Seongdong-type Smart Shelter Installs 'Hearing Loop' for the Hearing Impaired

Installation of Hearing Loop System for the Hearing Impaired in Smart Shelters by July

Total of 52 Locations Operated with 3 Additional Small Shelters Installed, Dementia Elderly Safely Returned Home through CCTV Monitoring

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced that it will install Hearing Loop systems in smart shelters to assist the hearing impaired in improving their listening ability.

Seongdong-gu was selected for the Seoul City Testbed Project last year and secured 320 million KRW in city funds to further develop the Seongdong-type smart shelters prepared for transportation-vulnerable groups. Earlier this month, two shelters were pilot-installed with frame-type Hearing Loop systems, and the plan is to expand installation to a total of 45 locations by July.

The Hearing Loop is a wireless broadcast transmission system that helps hearing-impaired individuals hear clear sounds without surrounding noise interference.

Most hearing-impaired people use hearing aids or cochlear implants, but in public places with many people, noise and voice information are amplified together, making it difficult to properly understand information. Therefore, in advanced countries overseas, Hearing Loop systems are mandatorily installed in multi-use facilities such as train stations, airports, subways, and museums to accommodate the hearing impaired.

The Seongdong-type smart shelter, first installed in August 2020, is the nation’s first futuristic bus stop that has been consistently loved by users. It provides basic amenities such as heating and cooling functions, real-time traffic information, wired and wireless chargers, emergency bells, and fire extinguishers, aiming to improve residents’ quality of life and convenience. In April, three additional small shelters were installed, bringing the total to 52 locations currently in operation.

Seongdong-gu will install frame-type hearing loop systems (red rectangles) for the hearing impaired at 45 smart shelters.

Smart shelters serve not only as resting places but also play a significant role as social safety nets. They have helped resolve dating violence cases and reunite families of dementia elderly and autistic homeless individuals.

In particular, the cases involving dating violence and dementia elderly were resolved after the Seongdong Smart City Integrated Operation Center detected abnormalities while monitoring CCTV inside the shelters and reported them, actively protecting residents in emergencies.

In early April, around 11 p.m., a man was seen restraining a woman’s arm and taking her belongings at a shelter. After an announcement was made, the police were notified, and the dating violence was safely resolved.

Also, a person exhibiting suspicious behavior, such as sitting for hours every evening at the smart shelter and spitting, prompted the staff to intervene. The staff noticed the person was unable to communicate and repeated the same words, reported to the police, and found that the individual was a dementia elderly living alone. The person is now under family protection and preparing to enter a social welfare facility.

There was also a case of an autistic homeless person being reunited with their home. Upon receiving a report of a person appearing homeless, welfare staff responded and found the individual had autism and missed Seongdong-gu, where they had childhood memories, walking daily from Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do to the smart shelter. With no family to care for them and health concerns, the staff continuously persuaded the person and safely escorted them home.

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Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “As Seongdong-gu aims to be a smart inclusive city, we are committed to realizing policies that allow people with disabilities to equally enjoy infrastructure,” adding, “We will strive to build a city where no one is excluded and everyone is protected based on cutting-edge technology.”

Ensuring Safety of Single-Person Households with ‘Smart Security Lights’!

Songpa-gu to Install 855 Smart Security Lights in Areas with High Concentration of Single-Person Households by October This Year

Linked with ‘Ansim-i’ App, Lights Automatically Brighten... Police Dispatch in Emergency Situations

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will install 855 smart security lights in Songpa 1-dong and Samjeon-dong, areas densely populated with single-person households, to ensure residents can return home safely.

‘Smart Security Lights’ are LED security lights equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) and low-power Bluetooth (BLE) functions, linked and operated with Seoul City’s ‘Ansim-i’ app.

When users activate the return home monitoring function on the Ansim-i app and walk along streets equipped with smart security lights, the system detects their location in real time and automatically brightens the lights.

Lighting fixtures in Samjeon-dong

Additionally, in case of an emergency during return home, pressing the ‘Emergency Report’ button on the Ansim-i app or shaking the smartphone triggers an urgent police dispatch through the Songpa-gu Integrated Control Center. The smart security light closest to the user flashes, allowing quick identification of the reporter’s location.

