Gyeonggi Province is preparing and implementing comprehensive measures ahead of the nation’s biggest traditional holiday, Chuseok. In particular, with October 2 designated as a temporary holiday, Gyeonggi Province will operate a ‘Chuseok Holiday Comprehensive Situation Room’ for six days from September 28 to October 3, the start of the holiday period. This is a measure to provide comprehensive guidance on civil complaints and to respond promptly to any inconveniences experienced by residents.
In addition, any inconveniences during the holiday period can be reported through the Gyeonggi Province Call Center (031-120). An emergency medical treatment situation room (031-8008-4775) will also be activated for emergency patients. Let’s take a look at the detailed measures prepared by Gyeonggi Province in welfare and culture, livelihood stability, health and safety, and transportation.
◆ Welfare and Culture
Gyeonggi Province operates a 24-hour ‘Emergency Welfare Hotline’ to provide counseling and link support services for households at risk in welfare blind spots. Counseling is available not only via phone (010-4419-7722) but also through various channels such as GyeonggiBok G Talk (KakaoTalk channel).
Furthermore, safety checks will be conducted directly or through the use of wired Internet of Things (IoT) devices for approximately 85,000 vulnerable elderly and 52,000 vulnerable disabled individuals. In addition, holiday food and health management support will be provided to about 800 homeless people, and consolation money will be delivered to approximately 680 social welfare facilities in the province.
Moreover, 31 ‘Youth Shelters’ across the province will be open 24 hours during the holiday period to provide a place for out-of-home youth to rest, and food will be provided to youth preparing for independence and children at risk of food insecurity.
Gyeonggi Province will partially open public museums and art galleries free of charge during the Chuseok holiday and operate special exhibition programs. In particular, about 40 barrier-free tourist facilities will be opened to ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy cultural activities without inconvenience during the holiday period.
◆ Livelihood Stability
Gyeonggi Province, together with 31 cities and counties, has formed a ‘Price Stabilization Task Force’ to intensively crack down on violations of commercial order such as excessive price increases. In addition, consumer benefits will be greatly expanded through special agricultural product sales events for Chuseok, including product discounts and free delivery. At Nonghyup Hanaro Marts in Goyang, Seongnam, Dongtan, Suwon, and Yangju, the ‘Gyeonggi Agricultural Products Premium Brand Exhibition’ will offer time sales with up to 50% discounts on G-mark pears and grapes.
Also, to ensure safe food during the Chuseok holiday, inspections will be conducted on more than 1,200 manufacturers and sellers of processed foods and livestock products. Safety inspections will be carried out on agricultural, livestock, and marine products at large logistics centers, distribution stores, and department stores. The number of locations for radioactive testing and collection of distributed seafood will be expanded from 4 to 8. Furthermore, a ‘Livestock Infectious Disease Prevention Headquarters’ will be operated to prepare for the risk of livestock infectious disease outbreaks during the Chuseok holiday.
Gyeonggi Province will also conduct ‘visiting consultations’ at subway stations and other locations during the holiday period to provide advice on unpaid wages and guide procedures for rights protection. Information on consultation locations and times by region can be found on the Gyeonggi Labor Rights Center website (labor.gg.go.kr).
◆ Health and Safety
Gyeonggi Province will establish a 24-hour emergency medical system during the Chuseok holiday. An ‘Emergency Medical Treatment Situation Room’ will be operated to provide guidance on emergency medical complaints and respond to large-scale patient occurrences. Emergency medical institutions will remain open 24 hours.
In addition, a 24-hour disaster situation team will be activated to respond quickly and accurately to social disasters. To improve accessibility for safety-related reports by residents, a ‘Safety Prevention Hotline (010-3990-7722)’ has been established. Joint inspections of multi-use buildings will be conducted by Gyeonggi Province, safety management advisory groups, cities and counties, and electric and gas safety corporations. A gas and electricity safety management task force will also be formed to actively respond to emergencies such as gas or power outages.
All fire stations in the province will be on special alert duty during the holiday period. In addition, the Civil Defense Alert Control Center will be operated during the Chuseok holiday to prepare for national disaster situations. Crime prevention activities will be conducted targeting crime-prone areas, and patrols will be significantly strengthened in areas with high security demand such as crowded places.
◆ Transportation and Convenience
Gyeonggi Province will oversee traffic situation operations and operate a ‘Special Traffic Measures Situation Room’ to provide road conditions and bus information. Residents can check traffic conditions through the Gyeonggi Traffic Information Center (1688-9090).
In addition, for intercity buses, 95 buses on 45 routes in 5 zones will be added using charter buses and reserve vehicles according to demand from returning travelers, increasing the number of trips by 152. City and village buses will be flexibly operated, including extending service by one hour as needed according to local conditions. Night airport buses will operate 12 times a day on 6 routes in an express format between major points in the province and Incheon Airport.
Furthermore, habitual congestion sections on major expressways and national roads will provide real-time detour information and interchange entry control information via road variable message signs (VMS).
Gyeonggi Province provides information on congestion status, fastest routes, and unexpected situations (traffic accidents, restricted areas) on major roads in the province through the Gyeonggi Traffic Information Center website (gits.gg.go.kr), mobile app (Gyeonggi Traffic Information), and traffic information phone (1688-9090).
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