[Photo] Lee Gijae, Yangcheon District Mayor, Attends Mokdong Senior Welfare Center Plaque Ceremony

[Seoul District News] Lee Gijae, Yangcheon District Mayor, Attended the Plaque Ceremony on the 7th Marking the Name Change from Mokdong Silver Welfare Culture Center to 'Mokdong Senior Welfare Center'... Park Gangsu, Mapo District Mayor, Attended the Senior Care Workers' Harmony Festival on the 7th... Oh Seungrok, Nowon District Mayor, Attended the Youth Policy Committee Regular Meeting on the 7th... Lee Pilhyung, Dongdaemun District Mayor, Received Portable Hand Sanitizer Donation from Welfare Corporation Sharing Happiness on the 7th...
Dongjak District Actively Conducts Year-End Love Rice Sharing Event... Kim Taeu, Seoul Gangseo District Mayor, on the 6th Uni...

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Lee Gijae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, attended the ‘Plaque Ceremony’ held at Mokdong Senior Welfare Center on the morning of the 7th.

The district has been operating since December with an intuitive change of the long and complicated existing names of senior facilities to names that are easy to understand at a glance. This plaque ceremony was held to mark the change of the name from the existing Mokdong Silver Welfare Culture Center to ‘Mokdong Senior Welfare Center,’ conveying a meaning that makes it simple and easy to understand the function of the facility.

Mayor Lee Gijae said, “I hope this name change, which has been made easy to remember, will serve as an opportunity for seniors to visit the welfare center without barriers, and we will provide well-organized and systematic elderly welfare services to create a happy city for seniors in Yangcheon-gu.”

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, encouraged senior care workers in the region by attending the 4th Mapo-gu Senior Care Workers’ Harmony Festival held in the auditorium on the 2nd floor of Mapo-gu Office on the afternoon of the 7th.

The event included an award ceremony for exemplary care workers, followed by congratulatory performances and lectures by notable figures to encourage the workers’ efforts.

Mayor Park Gang-su said, “I hope today’s event will be a meaningful time for senior care workers to continue their work with greater pride and passion.”

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, attended the ‘Nowon-gu Youth Policy Committee Regular Meeting’ held at the Nowon-gu Office Planning Situation Room at 4:30 p.m. on the 7th.

The ‘Nowon-gu Youth Policy Committee’ consists of 21 members including ex officio and appointed members. It deliberates on matters such as the establishment and evaluation of basic youth policy plans and coordination and cooperation of related projects.

The meeting was held with 21 participants including Mayor Oh Seung-rok, Nowon-gu Council member Noh Yeon-su, Deputy Chairperson Kang Hyun-sook, Director of Education and Welfare Bureau, heads of Child and Youth departments, field experts, and youth activists. The agenda included the national anthem, introduction of members and awarding of appointment letters, greetings, regular meeting, and election of a private co-chairperson.

During the meeting, the 2022 Nowon-gu youth policies and projects were presented, and the 2023 youth policy was established and discussed, confirming the major direction of future youth projects in Nowon-gu.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “I hope the wisdom of the committee members will be gathered to establish a solid Nowon-type youth policy, and we will continue to discover various youth projects to empower local youth.”

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyung Lee (right in the photo) is taking a commemorative photo with Hong Seungcheol, CEO of the welfare corporation sharing happiness (left in the photo).

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, received a donation of 23,040 boxes of portable hand sanitizing gel (20 portable units per box) from Hong Seung-cheol, CEO of the Welfare Corporation Sharing Happiness, at 11 a.m. on the 7th.

The donation ceremony was held in the Mayor’s Reception Room on the 5th floor of Dongdaemun-gu Office, attended by Mayor Lee Pil-hyung, CEO Hong Seung-cheol, and related officials. The portable hand sanitizing gel will be distributed to local senior centers.

After the ceremony, the district presented a plaque of appreciation to the Welfare Corporation Sharing Happiness for their contribution to the culture of sharing through their interest and affection for the local community.

Mayor Lee Pil-hyung said, “I thank the Welfare Corporation Sharing Happiness for donating portable hand sanitizing gel to prevent infections amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The donated items will be promptly delivered to seniors vulnerable to infectious diseases.”

In Dongjak-gu (Mayor Park Il-ha), warm sharing events are being held throughout the district as the year-end approaches.

On the 6th, the district held the ‘18th Love Rice Sharing’ event of 2022 with the environmental organization Seoul Environment Keepers (Chairman Park Chang-hee) at the Dongjak-gu Office Planning Situation Room.

