[Interview] Jo Eun-hee, Seocho District Mayor, "Will Focus Remaining Term on Bridging Polarization"

Launch of the 'Accompaniment with the Vulnerable TF'... "Fairness, Safety, Tomorrow (job), Smart Seocho" 4 Major Goals... Since 2018, the 'Bright Future Bureau' Organized for Equal Start and Fair Opportunities... 1:1 AI Learning Device Tutor Matching System Praised... Notable Alternative to Educational Gap

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “For those in difficult circumstances, knowing that ‘there is someone on my side in this world’ becomes a great driving force in life. Especially, we are doing everything possible at the district level to ensure that children can have a fair start regardless of whether they are born with a golden spoon or a dirt spoon.”

Jo Eun-hee, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said in an interview with this publication that as she spends the last year of the 7th local government term, she is focusing her remaining tenure on administration that cares for the vulnerable.

Mayor Jo stated, “The income gap and educational disparity issues that will become apparent after the COVID-19 situation settles could escalate into serious social problems. I have been focusing on resolving these issues since last year.”

Seocho-gu has witnessed the intensification of various polarization phenomena such as income and education due to the impact of COVID-19, and has formed a ‘Task Force (TF) for Accompanying the Vulnerable’ to respond at the level of all departments. They have designed 20 customized projects targeting children, adolescents, seniors, women, people with disabilities, and vulnerable groups, providing multifaceted support that local governments can offer. Ultimately, the goal is to create a city that is ‘fair, secure, with a future (my job), and where digital welfare is realized.’

At the center of this is the Bright Future Bureau, established in 2018. It is an organization carrying out various projects to solve issues such as aging population, youth unemployment, and polarization, with Mayor Jo having long held a strong commitment to these issues.

Mayor Jo shows particular affection for supporting children and adolescents. She explained, “Schools are conducting remote classes in parallel, and families who can afford it support their children with private education, but children from less fortunate families are left alone at home because their parents are busy making a living, resulting in neglect in learning.” She added, “We are implementing policies that match these children with learning support and mentors, who watch over them like caring parents.”

The policies introduced with this purpose are the ‘AI Smart Schooling’ and ‘Seoripul Saem (Teacher)’ projects. Students proceed with customized learning programs suited to their levels through AI learning devices, while Seoripul Saem, composed of women with career interruptions, meet students one-on-one, check learning analysis data, guide their studies, and also serve as emotional mentors.

This is a win-win project that provides smart premium tutoring to children in difficult environments while offering jobs to residents with career interruptions. Currently, about 600 children aged 7 to 15 are receiving support, with visible effects such as improved grades and high parental satisfaction. It is also evaluated as a project reflecting Mayor Jo’s foresight.

Mayor Jo also carefully watches over children who have aged out of protection. Understanding the overwhelming feelings of children who become independent with only the government’s 5 million won settlement fund in hand, the district provides generous support measures.

She said, “Children suddenly thrown into society at 18 desperately need delicate and strong protection, but the current government support fund is far from sufficient.” She added, “The district provides additional support of 5 million won annually for five years on top of the government’s self-reliance fund, monthly living expenses of 300,000 won, and education expenses of 3 million won annually for five years.”

This amount is three times larger than the government’s. In addition, various supports such as one-on-one customized self-reliance mentoring activities are also provided. Mayor Jo said, “Through this, we want children to firmly take root in society.”

Seocho-gu supports meal cards for children at risk of food insecurity with the highest amount nationwide, including Seoul’s autonomous districts, at 9,000 won. This is Mayor Jo’s intention to provide diverse and healthy meals to children who otherwise survive on convenience store triangle kimbap.

Her support philosophy aims for ‘self-reliance and sustainability,’ and practical job training related to the 4th Industrial Revolution for youth is gaining word of mouth. Curriculums such as ‘Blockchain College, AI College, and Robot Coding College’ are examples. Most graduates succeed in finding employment. Mayor Jo emphasized, “The MZ generation needs dreams more than bread,” and “They must also be given a fair chance to start.”

Seocho-gu’s perspective on seniors is that they are ‘(digitally) vulnerable.’ This led to kiosk education, and Seocho-gu was the first in the nation to develop unmanned kiosk education content and even obtained a patent. Now, it has been distributed to 58 other institutions including the government and other local governments, playing a major role in bridging the information gap for marginalized groups nationwide. Additionally, they support dementia prevention education with AI robots, virtual reality (VR) experiences, one-person media YouTuber training, and AI care robots.

Mayor Jo Eun-hee said, “In the shadow of polarization deepened by COVID-19, socially vulnerable people are being pushed to extremes. Listening to their sighs, wiping their tears, and lighting the beacon of hope is the urgent duty of administration in this era.” She added, “During my remaining term, I will do my best to create a warm community where we live together with heart.”

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