Gangseo-gu Implements First Organizational Restructuring of the New Year in the 8th Elected Term

Mayor Kim Tae-woo Accelerates the Implementation Speed of District Office Promises

Acceleration of Old Downtown Development Including Hwagok-dong through Establishment of Old Downtown Revitalization Task Force

Strengthening Protection for Socially Vulnerable Groups with Teams for Single-Person Households and Low-Rise Housing Management

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Tae-woo·photo) has carried out its first organizational restructuring of the new year to fulfill the campaign pledges of the 8th elected administration.

This organizational restructuring focused on realizing Mayor Kim’s top priority pledge, “Hwagok becomes Magok,” and on protecting socially vulnerable groups.

The most notable feature of this restructuring is the establishment of the “Old Downtown Revitalization Task Force” directly under the Deputy District Mayor to achieve balanced regional development and realize a “high-quality balanced city where the old downtown comes alive.”

Last year, Mayor Kim established the Old Downtown Development Team and Moa Town Team to lay the foundation for redevelopment and reconstruction in old downtown areas such as Hwagok-dong, and enacted the nation’s first ordinance on old downtown revitalization (redevelopment and reconstruction), creating a dedicated organization and a public-private joint promotion committee.

The newly established Old Downtown Revitalization Task Force has absorbed the existing Urban Planning Division’s Old Downtown Development Team, Moa Town Team, and Height Restriction Relaxation Support Team. Additionally, a Future Strategic Planning Team was newly created to establish a comprehensive revitalization plan and identify barrier-free living environment projects, accelerating the redevelopment projects in old downtown areas such as Moa Town and Urban Public Housing Complex Projects.

The Urban Regeneration Division has newly established a Low-Rise Housing Management Team to improve the residential environment of low-rise houses where redevelopment and reconstruction are difficult, through establishing and operating low-rise housing management offices and supporting facility improvements.

A dedicated Single-Person Household Support Team was also newly created to support the continuously increasing number of single-person households.

As of December 2022, Gangseo-gu has a total of 122,745 single-person households, accounting for 44.85% of all households. The dedicated team plans to address health, safety, and housing issues of single-person households.

In addition, to respond to changes in Seoul city policy directions and administrative demands, the Dong Function Innovation Team and Village Community Support Team were renamed as Resident Support Team and Resident Communication Team, respectively, with adjustments to their work directions.

With this restructuring, the district organization has increased by one division and three teams, operating with a total of 6 bureaus, 1 office, 2 divisions, 37 departments, and 171 teams.

District Mayor Kim Tae-woo said, “We have carried out this organizational restructuring to swiftly promote key projects of the 8th elected administration, such as old downtown revitalization and walking together with socially vulnerable groups, to create a happy Gangseo-gu for all residents. If last year was a year to lay the foundation for change, this year we will do our best by actively working on the ground to continuously produce visible results.”

Yongsan-gu Recruiting 41 Members for Our Neighborhood Care Group in 2023

Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Park Hee-young) is recruiting 41 members by the 6th to serve as members of the Our Neighborhood Care Group (hereafter “Undoldan”) for the year 2023.

Undoldan is a social activity where the public and private sectors jointly care for socially isolated single-person households requiring care and attention, such as those at risk of lonely death. It was introduced with the purpose of “neighbors directly caring for neighbors who are in welfare blind spots.”

This year, a total of 41 members will be recruited. The number of recruits varies by neighborhood conditions. Up to 6 members per neighborhood, excluding Ichon 1-dong.

Applicants must be residents aged 40 to 67 and able to participate in at least 80% (38 hours) of the maximum activity time (48 hours). Those participating in the 50 Plus Reward Job Program or currently employed are not eligible to apply. However, those working part-time may participate outside their working hours, provided they submit relevant documentation.

The activity period is from January 16 to December 31. Participants will receive up to 396,000 KRW in activity expenses, including transportation costs, based on monitoring activity logs.

Main roles include ▲regular visits and phone check-ins to households at risk of lonely death and vulnerable groups ▲providing and linking information on public and private services to strengthen continuous care systems ▲participating in monthly regular meetings hosted by the neighborhood, reporting activities, and sharing cases.

Those wishing to participate should prepare the application form, self-introduction letter, and other required documents and submit them by visiting their local neighborhood community service center.

After the application deadline, the district will review documents and announce the first selection results on the 10th. Interviews will be held on the 11th, and the final participants will be decided on the 13th.

A district official said, “We are making multifaceted efforts to discover welfare blind spots, but there are limits to what the public sector alone can do. We will further strengthen the public-private cooperation system to ensure no resident is left behind.”