Seongdong-gu Seongsu-dong Handmade Shoe Manufacturer Improves Ventilation and Safety Facilities

Up to 4.5 Million KRW Support per Small Handmade Shoe Company Struggling Due to COVID-19 for Environmental Improvement... Total 51 Companies Complete Ventilation Facilities like Dust Collectors and Exhaust Fans, and Indoor Electrical Safety Facility Upgrades

An office of a handmade shoe company with improved ceiling duct facilities for ventilation

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) completed the project to improve the working environment of handmade shoe manufacturers in Seongsu-dong, which began in June.

Due to the nature of the handmade shoe production process, which involves leather cutting, grinding, and bonding work, the workplaces have high demands for indoor environment improvements related to ventilation, such as fine dust and odors.

The district secured 200 million KRW in city funds and, after document screening and on-site surveys targeting small-scale handmade shoe manufacturers with fewer than 10 regular employees registered in Seongsu-dong as of June, selected a total of 51 companies.

The selected companies received support of up to 4.5 million KRW per company for expenses incurred during the improvement construction of the handmade shoe workshops. Improvements included ventilation facilities such as dust collectors, ducts, and exhaust fans, as well as electrical safety enhancements like organizing old wiring and replacing circuit breakers.

Kim ○○, the representative of a company that improved dust collector replacement and duct facilities, said, “For small businesses like ours, it is not easy to undertake facility improvements, and recently, the economic impact of COVID-19 has made things difficult in many ways. We are grateful that the district office helped us so that our employees can work in a safer environment.”

Additionally, Seongdong-gu temporarily reduced the usage fees of the handmade shoe joint sales center by 50% for 10 months in two phases, in May and November, to alleviate the financial burden on handmade shoe companies due to COVID-19.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Through this support, we hope that small business owners with poor working environments can carry out production activities while taking care of their health in a more pleasant environment. Especially in the prolonged COVID-19 situation, where various difficulties have increased, we will actively seek various support measures to provide even small help.”

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