Nowon-gu Opens 'Workplace Bullying Counseling Center'

[Seoul District News] Jongno-gu Promotes Smart Welfare Care System 'Seoul Salpimi App' Project...Gangseo-gu Recruits 14 Companies to Participate in 'Social Economy Hwaljjak Market'...Gangdong-gu Opens and Operates KakaoTalk Counseling Channel 'Maeum Toktok'...Seodaemun-gu Opens 24/7 'Smart Library'...Eunpyeong-gu Recruits Yeoreu Vacation Part-Time Workers

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) has opened and is operating a ‘Workplace Harassment Counseling Center’ to protect workers' human rights.

Although the so-called ‘Workplace Harassment Prohibition Act’ (Article 76-2 of the Labor Standards Act) has been in effect for two years, cases of workplace harassment complaints still frequently occur.

According to a recent survey conducted by a job search company targeting 1,227 office workers, 77.8% of respondents answered that they ‘do not feel any change’ after the enactment of the Harassment Prohibition Act, and half (50.1%) of the respondents said they had experienced workplace harassment.

Accordingly, the district opened a counseling center inside the Nowon Labor Welfare Center located on the basement first floor of Madeul Station and started operating it from July.

This is to support workers hurt by socially widespread workplace harassment and to create a workplace culture where human rights are respected.

The Workplace Harassment Counseling Center aims to ▲ establish a free labor and legal counseling system for victims ▲ connect professional mental health counseling to overcome psychological damage ▲ spread social awareness about workplace harassment ▲ strengthen preventive activities against workplace harassment.

Counseling is available on weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Any worker who is a resident of Nowon-gu or works at a business located in the district can receive counseling.

If a worker who has suffered from workplace harassment or wishes to receive support visits the center’s counseling room, a dedicated counselor is assigned to conduct initial counseling. Based on the initial counseling results, in-depth support is provided according to the services needed by the worker.

The center’s labor attorney conducts labor-related counseling, and if legal advice or mental health evaluation counseling is required, professional legal counseling is available at the Nowon Job and Life Legal Counseling Center, or mental health evaluation counseling can be received at the Nowon Mental Health Welfare Center. Depending on the mental health counseling results, linkage to a psychiatric specialist is also possible. For more detailed inquiries about counseling, contact the Nowon Labor Welfare Center.

Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) is promoting the smart welfare care system ‘Seoul Salpimi App’ project from this month to contribute to preventing solitary deaths among residents and to check the safety of vulnerable groups using smart technology.

This is to expand the social safety net for single-person households and vulnerable residents, which have rapidly increased due to low birth rates and aging, and to provide a non-face-to-face welfare check service without concerns about infection spread.

The target is 402 residents, including elderly living alone and middle-aged single-person households, who are judged to require frequent safety checks.

The operation procedure involves a welfare planner visiting the target’s home to install the app on their mobile phone and setting designated times and do-not-disturb times through consultation. Information about guardians who will receive risk signals is also collected.

Thus, if the target does not use their phone during the designated time after installing the ‘Seoul Salpimi App,’ a risk signal text message is sent to the guardian or the local community center staff. Upon detecting a risk signal, the guardian and staff take emergency measures such as phone calls or visits. Depending on the situation, customized welfare services are linked in cooperation with fire stations, police stations, etc.

Currently, among about 6,700 welfare target households in 17 neighborhoods of Jongno-gu, approximately 3,540 households are single-person households, accounting for 52.5% of all welfare targets. The age groups with the highest proportions are in their 60s, 70s, and 50s, with those aged 60 and over accounting for 71.2% of the total.

Furthermore, single-person welfare target households in the area mainly belong to those aged 50 to 60 and over living in small rooms, goshiwon (boarding rooms), and motels. Therefore, Jongno-gu focuses on middle-aged single-person households at high risk of solitary death as the main target of this project.

Meanwhile, last month, Jongno-gu produced a solitary death prevention leaflet titled “A World Living Together” and distributed it to convenience stores, marts, goshiwon, motels, and real estate agencies frequently used by residents. This is to raise neighbors’ interest in socially isolated and crisis households enduring difficulties alone and to discover residents in welfare blind spots in advance.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) announced that it is recruiting 14 companies to participate in the ‘Social Economy Blossom Market,’ where they can enjoy both product promotion and sales effects simultaneously.

The ‘Social Economy Blossom Market’ is an online marketplace that produces and releases professional promotional videos introducing companies and their products to help promote and sell them.

This project was prepared to support local social economy companies and youth enterprises facing difficulties in face-to-face promotion and product sales due to the spread of COVID-19.

