Gaepodong Gangnam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center Renovates 'Smart Clean Zone'

‘Sterilization Lighting’ Renovated for People in Their 80s and Older... Improving Air Quality

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun) renovated the Gaepo-dong Gangnam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, where indoor air quality improvement was urgently needed, into a ‘Smart Clean Zone’ last month through the ‘Citizen Participation ICT Living Lab’ pilot project.

The ‘Gangnam Citizen Participation ICT Living Lab’ moves away from the traditional administration-centered policy decision-making and involves citizens, the policy consumers, using information and communication technology (ICT) to identify and solve community issues. Since April, 21 citizens and 5 expert committee members have participated in focused discussions and selected the Smart Clean Zone project.

Through this project, 80 LED lights capable of sterilization by light and one air sterilizer were installed in 10 rooms across 3 floors of the Gangnam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center. On the 8th, the participants directly measured the air quality of the welfare center and confirmed that the ‘sterilizing lights’ can inhibit bacterial growth (sterilization power) by up to 99.9%.

Yoon Jong-min, Director of the Smart City Division, said, “The ‘Smart Clean Zone’ is significant because it is a system conceived and prepared by citizens who voluntarily took on the role of ‘Gangnam-gu problem solvers.’” He added, “We will expand the installation so that socially vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, the elderly, and children who mainly visit welfare centers in the area can live in a more comfortable environment.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.