9th President Kim Hyun-hoon Steps Down, 10th President Jo Jun-ho Takes Office
New President Jo Expresses Aspiration: “The Development of the Council Will Lead to the Welfare Advancement of the Entire Eunpyeong-gu”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that on the afternoon of the 22nd, it held the inauguration and stepping-down ceremony for the 9th President Kim Hyun-hoon and the 10th President Jo Jun-ho of the Eunpyeong-gu Social Welfare Council at the Western Rehabilitation Sports Center.
The ceremony was attended by Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, members of the Eunpyeong-gu Social Welfare Council, local members of the National Assembly, city councilors, and district councilors, who took time to express gratitude and congratulations.
Kim Hyun-hoon was inaugurated as the 8th president of the council in 2019 and served as the 9th president through reappointment. The newly inaugurated President Jo Jun-ho is the CEO of Angels Haven and has served as a director of both the Seoul Metropolitan and Eunpyeong-gu Social Welfare Councils.
The event included a gratitude video reflecting on the outgoing president’s journey, presentation of a plaque of appreciation, a congratulatory video expressing expectations and hopes for the new president, followed by congratulatory speeches from guests including Mayor Kim Mi-kyung.
In his inauguration speech, new President Jo Jun-ho stated, “I will do my best to ensure that the development of the Eunpyeong-gu Social Welfare Council leads to the welfare advancement of all residents in Eunpyeong-gu,” adding, “We will faithfully perform the role of a platform for community change and innovation.”
Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “I hope the council will fulfill its role as a reliable partner of Eunpyeong-gu and as a link between the public and private sectors,” and added, “I hope we can create a happy Eunpyeong for everyone.”
Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu (second from the left), Lee Geun-jik, Head of Dongdaemun-Jungnang Branch of Korea Electric Power Corporation (first from the left), Jang Young-cheol, Chief of Dongdaemun Police Station (third from the left), and Kang Dong-man, Chief of Dongdaemun Fire Station (fourth from the left) are posing for a commemorative photo.
Dongdaemun-gu Signs Agreement to Establish Network for Discovering and Supporting Welfare Blind Spots
On the 22nd, Agreement Signed with Dongdaemun Police Station, Dongdaemun Fire Station, and Korea Electric Power Corporation Dongdaemun-Jungnang Branch
Commitments Include Information Sharing and Collaboration to Identify At-Risk Households, and Delivery of Welfare Service Notices via Meter Readers
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) signed a business agreement on the afternoon of the 22nd with Dongdaemun Police Station, Dongdaemun Fire Station, and Korea Electric Power Corporation Dongdaemun-Jungnang Branch to discover and support welfare blind spots.
Following tragic deaths such as the three mothers in Suwon last year and a two-year-old child left alone and deceased in Michuhol, Incheon, cases of death that the ‘welfare blind spot discovery system’ fails to detect continue to occur.
Accordingly, the district sought ways to detect crisis situations early and respond proactively by signing agreements with related local institutions that directly meet residents, thereby establishing various field-centered routes to discover at-risk households.
The main contents of the agreement include ▲information sharing and collaboration to discover at-risk households ▲reporting of detected at-risk households during each institution’s fieldwork and prompt action and support for reported households ▲delivery of welfare service notices through Korea Electric Power Corporation meter readers.
Mayor Lee Pil-hyung of Dongdaemun-gu said, “This agreement will strengthen the cooperative system with related local institutions and build a more robust social safety net,” adding, “We will develop and implement practical policies to eliminate welfare blind spots and move one step closer to a ‘Dongdaemun-gu that Opens Happiness.’”
Dongdaemun-gu has previously signed agreements with related local institutions such as Yesco starting in 2015, National Health Insurance Service Dongdaemun Branch, Seoul Eastern Education Support Office, Eastern Waterworks Office, and Dongdaemun Post Office to address welfare blind spots.
Jungnang-gu Launches ‘Jungnang Safety Volunteer Corps’
Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) announced that on the 21st, it held the launching ceremony for the ‘Jungnang Safety Volunteer Corps’ to establish a rapid disaster response system.