The recruitment targets are social economy enterprises (social enterprises, cooperatives, village enterprises, self-support enterprises), youth enterprises (corporate enterprises with representatives under 39 years old), and village communities located in Gangseo-gu.

Participating companies receive customized promotional strategies and product introduction know-how through non-face-to-face consulting.

‘Company exploration’ videos will also be produced to promote companies and products. These videos are composed as interviews between a professional MC and the company representative, highlighting the company’s characteristics and attracting consumer interest. The completed videos are provided to participating companies for continuous use.

Companies wishing to apply should send their applications by email by the 16th. They must prepare the application form along with business registration certificates and documents proving preferential qualifications.

More details can be found on the ‘Gangseo-gu Office website - Notices/Announcements,’ where application forms can also be downloaded.

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) Mental Health Welfare Center has opened and is operating the KakaoTalk counseling channel ‘Ma-eum Toktok’ from July to provide easier and more convenient counseling for residents exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Ma-eum Toktok’ is a non-face-to-face counseling channel designed to increase accessibility to mental health counseling in a situation where face-to-face counseling and screening tests are difficult due to COVID-19.

Users can search for ‘Gangdong-gu Mental Health Welfare Center Ma-eum Toktok’ on KakaoTalk, add the channel, and use the service through 1:1 chat. Counseling applications are available 24 hours a day, and real-time responses to counseling are provided on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) opened a smart library in the lobby on the first floor of the district office main building on the 13th, allowing residents to conveniently borrow and return books without visiting the library.

In line with the trend of non-face-to-face services, the district installed the fourth smart library this time, following Ahyeon Station and Hongje Station in January 2019 and Dongnimmun Station in November of the same year.

This mini library houses about 550 books, mainly new releases including bestsellers by category, children’s books, and books related to the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Anyone with a Seodaemun-gu library membership card or Seoul citizen card (app card) can borrow up to seven books per person for 14 days free of charge.

It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, allowing use at any desired time. A distinctive feature is that users can directly see and choose books placed on the shelves.

Moon Seok-jin, mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “About 700 people visit the district office daily, and I hope this smart library, which allows non-face-to-face book borrowing and returning, will help many people’s reading lives.”

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) will select 26 university students during the summer vacation period and operate the ‘2021 Summer Vacation University Student Internship Project’ from August 2 to 27 to provide various job experiences.

This project was newly launched this year by actively accepting the proposal of the Eunpyeong-gu Youth Network to “operate a youth job system that allows concurrent study,” unlike the existing youth job projects targeting graduates of the final school. The Eunpyeong-gu Youth Network is a committee formed to establish youth support policies and expand continuous cooperation and communication in Eunpyeong-gu.

The selected youth will directly experience and learn various job fields such as promotion/marketing, design/content development, and IT development at startup companies participating in the ‘Campus Town Project’ promoted by Seoul City, Eunpyeong-gu, and Sangmyung University since 2019.

The work period is from August 2 to 27, and the remuneration is 84,300 KRW per day, the 2021 Eunpyeong-gu living wage.

Applicants must be university students (including those on leave) registered in Eunpyeong-gu or attending universities located in Eunpyeong-gu, aged between 19 and 39 as of the recruitment announcement date.

The application period is from the 13th to 6 p.m. on the 20th of this month. Applications can be submitted by visiting or emailing the Social Economy Division of Eunpyeong-gu Office (email: bonney0105@naver.com). Detailed information can be found on the Eunpyeong-gu Office website’s recruitment announcements.

Daemosan Urban Nature Park

The core pledge of the 7th elected Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jung Soon-gyun), the final maintenance project of Daemosan Urban Natural Park, is expected to start construction as early as August and be completed in the fourth year of the term.

Mayor Jung Soon-gyun secured 1 billion KRW in special adjustment grants from Seoul City after meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on the 17th of last month to emphasize the need for support for the maintenance project.

At that time, Mayor Jung requested cooperation from Mayor Oh at Seoul City Hall for the prompt promotion of related issues, including the reconstruction of Apgujeong and Eunma Apartments.

The district planned this project based on the fact that residents’ interest and demand for hiking have increased due to COVID-19. It aims to carry out large-scale maintenance work so that residents can enjoy hiking more comfortably and safely.

The district plans to invest the project budget focusing on restoring the naturalness of Daemosan and ecological restoration. On some sections of the 3 km hiking trail connecting Daemosan and Guryongsan, wooden stairs and decks will be installed. Uneven surfaces caused by tree root protrusions or depressions will be leveled. Benches and pavilions where anyone can rest will also be placed. Unauthorized cultivation within the land compensation area will be removed to preserve the landscape.

