the Best Local Government Award at the National Assembly Suicide Prevention Awards on the 5th. This is the second consecutive award following the Excellence Local Government Representative Award at the 3rd National Assembly Suicide Prevention Awards in 2021.

The National Assembly Suicide Prevention Awards are given to local governments and organizations that have made efforts to prevent extreme choices. Hosted by the National Assembly Suicide Prevention Forum, a parliamentary research group, and organized by the Safe Life Practice Citizens' Coalition and the Life Insurance Social Contribution Committee, the awards rank local governments nationwide based on the enactment of suicide prevention and life respect ordinances, average suicide rates and reduction rates over the past three years, and the expertise of suicide prevention organizations.

Seongbuk District was selected as the top local government among those with populations over 300,000 for its outstanding suicide prevention policies. Particularly notable is the district's implementation of projects involving direct resident participation to build a life safety net. Volunteers who completed life keeper education and capacity-building training in each neighborhood are trained as 'Mind Caregivers' to identify elderly single-person households in blind spots exposed to suicide risk and connect them one-on-one to form support systems, promoting life keeper activities.

Since 2020, the district has been running the 'Hope Message' project targeting middle-aged and older single residents living in goshiwon (one-room) accommodations, creating a suicide prevention environment and providing customized welfare services. This includes not only suicide prevention counseling but also regular cultural experiences and meal gatherings to help form social networks. Mailboxes have been installed in goshiwons to listen to residents' voices, establishing a system where public and private sectors jointly respond to crisis situations.

Seongbuk District also supports services for suicide survivors. Based on in-depth analysis showing that suicide survivors have an 8.3 times higher risk of suicide and 7 times higher risk of depression than the general population, the district provides emergency services for survivors, focusing on psychological support and environmental and economic assistance to help restore daily life and prevent secondary suicides. Additionally, rapid crisis intervention and post-monitoring are conducted in emergencies such as suicide attempts, continuously strengthening life and safety networks with public and private institutions to activate suicide prevention projects.

Seongbuk District is the only one among Seoul's 25 districts to have established a suicide prevention center since 2012, proactively recognizing and addressing suicide issues in the community. As a result, it achieved the remarkable feat of winning the 'Representative Award' at the 4th National Assembly Suicide Prevention Forum for basic local governments with populations over 300,000 for two consecutive years, the first in Seoul.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro of Seongbuk District said, "We will not be complacent with this award and will continue to make our best efforts to spread suicide prevention and life respect culture among local residents," expressing his acceptance remarks.