Two Proposals Presented to Gwangsan District Council: Support for Public Rental Apartments and Local Bookstores

Han Yoonhee: "Rental Apartments Should Not Be Excluded from Multi-Family Housing Projects"
"Urgent Measures Needed for Housing Equity Due to Aging Facilities"
"Revitalize Bookstores and Expand Reading Culture Through Book Price Reimbursement"

Han Yoonhee, a member of the Gwangsan District Council in Gwangju (Democratic Labor Party, Suwan-dong, Hanam-dong, Imgok-dong), has proposed expanding support for public rental apartments and introducing a "Book Price Reimbursement" policy to revitalize local bookstores.

According to the Gwangsan District Council on June 20, Han made these proposals during a regular council session held the previous day, suggesting both the expansion of support for public rental apartments and the implementation of the "Book Price Reimbursement" policy to support local bookstores.

Han Yoonhee, Gwangsan District Councilor, Gwangju.

Han criticized, "Public rental apartments, where socially disadvantaged groups mainly reside, are being excluded from various residential environment improvement projects," adding, "Other local governments have already enacted ordinances to provide support, but Gwangsan District is only delaying by citing legal review as the reason." She emphasized that, "Rather than shifting responsibility on the grounds that public agencies are the management entities, practical support for public rental apartments is needed to ensure housing equity."

She also pointed out, "Although neighborhood bookstores serve as spaces connecting culture and people, their existence is threatened by competition from online bookstores and the burden of rent." She proposed, "Let us introduce a 'Book Price Reimbursement' policy, where people can receive local currency refunds when they return books to the library after purchase."

Han also noted that while Gwangsan District registered 24 local bookstores through an ordinance in 2017, actual support has been limited to the purchase of public books, resulting in minimal support per bookstore. She added, "The total budget for book purchases is 286 million won, but the budget for the local bookstore revitalization project is only 1.2 million won," stressing the need for Gwangsan District to strengthen its practical role and responsibility.