At this event, Seoul Environment Keepers donated 650 bags of rice (6,500 kg) to Dongjak-gu. The donated rice will be distributed to vulnerable neighbors, including elderly living alone and grandparent-grandchild households, through the Dongjak Welfare Foundation.

An award ceremony was also held to recognize environmental contributors who showed outstanding volunteer activities.

Seoul Environment Keepers started as the Gwachisan Keepers in 2004 and have continuously engaged in local environmental cleanup activities and tree planting events, actively conducting neighborly love volunteer activities such as the annual ‘Love Rice Sharing.’

Additionally, on the 29th of last month, Daebang Saemaeul Geumgo (Chairman Kim Yong-gu) donated 50 bags of rice (500 kg) and 50 trays of organic eggs (worth about 2.1 million KRW) to Daebang-dong Community Center for low-income families in the area.

Last year, Daebang Saemaeul Geumgo donated 2 million KRW and 50 bags of rice (500 kg) to the community center, and this summer prepared Chuseok holiday gift sets to help flood-affected households, continuing their support.

Mayor Park Il-ha said, “I thank Seoul Environment Keepers, Saemaeul Geumgo representatives, and many members for sponsoring the Love Rice. We will do our best to support so that all residents can spend the winter healthily and safely.”

Kim Tae-woo, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul, met with UNICEF Child Council members on the 6th and promised to “carry out various projects to promote the mental health of children and adolescents.”

Mayor Kim made this statement at 2:30 p.m. at the ‘Conference for Promoting Children’s Mental Health’ held at Splash Resort in Yesan-gun, Chungnam.

The conference, hosted by UNICEF and the Local Government Council for UNICEF Child-Friendly Cities, was attended by five heads of child-friendly cities including Mayor Kim Tae-woo and six UNICEF Child Council members.

Participants held a policy dialogue on the theme of ‘Children’s Mental Health.’ When child council members raised social issues they felt, local government heads directly responded with solutions.

They also read a policy pledge declaration, reaffirming their commitment to promote child policies reflecting children’s voices.

In addition, a meaningful performance was held by lighting the sky-blue light, the symbolic color of UNICEF, to wish for the happiness and bright future of children worldwide.

Meanwhile, Gangseo-gu obtained the ‘Advanced Certification of Child-Friendly City’ from UNICEF on the 3rd of last month. The ‘Child-Friendly City’ certification, awarded every four years, signifies a city with a child-friendly environment where all children can live well, realizing the basic spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) held the award ceremony for the ‘Clean City Geumcheon Children’s Drawing Contest’ at the Geumcheon-gu Office auditorium on the 6th.

The contest, themed ‘Drawing Our Neighborhood Alley That Needs Change,’ was conducted to spread residents’ awareness of reducing waste and recycling resources. After judging, awards were given to 16 works.

The winning works will be exhibited in the lobby on the 1st floor of Geumcheon-gu Office from December 12 to 16 for five days and will be used on the district’s website, blog, SNS, and other promotional materials.

Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon said, “I hope children, the future leaders, will take an interest in practicing environmental protection through this contest.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) held the ‘Climate Crisis and Energy Policy Forum for Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050’ at the 5th-floor auditorium of Gangdong-gu Office on the 6th.

The forum, themed ‘Life Style Changes Needed in the Era of Climate Crisis,’ was designed as a time to discuss and contemplate ways we can practice in our daily lives.

The first part consisted of presentations by speakers, and the second part included panel discussions and Q&A sessions. Through expert exchanges during presentations and comprehensive discussions, they deliberated on diversifying life styles to overcome the climate crisis era.

The presentation was given by Kim Nana, CEO of Eco Salim, with the chairperson being Jung Soo-jung, Director of the Korea Environmental Education Research Institute. Panelists included Lee Jeong-pil, Director of the Energy and Climate Policy Institute, Kim Sora, CEO of Eco Hub, and Jung Mi-kyung, Director of the Green Education Center.

The district explained that the forum was held to create a discourse platform for systematic achievement of 2050 carbon neutrality and spreading awareness of climate crisis response based on public-private cooperation, aiming to encourage residents’ active interest and discover resident practice policy projects for climate crisis response.

Mayor Lee Soo-hee said, “I hope this forum was a time to reflect on our life styles in response to the climate crisis.”

