Gangnam-gu Veterans Hall Reborn as a Multipurpose Space After 36 Years of Remodeling

Reborn as a Complex Space Equipped with Convenience Facilities

Renovation of Office Spaces for 9 Organizations with Over 1.3 Billion KRW Investment, New Fitness Room and Health Promotion Room Established

Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) remodeled the Gangnam-gu Veterans Hall, which has been installed and operated for the welfare enhancement of national veterans and their bereaved families, for the first time in 36 years and held an opening ceremony on the 28th of last month.

Located at 14-2, Samseong-ro 119-gil, Gangnam-gu, the Veterans Hall is a building with one basement floor and three above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 597.58㎡. It was used as office space for nine veterans organizations, an auditorium, and meeting rooms. Built in 1986, it had become severely aged and lacked convenience facilities, causing many inconveniences for users.

In 2020, before reconstructing the Veterans Hall, a safety inspection was conducted and it was rated C grade. Therefore, instead of new construction, remodeling work was decided upon, prioritizing internal remodeling to improve user convenience.

With an investment of over 1.3 billion KRW, construction began in October 2022 and was completed on January 27 of this year. On February 28, an opening ceremony was held to celebrate the newly renovated space together.

Before the construction design, the opinions of veterans organizations were fully reflected to apply a sophisticated design and supplement the previously insufficient convenience facilities. Accordingly, a large promotional monitor was installed at the first-floor entrance, and the office spaces for each organization on the first and second floors were newly renovated. Additionally, a fitness room on the third floor and a health promotion room in the basement were newly established. On the third floor, an open lounge connected to the corridor was created, and the auditorium, which was reduced in size due to the addition of convenience facilities, was reinforced with equipment to ensure it remains comfortable to use. The health promotion room in the basement is newly equipped with golf practice facilities, massage chairs, and thermal therapy devices.

Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “I hope national veterans and their families will conveniently use the various facilities of the renewed Veterans Hall,” and added, “We will continue to pay close attention to the welfare enhancement of veterans and their families who have devoted themselves to the country.”

Gangseo-gu Expands Passport Secure Disposal Service

Targets All Passports Held by Individuals, Including Those Not Returned During Reissuance

Alleviates Inconvenience of Self-Disposal Due to Special Materials with Embedded Electronic Chips

Seoul’s Gangseo-gu (Mayor Kim Tae-woo) announced that it will expand the ‘Passport Secure Disposal Service,’ which safely disposes of passports that are difficult to discard at home, starting this month.

Passports contain personal information such as photos, names, and dates of birth, posing a high risk of personal information leakage. However, they are made of special materials with embedded electronic chips, making self-disposal difficult.

As a result, there are frequent cases where expired passports are kept for a long time and then lost or confused with valid passports, causing problems during departure.

To resolve these inconveniences, the district will expand the disposal targets beyond the previously returned passport during reissuance to include all passports personally held by individuals.

Residents wishing to apply should bring their ID and their own passport to the Passport Civil Service Office on the first floor of Gangseo-gu Office. For minors, a legal guardian can apply on their behalf.

Passports submitted for disposal will be sent to the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation for disposal procedures.

The district expects that the expanded Passport Secure Disposal Service will meet the increased demand for disposal applications following the easing of COVID-19 quarantine measures.

Additionally, the district operates an ‘Online Passport Application Reservation’ service, allowing applicants to book a preferred date and time for passport submission.

The ‘Online Passport Application Reservation’ is available on weekdays from 9:20 AM to 5:20 PM (until 4:40 PM on Thursdays) in 20-minute intervals and can be accessed through the district’s website.

A district official said, “With the recent increase in passport issuance demand, disposal applications are also expected to rise, so we have expanded the Passport Secure Disposal Service,” and added, “We hope that this easy-to-apply service will help protect your valuable personal information safely.”

Jung-gu Enables Immediate Extinguishing of 'Electric Vehicle Fires'

Establishes Parking Lot Safety Standards for Electric Vehicle Fire Accidents... Applied During Building Permit Reviews

Charging Stations and Dedicated Parking Spaces Installed on Ground or Basement Level 1 for Easy Fire Truck Access

Installation of Fireproof Barriers and Dedicated Water Supply Facilities for Firefighting... Enables Extinguishing Using 'Mobile Water Tanks'

Seoul’s Jung-gu (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) has established new parking lot safety standards to prepare for the increasing number of electric vehicle fire accidents. The district announced on the 7th that it plans to carefully apply these standards during future building permit and approval processes.

As of December last year, the cumulative number of registered electric vehicles in South Korea was 389,855, a 68.4% increase compared to the previous year. Along with the spread of electric vehicles, related fire accidents have also significantly increased. As of November, there were 36 electric vehicle fire incidents, a 12-fold increase compared to five years ago. Overcharging and overheating of batteries are the main causes.

Under current law, apartments and public buildings above a certain scale are required to install electric vehicle chargers. However, safety standards related to fire incidents are insufficient. Jung-gu has taken action. Since legal amendments take a long time, the district has quickly established and begun applying safety standards at the local government level.

The safety standards apply to buildings receiving construction review and permits in Jung-gu after February 23. The main targets are buildings subject to the ‘Act on the Development and Promotion of Environmentally Friendly Automobiles’ that are newly constructed or expanded.

First, electric vehicle charging stations and dedicated parking spaces will be installed preferably on the ground level to improve fire truck accessibility. If there is no ground parking, they will be installed near evacuation floors such as basement level 1. Separate fire compartments are also recommended to prevent fire spread to adjacent vehicles. Additionally, charging stations will not be installed adjacent to evacuation stairs.

Dedicated firefighting equipment will also be installed. Considering the characteristics of electric vehicle fires, where temperatures exceed 1000℃ making extinguishing difficult, installation of fireproof barriers and dedicated water supply facilities will be key standards. This will enable the use of ‘mobile water tanks’ to extinguish fires by submerging vehicles in water in Jung-gu. For rapid initial response, dedicated fire extinguishers and signage will be attached to each parking space.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “To minimize safety accidents, systems must quickly adapt to environmental changes,” and added, “We will continue to identify areas needed by residents first, establish related systems, and make Jung-gu a better place to live.”