Seoul Jung-gu Secures 500 Million Won in Special Grants for First Half of the Year

Utilization including Kids Cafe Creation and Underground Road Flood Response Facility Installation
203 Billion Secured from External Funds by 8th Elected Government and Seoul City

Seoul Jung-gu Office building.

Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gil-seong) announced on the 10th that it has received a special grant of 500 million KRW from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in the first half of the year to create a kids cafe in Jangchung-dong and install flood response facilities in the underground passage in front of Printemps in Myeongdong.

Jung-gu evaluated this as securing external funds amid financial difficulties due to decreased tax revenue, laying the foundation for implementing projects aimed at residents' welfare and safety.

The Jangchung-dong kids cafe project aims to improve Jung-gu’s childcare environment by creating a clean indoor playground where children can safely play throughout the four seasons in the city center. Regarding the underground passage in front of Printemps in Myeongdong (around Janggyo-dong 1-5), it has been designated and managed as a key facility under the revised disaster prevention guidelines, and there is a need to install flood response facilities such as entry blocking devices and electronic signboards.

Additional funding is required to carry out these two projects. Jung-gu plans to actively secure Seoul city special grants and city subsidies in addition to the 500 million KRW granted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Since the 8th term of the elected administration, Jung-gu has been making every effort to secure national and city funds to improve residents' convenience and expand infrastructure. As a result, a total of 20.3 billion KRW in national and city funds has been secured from July 2022 to the present.

The detailed breakdown includes 8.4 billion KRW for projects enhancing residents' benefits such as the creation of the Namsan foothill forest trail, kids cafe, and youth center; 8.7 billion KRW for safety projects such as installing CCTV in crime-prone areas, replacing exterior materials of district-run senior centers, and installing road heating cables; and 3.2 billion KRW for revitalizing the local economy, including installing an arcade in Namdaemun Market and renovating street vendors in Myeongdong, all funded by national and city funds.

District Mayor Kim Gil-seong stated, “We are closely communicating and consulting with the central government and Seoul city to enhance residents' convenience, safety, and regional economic revitalization. We will continue to make every effort to secure external funds and ensure thorough implementation of resident-centered projects.”