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) held the ‘2022 Gwanak-gu Fun Fun V-Festival’ on the 2nd to commemorate Volunteer Day on December 5 and to comfort volunteers who have worked hard throughout the year.

The event was an occasion to encourage volunteers and residents who have quietly practiced volunteer work for the local community throughout the year, share achievements, and celebrate. About 300 volunteers and groups gathered to look back on their volunteer activities and encourage each other.

Especially this year, despite many residents suffering from record heavy rains in August, the district organized the ‘Gwanak-gu Disaster Site Integrated Volunteer Support Group’ for 45 days, where about 1,100 volunteers helped with flood recovery for about 400 households, including electrical boiler inspections, wallpaper and flooring installation, aiding residents’ return to daily life.

The Gwanak-gu Volunteer Center received external recognition for these efforts, winning awards in six volunteer categories including the ‘Korea Central Volunteer Center Disaster Response Volunteer Activity Excellence Award,’ ‘Presidential and Ministry of the Interior and Safety Commendations at the Korea Volunteer Awards,’ ‘Seoul Metropolitan Government Volunteer Award Grand Prize,’ and ‘Seoul Metropolitan Government Volunteer Merit Award,’ with five groups and 12 individuals honored.

Additionally, 57 volunteers (groups) with hidden contributions to volunteer activation and the volunteer group ‘Together Smiling World’ that actively participated in wallpaper and flooring volunteer work for flood damage recovery, along with 10 volunteers, received commendations from the Gwanak-gu Mayor.

Kim Min-young, representative of the volunteer group ‘Kkureogi Subidae,’ which received the ‘Ministry of the Interior and Safety Commendation for Volunteer Awards,’ said, “I hope this award breaks the stereotype that mainly older people volunteer and that young people will passionately engage in volunteer activities to play a pivotal role in the community.”

The ‘Gwanak-gu Volunteer Activity Photo Exhibition’ was also held, displaying diverse activities of volunteer camps in 21 neighborhoods, flood recovery activities by the Gwanak-gu Disaster Site Integrated Volunteer Support Group, youth volunteer practice schools, and excellent volunteer group photos, reflecting on a meaningful year of laughter and tears through volunteering.

The Gwanak-gu Volunteer Center plans to continue actively promoting various volunteer projects in cooperation with volunteer groups, demand organizations, volunteer camps, practice schools, and welfare centers, sustaining volunteer activities with all residents.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Even in difficult crises, our gradual recovery was possible because volunteers were always with us. I promise to serve those in need with a humble attitude alongside the Gwanak-gu Volunteer Center to create a ‘Together Best Gwanak-gu’ where all residents are happy and volunteer activities thrive.”

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it signed a sisterhood agreement with Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, at the Eunpyeong-gu Office Planning Situation Room on the 2nd.

The agreement aims to promote friendship, cooperation, and regional development through mutual exchanges between Eunpyeong-gu and Shinan-gun. The return visit took place about four months after Eunpyeong-gu visited Shinan-gun in July for leadership training and friendship exchange agreements.

During this period, the two local governments have maintained steady exchanges, purchasing gift sets of Shinan-gun specialties such as salt and peanuts for Chuseok, and the Shinan-gun mayor conducted training for Eunpyeong-gu employees.

The agreement ceremony was held with about 80 representatives from various fields on both sides, including heads of organizations, council members, members of the Shinan-gun residents’ association in Seoul, and Eunpyeong-gu civic groups. To commemorate the sisterhood, they exchanged gifts including the national treasure-designated Jin-gwan-sa Temple Taegeukgi flag and Shinan-gun’s 12 Apostles miniatures. (Photo)

Before the ceremony, officials from both cities toured the Eunpyeong History Hanok Museum and the millennium-old Jin-gwan-sa Temple, experiencing temple cuisine and learning about ‘Bukhansan Han (Korean) Culture,’ a pride of Eunpyeong.

Through this sisterhood, Eunpyeong-gu received the beautiful island Jaeun-do, home to the Infinite Bridge, World Shell Museum, and Museum Park, as an honorary island. Eunpyeong residents presenting ID can enjoy free admission to Shinan-gun’s museums and art galleries. Discounts on food and lodging in Jaeun-do are also planned.

Eunpyeong-gu has sisterhood agreements with 14 local governments including Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do, and actively promotes exchange activities in various fields. This is the first sisterhood agreement under the 8th local government administration.

Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “I look forward to active exchange activities where the public and private sectors of both regions can support each other in all areas. Especially, I hope the two cities share visions as partners and develop together.”