In 2019, the district created a wildflower garden on a 12,000㎡ site around Daemosan. It transformed the area into a ‘barrier-free path’ with gentle slopes accessible to the disabled and elderly, a representative Gangnam attraction equipped with an observatory and a nature learning center.

Yongsan Jeju Youth Hostel Exterior View

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Sung Chang-hyun) secured 1.95 billion KRW in Seoul City special adjustment grants (hereinafter referred to as special grants) and will spend 1 billion KRW and 950 million KRW respectively on the renovation of Yongsan Jeju Youth Hostel and Yongsan Youth Training Center.

Yongsan Jeju Youth Hostel (297 Ieodo-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province) opened in early 2017. It has two buildings on a 11,422㎡ site: the main building (basement 1 floor, 3 floors above ground, total floor area 4,125㎡) and annex (2 floors above ground, total floor area 274㎡). Major facilities include guest rooms, seminar rooms, a restaurant, karaoke, and billiards.

There are a total of 45 rooms, divided into 10-pyeong type (12 rooms), 15-pyeong type (6 rooms), 20-pyeong type (20 rooms), 25-pyeong type (6 rooms), and 28-pyeong type (1 room).

Through this renovation, the district plans to replace the inefficient heating and cooling system of the Jeju Youth Hostel and old facilities such as windows, entrance doors, door frames, and wallpaper. Landscaping will also be newly arranged to properly serve as a resting place for users.

A district official said, “Although remodeling was done before opening, the building itself was built in 2008 and has some aging parts. This construction will improve building functions and enhance user safety.”

Yongsan Youth Training Center (24 Ichon-ro 71-gil) opened in June 2006 and has been a hub for cultural, artistic, and sports activities for local youth for 15 years. Before COVID-19, about 700,000 people used the facility annually. The site area is 1,333㎡, and the total floor area is 6,497㎡.

Using the special grants, the district will carry out work such as replacing the wooden siding on the building exterior, replacing the heating and cooling system, repairing restrooms, installing entrance canopies, and replacing exhaust ducts on basement floors 2 and 3.

Special grants are a type of ‘adjustment grant’ paid by the special mayor or metropolitan mayor to the jurisdictional autonomous district from a certain amount of general tax revenue. Unlike general adjustment grants, they cannot be used as funds for subsidies to the private sector.

Sung Chang-hyun, mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Thanks to Seoul City’s support, we can proceed with urgent construction. We will continue to pay attention so that residents can use the facilities more conveniently and safely.”

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) will hold commemorative projects ahead of the 10th anniversary of the April 19 Revolution National Cultural Festival.

The April 19 Revolution National Cultural Festival is an event to commemorate students and citizens who fought against injustice with a desire for democracy in 1960 and to honor their spirit of sacrifice. It started in 2013 and will mark its 10th anniversary next year.

The district set the theme of the commemorative project as ‘Connecting the Past, Present, and Future of the April 19 Revolution National Cultural Festival.’ On July 1, it also reorganized its administrative organization by establishing a dedicated task force team for the festival. This is to record the history of the festival and transform it into a festival suitable for the post-COVID-19 era.

The core of the commemorative project is the publication of a white paper and a branding project for the festival. The white paper includes ▲ history ▲ major achievements such as globalization of the April 19 Revolution ▲ program contents and evaluation results. The appendix contains event photos and vivid voices of related persons and residents. The white paper will be published in both book and e-book formats.

The branding project involves creating an additional brand identity (BI) reflecting the April 19 Revolution identity alongside the existing festival corporate identity (CI). It also includes creating various design applications and characters associated with the National Cultural Festival. The district aims to add friendliness to the somewhat heavy theme of the April 19 Revolution by utilizing these.

Park Gyeom-su, mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “The April 19 Revolution Festival has established itself as a representative veterans’ event to the extent that the National Cultural Festival immediately comes to mind. We will prepare so that it can grow into a cultural festival that all Koreans can breathe and participate in daily life.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) has taken various support measures for intensive COVID-19 quarantine.

First, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in restaurants and create a healthy dining culture, restaurants that comply with COVID-19 quarantine rules are designated as ‘Seoul-type Safe Restaurants’ and provided with benefits such as quarantine supplies worth 150,000 KRW, designated signs (or stickers), and promotion through portals like Naver, Daum, and T-map displaying the ‘Safe Restaurant’ phrase.

Applicants are general restaurants and cafes providing meals within the district, and applications are accepted until November. However, early closure may occur if the budget is exhausted.