The district plans to sequentially complete the installation of smart security lights in Songpa 1-dong and Samjeon-dong by October this year, creating a safer route for residents returning home.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “We plan to gradually expand the project focusing on safety-vulnerable areas in cooperation with the police station,” adding, “We will continue to proactively build safety infrastructure in line with the increasing number of single-person households and residents’ needs to create a city environment where everyone can feel safe.”

Geumcheon-gu Advances Underground Wiring Project in Jeonghun Complex Section of Doksan-ro

Following Completion of Phase 1 (Court Complex), Phase 2 (Jeonghun Complex) Section Continues

Project Completion Targeted by February 2024, Expected to Improve Pedestrian Environment and Urban Aesthetics

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) announced the resumption of the underground wiring project for the Phase 2 (Jeonghun Complex) section of Doksan-ro, following the completion of Phase 1 (Court Complex) last year.

The section covers a 1 km two-way stretch (0.5 km × 2) from the intersection in front of the Seoul Southern Women’s Development Center to the Doksan 4-dong intersection. The project involves burying power and communication lines underground and removing utility poles and communication poles to improve the pedestrian environment. The total project budget is 9.8 billion KRW (3.8 billion KRW from the district, 2 billion KRW from the city, and 4 billion KRW from KEPCO and telecom companies).

Geumcheon-gu signed a business agreement with KEPCO and telecom companies and started the project in April last year, completing the installation of conduits on the road (carriageway) to date.

Geumcheon-gu completed the underground cable project for the first phase of Doksan-ro (Court Complex) section last year.

By the end of July, ‘service conduits’ connecting the main conduits buried in the road to each household will be installed under the sidewalks, and sidewalk blocks will be repaired together. From August to February 2024, existing power and communication lines and poles will be removed to complete the underground wiring project.

Yoo Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We expect the underground wiring project to greatly improve the pedestrian environment for residents,” adding, “We will do our best to complete the construction as quickly as possible to ensure residents’ safety and enhance urban aesthetics.”

100 Billion KRW Scale Jungnang Love Gift Certificates Issued on May 3 at 3 PM with 7% Discount

Jungnang Love Gift Certificates Issued at 3 PM on May 3, Purchase Limit of 500,000 KRW per Person

Available for Purchase on Seoul Pay Plus, T-money Pay, Shinhan SOL, Money Tree, and Shinhan Play Apps

7% Discount Purchase and 30% Income Deduction Benefits, No Payment Fee Burden for Small Business Owners

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) will issue 10 billion KRW worth of Jungnang Love Gift Certificates at 3 p.m. on May 3.

The district explained that the issuance aims to reduce household burdens during Family Month and boost sales for small business owners to revitalize the local economy. The Jungnang Love Gift Certificates do not impose payment fees on small business owners and offer consumers a 7% discount and 30% income deduction benefits, consistently receiving high approval from residents.

This Jungnang Love Gift Certificate will be sold at a 7% discount starting at 3 p.m. on May 3. It can be purchased via the Seoul Pay Plus, T-money Pay, Shinhan SOL, Money Tree, and Shinhan Play apps.

The purchase limit is 500,000 KRW per person, and purchases can be made in units of 10,000 KRW. Even if a person already holds Jungnang Love Gift Certificates, additional purchases are possible as long as the total holding does not exceed the maximum limit of 1.5 million KRW. The ‘Gift’ function can also be used to send certificates to family or acquaintances.

The gift certificates can be used at about 9,400 affiliated stores within the region, including traditional markets, restaurants, and bakeries. Detailed usage locations can be checked on the Seoul Pay Plus app.

The certificates are valid for five years from the purchase date, and unused certificates can be fully canceled at any time. If more than 60% of the purchase amount is used, the remaining amount excluding the discount can be refunded.

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “We hope the discounted issuance of Jungnang Love Gift Certificates will reduce residents’ burdens and help small business owners increase sales amid the economic downturn,” adding, “We will continue to make efforts to discover various policies to revitalize the local economy.”