Seoul District Mayors Sharing with Neighbors Before Chuseok

Dobong-gu Mayor Oh Eon-seok Goes to See Traditional Markets with Mayor Oh Se-hoon... Seogang-seok, Songpa-gu Mayor, Visits Elderly Living Alone and Welfare Facilities for Chuseok... Choi Ho-gwon, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor, Encourages Public Officials Working During Chuseok Holiday... Kim Kyung-ho, Gwangjin-gu Mayor, Participates in Love Songpyeon Sharing Event for Chuseok... Park Kang-soo, Mapo-gu Mayor, Joins Making Songpyeon for Married Immigrant Women

The heads of the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul have dozens of schedules from morning until evening.

After visiting sites and meeting with citizens who come to see them, in the afternoon they meet with executives lined up in the secretariat for internal approvals.

From the time they arrive at work until they leave, some district heads are so busy that they cannot even comfortably use the restroom. At one point, a district head lamented, "Being a district head is one of the 3D jobs."

When holidays like Chuseok come, these district heads have to spend busy schedules visiting welfare facilities such as homes for elderly living alone, senior centers, and traditional markets.

Oh Eon-seok, Dobong District Head, Visits Traditional Markets 'Oh Brothers' with Mayor Oh Se-hoon

Oh Eon-seok, Dobong District Head, calls Mayor Oh Se-hoon "ajusshi" (mister). Using this title shows a sense of closeness, especially since they share the same surname Oh.

For Mayor Oh, it must be a source of pride that Oh Eon-seok was elected as Dobong District Head as a People Power Party candidate in Dobong, a Democratic Party stronghold.

On the 13th, Mayor Oh visited Changdong Sinchang Market and Changdong Alley Market together with Dobong District Head Oh Eon-seok. On that day, Mayor Oh and District Head Oh communicated with residents visiting the markets and shopped directly.

They also encouraged merchants struggling due to the difficult economic situation. On that day, District Head Oh handed over materials on six local projects, including the relocation of Kukkiwon to Dobong District and the undergrounding of the Gyeongwon Line, to Mayor Oh and requested active cooperation from the city.

Seo Gang-seok, Songpa District Head, Visits Elderly Living Alone and Welfare Facilities for Chuseok

Seo Gang-seok, Songpa District Head, visited low-income elderly living alone and communal living homes ahead of Chuseok to check on the difficulties of marginalized neighbors and share warm holiday wishes.

District Head Seo prioritizes care and support for marginalized groups in district administration and practices inclusive governance that embraces those in need. On the 13th, ahead of Chuseok, District Head Seo visited the field to encourage and comfort neighbors in difficulty and to listen directly to their concerns. The first schedule of the day was a visit to a communal living home located in Macheon-dong.

He expressed gratitude to the facility director and staff who take on parental roles caring for the children and encouraged them to have a bountiful Chuseok holiday with the children.

A communal living home is a place where children and adolescents who need protection due to parental abuse, poverty, death, etc., live together with peers in a family community. Songpa District operates six such facilities.

Next, he visited the home of an elderly person living alone in Pungnap-dong. After exchanging holiday greetings, he checked on the inconveniences of living alone and health status while chatting.

Ms. Lee (75, female) expressed gratitude for the surprise visit and shared her impressions of the AI companion robot ‘Hyosoni’ supported by the district. She said, “When I come home, ‘Hyosoni’ warmly welcomes me, plays music to prevent feelings of depression, and even carefully reminds me when it’s time to take my medicine, so I never feel lonely.”

Seo Gang-seok, Songpa District Head, said, “I hope everyone has a warm holiday by paying attention to neighbors who are marginalized during Chuseok, when economic difficulties and loneliness increase,” and added, “Songpa District will continue to practice ‘servant administration’ for all residents, including vulnerable groups and those in welfare blind spots, to build an inclusive city without anyone being left out.”

Choi Ho-kwon, Yeongdeungpo District Head, Encourages Public Officials Working During Chuseok Holiday

On the morning of the 13th, Choi Ho-kwon, Yeongdeungpo District Head, visited related agencies that quietly guard the district’s safety during the Chuseok holiday to offer words of encouragement.

On that day, District Head Choi visited Yeongdeungpo Fire Station, Yeongdeungpo Post Office, Yeongdeungpo Central Police Station, the Integrated Control Center, and the environmental officers’ break room to carefully check operational status and express gratitude to on-site workers at each agency.

The district is implementing a ‘Chuseok Comprehensive Plan’ from September 13 to 19, focusing on four main areas: safety, traffic, daily life, and livelihood, to ensure residents can spend the Chuseok holiday safely.

Since taking office, Choi Ho-kwon has shown exceptional consideration for public officials by continuously visiting sites during holiday periods. He said, “I thank the on-site workers who work tirelessly day and night during the Chuseok holiday. Thanks to them, residents can have a safe Chuseok,” and added, “The district will also do its best to fully support residents in each field to ensure a safe holiday.”

Kim Kyung-ho, Gwangjin District Head, Participates in Chuseok Love Songpyeon Sharing Event

Gwangjin District (District Head Kim Kyung-ho) announced that on the 12th, it held a ‘Chuseok Love Songpyeon Sharing’ event together with the Korean Red Cross Gwangjin District Council (Chairperson Lee Gwi-seon).

The event, hosted by the Korean Red Cross Volunteer Society Gwangjin District Council, was attended by about 30 members including District Head Kim Kyung-ho, Korean Red Cross Chairman Kim Cheol-soo, Seoul Metropolitan Branch Chairman Kwon Young-gyu, and members of the Volunteer Society.

The made songpyeon were nicely packaged and delivered to 150 vulnerable households, including those partnered with the Hope Windmill program.

Kim Kyung-ho, Gwangjin District Head, said, “I deeply thank Chairman Kim Cheol-soo of the Korean Red Cross, Chairman Kwon Young-gyu of the Seoul Metropolitan Branch, and Chairperson Lee Gwi-seon and members of the Korean Red Cross Volunteer Society Gwangjin District Council who always serve selflessly for marginalized neighbors,” and added, “I hope the warm hearts and sincerity continue during the upcoming Chuseok holiday, and wish everyone a bountiful Hangawi with family and relatives.”

Park Kang-su, Mapo District Head, Joins Making Songpyeon to Share with Married Immigrant Women

On the morning of the 10th, Park Kang-su, Mapo District Head, visited the ‘Beautiful Songpyeon Flowers Have Bloomed’ event held at Seongsan 1-dong Community Center.

The event, hosted by the Mapo Saemaeul Women’s Association (Chairperson Uh Sook-hee), was organized to share delicious food such as songpyeon with neighbors in celebration of Chuseok.

About 50 people, including Park Kang-su, Mapo District Head, Baek Nam-hwan, Mapo District Council Chairperson, Saemaeul Women’s Association chairpersons and executives, and married immigrant women, made songpyeon to share with neighbors, sharing the warm spirit of Chuseok.

Park Kang-su, Mapo District Head, said, “Thanks to your hearts of sharing the joy of the holiday and carefully prepared food with neighbors, Mapo residents could become even happier,” and added, “Mapo District will always do its best to make Mapo as prosperous as Chuseok.”