Eunpyeong-gu Operates Four 'Our Neighborhood Village Management Office' Moa Centers

Role of Management Offices in Aging Low-Rise Residential Areas

Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced on the 12th that it has installed and is operating four village management offices called ‘Moa Centers’ to provide community-based public services and create local jobs in areas densely populated with aging low-rise houses.

Previously, Eunpyeong-gu was selected for a Seoul city public contest project to improve the residential satisfaction of local residents, enabling the installation of Moa Centers in Nokbeon Sangol Village (Nokbeon-dong 71-19), Sanse Village (Sinsa-dong 237), Hyangnim Village (Bulgwang-dong 76-7), and Suri Village (Bulgwang-dong 189-7). These villages mostly consist of low-rise houses densely clustered on steep highlands.

View of Hyangrim Village Moa Center. Provided by Eunpyeong-gu.

The Eunpyeong-gu Moa Centers operate every weekday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., with up to six village managers working in two shifts.

At the Moa Centers, services provided include ▲improving living environments for vulnerable groups (simple home repairs, replacement of old multi-tap power strips) ▲providing convenience (operation of unmanned parcel lockers, collection of used batteries and expired medicines) ▲local safety management (nighttime safety patrols in alleys, patrols and preventive measures in frequently disaster-affected areas) ▲village environment maintenance (cleaning of illegally dumped garbage, etc.).

Specialized projects are also underway, such as operating recycling separation stations and food waste volume-based disposers tailored to each Moa Center’s characteristics, as well as delivering goods to residents with mobility difficulties.

Additionally, starting this month, a ‘Replacement Service for Old Multi-tap Power Strips’ is being implemented. Ahead of winter, as cases of electrical fires increase, this service removes old multi-taps from vulnerable households and replaces them free of charge with safety multi-taps made of flame-retardant materials.

The Eunpyeong-gu Moa Centers have lowered psychological barriers to use by prioritizing the hiring of local residents who are well acquainted with village conditions, which has increased service application rates in the early stages of the project. The workers, who also live in the villages, actively address inconveniences they have personally experienced, contributing to the improvement of the village environment.

District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “Through the Moa Centers, we expect to provide residents in low-rise residential areas, who are in welfare blind spots, with various public services comparable to those of apartment management offices, thereby increasing residential satisfaction.”