Seoul City’s 5 Major Comprehensive Measures for Chuseok... Preparedness for Safety, Sharing, and Price Management

24-Hour Emergency Response System During Holiday Period

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 21st that it will implement the '2023 Chuseok Five Major Comprehensive Measures' for 10 days from the 25th of this month to the 4th of next month to ensure that citizens can spend a safe and comfortable Chuseok holiday.

The city has established five task forces for disaster, wind and flood damage, transportation, medical care, and prices, and set up a 'Comprehensive Situation Room' on the first floor of Seoul City Hall to oversee and coordinate these efforts. The situation room will operate 24 hours a day to prepare for emergencies. This comprehensive plan consists of five areas: safety, sharing, transportation, daily life, and prices.

First, as the long Chuseok holiday continues, a 24-hour disaster safety situation room will be operated to maintain an emergency disaster response system for traffic and fire accidents, wind and flood damage, and prompt action. In addition, special fire watch duty will be conducted during the holiday period to respond to fires and incidents.

Along with this, pre-holiday safety inspections will be conducted on facilities such as roads and construction sites, and safety management will be strengthened for fire-vulnerable facilities such as traditional markets frequently visited by citizens (561 locations), transportation, and warehouse facilities (17 locations).

First, the city will support vulnerable groups who are easily isolated during the holidays to have a warm Chuseok by providing 30,000 KRW per household in consolation money and goods to basic livelihood security households (approximately 230,000 recipients of livelihood and medical benefits). This year’s support target has increased by about 13,000 households compared to last year. Free meals will be provided three times a day at 38 homeless shelters during the holiday period. Free meals for 25,481 children at risk of food insecurity will continue uninterrupted before, during, and after the holiday.

Checks on the well-being of vulnerable elderly people will also be strengthened before and after the holiday. A total of 3,691 elderly people aged 65 or older who are basic livelihood security recipients or near-poverty class with mobility difficulties and in need of care (an increase of 363 from last year) will have their health status checked via phone calls and visits by 3,279 living support workers and dedicated social workers.

To facilitate transportation for returning and departing travelers, the operation of express and intercity buses departing from Seoul will be increased by an average of 528 trips per day (a 15% increase compared to normal), supporting transportation for about 17,000 people (a 29% increase compared to normal). During this Chuseok holiday, the subway will operate at holiday levels, and the late-night owl buses will run at normal levels. However, due to the expectation that return demand will be dispersed because of the long holiday, it should be noted that the last train times for public transportation will not be extended this Chuseok.

To ensure there are no gaps in medical care during the holiday, about 7,000 emergency medical institutions, hospitals and clinics open during the holiday, and pharmacies will be designated and operated to maintain the emergency medical system. The city will also minimize citizen inconvenience caused by household waste during the holiday and maintain cleanliness in the city by providing advance notice of garbage collection days.

Additionally, 14 municipal funeral facilities including the Seoul Municipal Crematorium will operate normally during the holiday. An online memorial system called ‘Cyber Memorial House’ has also been prepared for citizens who find it difficult to visit graves in person.

Meanwhile, information on holiday pharmacies, on-duty medical institutions, cultural and sports events during the holiday, and garbage disposal can be checked through the 120 Dasan Call Center and its SNS channels.

To stabilize prices during Chuseok, the supply of major seasonal products such as pears, apples, and croaker fish will be increased by 105%, and price trends of key management items will be monitored to implement price stabilization measures. In addition, inspections to eradicate unfair trade practices such as false origin labeling will be conducted to establish fair trade order. Earlier, the city issued Seoul Love Gift Certificates and online shopping mall exclusive e-Seoul Love Gift Certificates at a 7% discount to support small business owners and revitalize local commercial districts ahead of Chuseok. If purchases are made on platforms where stores participating in the traditional market online special discount sale, which runs until Sunday, October 15, are located, a 30% discount can be received.

Kim Sang-han, Director of Planning and Coordination at Seoul City, said, “This year’s Chuseok is the first since the COVID-19 endemic, and we have carefully prepared all areas so that citizens and returning visitors can have a comfortable and abundant Chuseok holiday.” He added, “We will carefully support vulnerable groups who are struggling due to soaring prices ahead of Chuseok by utilizing public and private resources.”