The ‘Jungnang Safety Volunteer Corps’ is a resident-centered volunteer group equipped with speed and expertise to effectively respond to disasters and accidents.
The volunteer corps, consisting of 53 members ranging from youth to adults, will rush to disaster sites to assist with environmental restoration and support for affected residents’ daily recovery during emergencies. During normal times, they maintain an emergency contact network and receive training to enhance disaster response capabilities. The activity period is from April this year to March next year.
Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi of Jungnang-gu said, “Through the experience of COVID-19, we realized that in order to respond effectively to urgent and serious disasters, the role of volunteers is as important as administrative efforts,” adding, “Starting with this launching ceremony, we will do our best to build a safe city, Jungnang, through a public-private volunteer cooperation system.”
Gangnam-gu Strengthens Friendship by Meeting with Fira Barcelona Delegation
Delegation from the World’s Largest Smart City Expo ‘Smart City Expo World Congress’ Visits Gangnam-gu on the 22nd
Gangnam-gu (Mayor Cho Sung-myung) met with Ugo Valenti, President of Fira Barcelona, the organizer of the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), and other executives on the 22nd to strengthen mutual friendship regarding smart cities.
SCEWC is the world’s largest smart city exhibition held annually in Barcelona, Spain. The Fira Barcelona delegation visited Korea to attend a National Assembly symposium and promote the event, making a special visit to Gangnam-gu, a representative city of South Korea.
President Ugo Valenti said, “Seeing Gangnam, the most well-known city in Seoul, in person was very impressive,” adding, “The various smart city policies implemented by Gangnam-gu are very remarkable.”
Mayor Cho Sung-myung of Gangnam-gu expressed gratitude, saying, “Thank you to President Ugo Valenti and the executives of Fira Barcelona for visiting Gangnam-gu all the way from Barcelona,” and added, “We will strive to become a leading city in the smart city sector.”
Seongbuk-gu Residents’ Welfare Safety Net ‘Guseok Guseok Discovery Team’ Holds Meeting
Sharing Cases and Impressions from Activities Since the Launch Ceremony Last October
Conducted Focused Campaign to Discover At-Risk Households by Posting Promotional Materials on Residential Mailboxes
Discussed Efficient Methods for Discovering At-Risk Households and Future Activity Directions
Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) held a general meeting of the resident-centered human welfare safety net ‘Guseok Guseok Discovery Team’ on the 21st.
All members of the discovery team and related officials attended the meeting to share their cases and impressions and reflect on their activities so far. Discussions on future development directions were also held.
For effective communication, a prior survey was conducted to collect opinions in advance. Online feedback on the evaluation of focused discovery of at-risk households and operational plans for the 2023 discovery team activities was gathered from attendees to share more opinions.
The Guseok Guseok Discovery Team, composed of residents familiar with local conditions, held its launch ceremony last October under the slogan ‘Zero Welfare Blind Spots.’ They conducted a focused publicity campaign by posting stickers on residential mailboxes and front doors saying “Please call anytime,” and distributing notices mainly to local stores such as real estate agencies, convenience stores, and clinics, going door to door to find at-risk households. Besides individual contacts received at community centers, 35 at-risk households were discovered through calls made to the district office’s main number listed on the notices. For example, in Jangwi 2-dong, a landlord reported a tenant suspected to be in danger after seeing the promotional material on the mailbox, leading to the discovery of a man in his 60s in a crisis situation, and the district connected him to welfare services.
A resident active as a discovery team member in Samseon-dong said, “There are people who pick up the phone after seeing the notice at a critical moment,” and added, “This meeting today was very meaningful as we discussed improvements and shared opinions to discover residents in blind spots more quickly and efficiently.”
Residents also shared and empathized with difficulties and wishes experienced in the field, such as “I hope more welfare education is provided for the discovery team,” and “It would be good to have name tags so that local people can easily recognize us when we go around.”
Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “I hope today’s meeting served as a compass for the future direction of the Guseok Guseok Discovery Team, and through their active activities, a solid resident-centered welfare system that proactively discovers and supports at-risk households will be established.”
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