Businesses wishing to participate can fill out the designation application form posted on the Dongdaemun-gu Office and Dongdaemun-gu Health Center websites and submit it by visiting the Health and Hygiene Division of Dongdaemun-gu Office or via fax or email (hjy2817@ddm.go.kr).

Safe Restaurants are designated after on-site inspections for businesses that comply with quarantine rules such as ▲ proper mask-wearing by workers ▲ serving individual portions ▲ disinfecting and ventilating restaurants regularly ▲ hygienic management of spoons and chopsticks.

Meanwhile, in June, the district provided quarantine supplies such as KF94 masks and hand sanitizers to all residents, and earlier this month, it supplied 300,000 KF94 masks to multi-use facilities requiring intensive quarantine.

This mask support targets multi-use facilities such as fashion sewing companies, apartment security guards, transportation social organizations, individual and corporate taxi associations, public hygiene businesses, food service businesses, and real estate agencies. It aims not only to prevent COVID-19 but also to encourage local small business owners facing economic and psychological difficulties.

Yoo Deok-yeol, mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “It is worrisome that COVID-19 is spreading again while small business owners and all residents are struggling. Dongdaemun-gu will thoroughly implement quarantine until COVID-19 ends and provide all possible support. We ask residents to cooperate by not neglecting quarantine such as wearing masks and help restore daily life.”

Jung-gu (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) has transformed Chung-hyun Children’s Park in Dasan-dong into a park comfortably usable by various age groups.

Last year, residents of Dasan-dong expressed various opinions about nearby parks. A representative opinion was the lack of resting spaces for elderly residents near Chung-hyun Children’s Park (Dasan-dong 432-540 area, 1,571㎡) and the aging of playground facilities.

Accordingly, the district began park redevelopment and held a residents’ briefing session in April before construction to incorporate more residents’ opinions. The existing design plan was actively revised to change the park, which was mainly for children’s playground facilities, into a place that anyone from children to the elderly can enjoy.

First, reflecting residents’ preferences and usage demands, an octagonal pavilion was installed. The existing sand playground, frequently used by children, was removed due to parents’ concerns about hygiene caused by stray cats’ excrement, and the park floor was finished with safe elastic pavement. In addition, old playground and convenience facilities were replaced, and facility arrangements were adjusted to minimize nighttime noise.

Mayor Seo visited the completed Chung-hyun Children’s Park with residents on the 1st, where residents warmly welcomed the safe and pleasant renovation.

Meanwhile, the district has been striving to create safe and green resident-centered parks. Since 2019, it has redeveloped six old parks, including Seosomun History Park and Son Ki-jung Sports Park, removing hazards and increasing resident satisfaction through park use activation. It also created 20 ‘One-span gardens’ by utilizing alleyway leftover spaces with local residents to secure green spaces and provide distinctive alley landscapes.

Going forward, the district will continuously communicate with residents to cultivate parks that embrace the stories of the area. In the second half of this year, Muhakbong Neighborhood Park (San 12-63, Sindang-dong) and Donghwa Children’s Park (852-4, Sindang-dong) will undergo renovations such as facility replacement, and the resident council for park management will be further developed to allow neighborhood residents to manage parks.

Seo Yang-ho, mayor of Jung-gu, said, “To create walkable streets and neighborhoods, we will make existing parks more pleasant and work with residents to secure green spaces by creating one-span gardens using alleyway leftover spaces.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) is recruiting entrepreneurs wishing to move into the ‘Youth One-Person Startup Support Office’ until the 16th to support the dreams of young people aspiring to start businesses and the growth of promising venture companies.

The ‘Youth One-Person Startup Support Office’ is a startup support space that provides office and other facilities at low cost to young entrepreneurs who have innovative ideas and business capabilities but face difficulties securing startup spaces due to high rent and lack of initial capital.

The support office is located on the 4th floor of Building 4, Ace High-Tech City (775 Gyeongin-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu), and was newly remodeled earlier this year from the previously open 10-room space into a more independent and spacious 5-room space.

The office space is about 20㎡, and tenants can stay for up to one year by paying an annual rent of about 800,000 to 900,000 KRW. This translates to a monthly rent of about 60,000 to 80,000 KRW, allowing entrepreneurs to secure their own startup space at a low cost.

Applicants must be prospective entrepreneurs who have started a business within one year or can start within three months, preferably young people aged 20 to 39. However, businesses in environmentally polluting industries such as wastewater, noise, vibration, and odor, those who are temporarily closed or have ceased operations, those engaged in simple sales activities deemed inappropriate for residency, graduates or dropouts of the startup support center, and those with national or local tax arrears are restricted from moving in.

