[Interview] Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu: "There Is a Reason Why Our Infection Rate Is the Lowest Among Districts Relative to Population"

From the beginning, detailed measures including proactive quarantine were prepared, and concerns about cluster infections in religious facilities with enclosed and crowded indoor activities were addressed through consultations with religious leaders even before the Shincheonji cluster infection occurred, requesting temperature checks, hand sanitization, and mask-wearing during religious ceremonies.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] "We have conducted proactive quarantine measures since the early stages of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). As soon as the infectious disease crisis alert was raised to 'Warning,' we formed a Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and operated screening clinics."

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin District Office, said that by responding meticulously to COVID-19, the district was able to have 178 confirmed cases as of the 29th of last month, making it the fourth lowest among Seoul's autonomous districts. Gwangjin District ranks fourth after Jung-gu (106 cases), Geumcheon-gu (117 cases), and Jongno-gu (125 cases), but when considering the number of confirmed cases relative to the population, it shows the lowest figure among the 25 autonomous districts.

Additionally, to help small business owners who suffered economic damage to make a stepping stone for recovery, the district prepared a total of 40.6 billion KRW in 'Gwangjin-type Emergency Operating Funds,' which is the first in Seoul to exempt loan interest and guarantee fees for one year. As of the end of October, 25.9 billion KRW has been supported. Since September, the credit loan support limit has been expanded from 10 million KRW to 20 million KRW, and the eligibility criteria have been relaxed from 12 months of business operation to 6 months to allow more small business owners to receive support.

Along with this, the district is promoting the 'Gwangjin-type Good Landlord Win-Win Cooperation Movement.' In October, the district signed business agreements with local private organizations and large stores, promising to provide landlords with practical information and incentives and to enhance the self-sustainability of small business tenants. Also, landlords participating in the Good Landlord Win-Win Cooperation Movement received support for elevator self-safety inspection fees up to 100,000 KRW per month for three months. Financial support is also provided for 'Gwangjin-type Small Business Tenant' loans, which offer one year of interest-free and guarantee fee support.

The Gwangjin-type Small Business Tenant Financial Support is a project that provides loans up to 20 million KRW to landlords and tenants when small business owners located in Gwangjin District who also engage in real estate leasing reduce rent by 10% or more. A 'Our Neighborhood Good Landlord Certification Event' is also being promoted targeting good landlord buildings.

To revitalize the local commercial districts depressed by COVID-19, the district sold 'Gwangjin Love Gift Certificates' totaling 23.5 billion KRW in four rounds with discounts ranging from 7% to 15%. The Gwangjin Love Gift Certificates are mobile gift certificates that can be easily purchased by installing payment apps such as Beeple Zero Pay, Check Pay, and Money Tree, and can be used at Zero Pay affiliated stores within the region. To promote local consumption, a payback event was held where if the total usage amount exceeded 100,000 KRW, 10% (up to 50,000 KRW) was returned as Gwangjin Love Gift Certificates. Mayor Kim urged, "I hope all residents become watchdogs of Gwangjin District's quarantine system," and added, "Let us make mask-wearing a daily habit and overcome this together."

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