[This Person] Kim Young-jong, Jongno-gu Mayor, Decided to Provide Summer Health Food to 2,065 Low-Income Seniors?Why?

Providing 20,000 KRW Worth of Health Food per Person to Low-Income Households Aged 65 and Over in the Region (As of 2021.6.30) to Revitalize the Local Economy by Selecting Small Business Restaurants and Delivering via 'Takeout', 'Delivery', and 'Coupon Issuance'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu (photo), is receiving applause for providing nutritious meals worth 20,000 KRW per person to help low-income elderly improve their health during the summer and revitalize the local economy, which has been stagnant due to COVID-19.

The "Nutritious Meal Support Project," conducted from July 26 to the 10th of this month, is a collaboration with the 17 community social welfare councils in the district as part of measures against the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and heatwave countermeasures.

Approximately 41 million KRW in funding for the project is sourced from the Community Chest of Korea’s Warm Winter Fund.

The beneficiaries are 2,065 residents aged 65 or older living in Jongno-gu who are basic livelihood security recipients or belong to the lower-income bracket. This corresponds to all legally low-income households aged 65 or older in the area as of June 30, 2021.

Due to the elevation to Level 4 social distancing, making it difficult to hold meal events for the elderly as before, the district planned this project to support a nutritious meal through community cooperation.

Additionally, to revive the frozen local economy affected by decreased tourism and increased remote work, careful consideration was given to pre-selecting local small business restaurants preferred by the elderly.

The nutritious meals are being delivered through small business restaurants by means of ▲takeout ▲delivery ▲coupon issuance. For elderly with mobility difficulties, members of the community social welfare councils personally deliver the meals while also checking on their well-being.

Furthermore, following the "Air Conditioner Installation Support Project for Vulnerable Groups" launched in May, Jongno-gu, together with the community social welfare councils, will provide additional air conditioner installations to 92 low-income elderly households by August 20. Previously, a full survey was conducted on 11,000 vulnerable households regarding ownership and operation of cooling devices to select recipients.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “I hope that elderly people, who are having a difficult time due to COVID-19 and the heatwave, can regain their vitality by enjoying nutritious meals this summer,” and added, “We will carefully monitor vulnerable residents and continue to operate health management services to prevent heat-related illnesses during the summer.”

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