Entrepreneurs wishing to move in should check the announcement on the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office website, fill out the application form, and submit it with the required documents to the Commerce Support Team of the Job and Economy Division at Yeongdeungpo-gu Office by visiting in person by the 16th.

For more details about recruitment, contact the Job and Economy Division of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office.

Afterward, the district will select final tenants through multifaceted evaluation of business intention, originality and marketability of startup items, and employment effects, and notify them individually.

Additionally, tenants will receive priority support benefits such as priority access to Yeongdeungpo-gu’s Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund and other district policy projects.

Chae Hyun-il, mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “We are working to lower the barriers to startup costs and provide opportunities for anyone to challenge entrepreneurship and realize their dreams through operating the ‘Youth One-Person Startup Support Office’ and revitalizing support for SMEs and startups. We will do our best to prepare more comprehensive and effective support measures to create a working environment where youth, small business owners, and SMEs can thrive.”

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) has installed a 24-hour smart tourism information system for residents and tourists visiting Mapo.

The smart tourism information system project has been jointly promoted by the district and the Korea Tourism Organization since 2019. So far, three multilingual unmanned tourism information systems called ‘Smart Help Desks’ have been installed in foreigner-dense areas and tourist hotels within the district, providing various information and services to enhance convenience for foreign tourists.

The district has not stopped there and has continuously focused on introducing a differentiated tourism information system to prepare for the post-COVID-19 era, going beyond simple and one-way tourism information provision services.

This year’s smart tourism information system project enhances information and communication technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI) functions and uses about 5,000 tourism information contents, 2.5 times more than the existing Smart Help Desk, to guide recommended tourist courses, routes, transportation, and restaurants. It also allows users to conveniently receive travel information through ‘sentence’ voice recognition functions.

Additionally, it expands various tourism convenience services needed by travelers, such as ▲ temperature measurement through thermal cameras ▲ free Wi-Fi ▲ free smartphone charging ▲ prepaid transportation card balance inquiry ▲ tax refund simple application service guidance.

Especially, in Hongdae’s ‘Walkable Street,’ which attracts many domestic and foreign visitors, an outdoor booth-type system is installed and operated 24 hours a day. The 2021 model Smart Help Desk adds Korean language service to the existing English, Chinese, and Japanese services, enhancing convenience for domestic travelers and maximizing usability.

The district plans to continuously update useful content and make steady efforts to manage the system for stable service support.

Yoo Dong-gyun, mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “It is necessary to pay careful attention to reduce inconveniences and increase satisfaction for foreigners visiting the tourism city of Mapo. We will continue to strengthen the smart tourism information system by updating tourism information and expanding services so that visitors can have a convenient and safe trip to Mapo.”

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) announced on the 13th that the property tax payment period for the July regular tax is from July 16 to August 2.

Taxpayers are owners of houses, land, buildings, etc., as of June 1 this year. The taxable items this time are half of the housing tax and taxes on buildings and ships. The remaining housing and land taxes will be levied in September.

If the payment deadline of August 2 is missed, a 3% surcharge will be imposed, and if the property tax amount is 300,000 KRW or more, an additional monthly surcharge of 0.75% will be charged for up to 60 months.

Especially, this year’s property tax applies a special property tax rate reduction newly introduced for single homeowners with a publicly announced housing price of 900 million KRW or less in 2021, lowering the property tax rate by 0.05%, thereby somewhat reducing the property tax burden for actual owners with one house.

The district sent tax bills and notices on the 10th. If the bill is lost, it can be reissued at the district office’s property tax division or the nearest community service center. Even without a bill, local taxes can be checked and paid at unmanned payment machines and ATMs of all banks nationwide using a bankbook, cash card, or credit card in the taxpayer’s name, and payment can also be made by transferring to a dedicated local tax account.

From this year, the local tax mobile bill service, which allows checking and paying bills via smartphone apps, has been expanded not only to financial apps of commercial banks but also to KakaoPay, Naver Pay, and Payco, enhancing taxpayer convenience.

If you choose to receive an email bill instead of a paper bill and pay within the deadline, 150 KRW will be deducted from the tax amount. If you apply for automatic property tax transfer and pay within the deadline, you will receive an additional 500 KRW tax deduction and 500 KRW mileage separately accumulated. The accumulated mileage can be used for transportation card charging, donations, tax payments, etc.

Electronic bill application can be made through Seoul ETAX, and property tax payment consultation will be available from the 14th to August 2 at the district office’s property tax division on the 2nd floor during weekdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more details, contact the property tax division.

Ryu In-sook, head of the property tax division, said, “We will do our best to promote to residents through notices and banners so that they do not miss the payment deadline. We ask everyone to remember and pay property tax within the deadline.”

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