Jongno-gu Mayor Kim Young-jong "Focusing on Infectious Disease Prevention, Job Creation, and Protection of Vulnerable Groups"

District Chief Kim stated in the 2021 New Year's address, "To strengthen infectious disease expertise, we will establish a Disease Prevention Division, provide proactive health care services, add more walking trails to support daily health management, create public jobs for vulnerable groups facing sudden unemployment, and significantly expand resident employment support education."

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno District, stated, "In 2021, Jongno District will focus on the most urgent issues: infectious disease prevention, job creation, and protection of vulnerable groups."

In his New Year's address for 2021, Mayor Kim said, "To strengthen expertise in infectious diseases, we will establish a Disease Prevention Division to actively provide healthcare services and create additional walking trails so that residents can manage their daily health. Furthermore, to support vulnerable groups struggling due to sudden unemployment, we will create public jobs and significantly expand employment support education for residents."

He also emphasized strengthening tailored support for each social class to ensure vulnerable groups in our society do not lose hope. By installing a Care SOS Center within the community service centers, anyone can receive care services at home. Additionally, AI assistants will be provided to elderly living alone and people with disabilities to offer non-face-to-face safety services. The scope of basic livelihood security support will be expanded so that Jongno District can serve as a reliable pillar of support.

He continued, "To prepare for the future, we will promote the ‘Jongno Urban Master Plan 2100’ and create an environment where children can develop their abilities through fostering prestigious schools and supporting future industry education. At the same time, we will practice the ‘1-1-1 Movement,’ where each person reduces one ton of greenhouse gas annually, and plant one million trees throughout the city to create a clean environment, leading Jongno in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050."

Mayor Kim stated, "We will focus on inheriting and systematizing our Korean cultural projects, which have attracted nationwide attention. Hanbok, Hanok, Korean cuisine, Hangul, Hanji, traditional Korean music, and traditional Korean games will be incorporated into school education programs to foster an atmosphere where traditional culture is enjoyed in daily life."

Finally, he pledged to expand rest and healing spaces throughout Jongno. The trails and forest paths in the closed section above Samcheong Park on the southern side of Bugaksan Hanyang Fortress will be maintained. This will connect the Bugaksan open section in Buam-dong, which was opened last November, with Samcheong-dong. Additionally, benches and traditional pavilions will be added throughout parks and streets to create a safe and relaxing environment.

Mayor Kim reported, "Last year, while fully responding to COVID-19, Jongno District received a total of 200 awards from external organizations and secured an additional budget of 22.9 billion won. Notably, we won the Presidential Award at the Local Government Management Competition and the Korea Crime Prevention Awards, and set a great record by winning the Korea Urban Awards for seven consecutive years, the first among local governments."

He also introduced that Jongno was selected as the number one local government in the metropolitan area for two consecutive years in the public service sector of the Service Quality Index (KS-SQI, hosted by the Korea Standards Association). Furthermore, in the Public Institution Integrity Measurement by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, Jongno received a comprehensive integrity grade of 2, which is practically the highest rating.

Mayor Kim concluded, "This was possible thanks to the active support and cooperation of our residents. I express my gratitude to all the residents who supported us. Through experiencing COVID-19, I have once again realized that the most important task is to protect the health and jobs of our residents."

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