Mayor Bang Se-hwan of Gwangju City: "Disabled Welfare Center Will Become a Core Platform for the Local Community"

Gwangju City and Warm Companion Sign Agreement to Operate Welfare Center for the Disabled
Aiming to Open in First Half of 2026... Implementing an Inclusive Welfare Model for People with Disabilities

On December 3, Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province signed the "Gwangju City Disabled Welfare Center Operation and Management Consignment Agreement" with the Social Welfare Corporation Warm Companion at the City Hall Vision Hall. The city also formalized the welfare center's operation plan and the procedures for its opening, aiming to open the center in the first half of 2026.

Bang Se-hwan, Mayor of Gwangju City (left), is signing the "Gwangju City Disabled Welfare Center Operation and Management Consignment Agreement" with Kim Jong-hoon, Chairman of the Social Welfare Corporation Warm Companion, at the City Hall Vision Hall on the 3rd. Provided by Gyeonggi Gwangju City

The signing ceremony was attended by Bang Se-hwan, Mayor of Gwangju City, Kim Jong-hoon, Chairman and Executive Representative of Warm Companion, and nine other officials, making a total of 11 participants.

Notably, the "Opening Preparation Team," formed to ensure the professionalism and stability of the welfare center's operation, was also present to discuss the establishment of a community-based cooperation system and practical collaboration measures.

Under this agreement, Gwangju City will be responsible for providing administrative and financial support not only for the preparations for the center's opening but also for its future operations. Warm Companion, as the entrusted organization, plans to leverage its 15 years of expertise and operational know-how in the social welfare sector since its establishment in 2010 to implement a community-centered, inclusive welfare service model for people with disabilities.

Kim Jong-hoon, Chairman of Warm Companion, stated, "We will develop the Gwangju City Disabled Welfare Center into an inclusive space where no one is left behind, creating a new welfare center model where people with and without disabilities can come together."

Mayor Bang Se-hwan emphasized, "We will spare no administrative or financial support to ensure that the Gwangju City Disabled Welfare Center becomes a core platform connecting the lives of people with disabilities and the local community," adding, "Creating changes that citizens can truly feel is the most important goal of our city administration."

Meanwhile, Warm Companion is a social welfare corporation established in 2010 under the mission of "Warm-hearted people coming together to create a warm, barrier-free world." The organization has been actively engaged in various fields, including improving residential and living environments for people with disabilities, supporting advanced assistive devices, creating jobs, promoting volunteer activities, and supporting North Korean defectors and war veterans. Through this agreement, Warm Companion's participation in the operation of the Gwangju City Disabled Welfare Center is expected to present an inclusive welfare service model that combines expertise in both community welfare and spatial welfare.