[Photo] Kim Young-jong, Jongno District Mayor, Attends 'Sustainable Development Goals and Happiness International Symposium'

[Seoul District Photo News] Cha Hyeon-il, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor, Encourages Staff Responding to COVID-19 on Mind Comfort Bus... Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Beopjangsa Temple Donates 100 Bags of Compassionate Rice for Neighbors in Need in Jungnang-gu... Kim Soo-young, Yangcheon-gu Mayor, Checks District Status via Smart Map

Jongno-gu Mayor Kim Young-jong Attends International Symposium on ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Happiness’

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu, attended the international symposium on ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Happiness’ held online at 2 p.m. on the 24th.

The symposium was co-hosted by the Local Governments for Happiness Realization Council, chaired by Mayor Kim Young-jong, the National Assembly National Gross Happiness Policy Forum, and the Local Governments for Sustainable Development Council. The event aimed to explore the interrelationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (hereafter SDGs) and happiness indicators, and to identify the role of local governments in creating communities that realize residents’ happiness.

The event was divided into three parts. In Part 1, Professor Shun Wang (KDI School of Public Policy and Management) presented on the correlation between SDGs and happiness (well-being), and Mayor Ugyen Dorji (ICLEI World Executive Committee Member, Thimphu City, Bhutan) spoke about how Bhutan links its happiness index with the SDGs.

In Part 2, Professor Oh Soo-gil (Special Advisor, ICLEI Korea Office; Korea Cyber University) and Director Lee Ji-hoon (National Gross Happiness Policy Research Institute) analyzed the Sustainable Development Goals and happiness from their respective perspectives. Part 3 featured a comprehensive discussion on ways to link SDGs and happiness indicators from a practical standpoint.

Previously, the United Nations (UN) emphasized the importance of ‘happiness and well-being’ at the 2011 General Assembly, recommending that happiness be measured and used as a public policy milestone.

Accordingly, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), an advisory body under the UN, publishes the World Happiness Report annually, analyzing and evaluating happiness indices of over 150 countries worldwide. Additionally, at the 2015 General Assembly, 17 ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ were established as common objectives for the world to achieve by 2030 for sustainable development.

In line with this, the Local Governments for Happiness Realization Council, composed of 37 local government associations in Korea, is conducting various joint projects based on cooperation and solidarity among local governments, including the development of happiness impact assessments, customized regional indicators, and resident surveys.

This year, following the publication of the ‘Happy Nation’ white paper, the council held happiness forums and citizen idea contests, as well as the Korea Happiness Policy Festival and a book talk show on National Gross Happiness Policy publications. These efforts prioritize residents’ happiness in policy implementation and aim to build a happy local community together.

Beyond council activities, Jongno-gu is leveraging its valuable experience and achievements as a long-time leader in happiness policies to promote the ‘Jongno Well-being Index Rounding Project’ this year. Based on mutual cooperation among residents, experts, and the district office, the project focuses on ‘securing the sustainability of happiness policies,’ ‘practicing happiness and improving happiness awareness,’ and ‘spreading happiness consensus,’ implementing detailed initiatives. Notably, residents play the role of active participants, experts provide advice and suggestions, and the district office handles practical project execution and administrative support.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “The ultimate value of the Sustainable Development Goals is the happiness of humanity without anyone being left behind,” adding, “I hope today’s symposium will help create healthy and happy lives for our residents.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il Encourages COVID-19 Response Staff on Mind Comfort Bus

On the afternoon of the 24th, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il met and encouraged COVID-19 response staff at the Mind Comfort Bus operating in the district office courtyard.

The Mind Comfort Bus, operated by the National Trauma Center, is a psychological support service where mental health professionals visit directly to provide services such as mental health assessments, stress measurement, and psychological counseling for frontline COVID-19 workers.

Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, “I hoped to offer some comfort to the tired minds of frontline workers who have been working hard day after day, which led to the application for the Mind Comfort Bus service,” adding, “Through the psychological support of the Mind Comfort Bus, we will carefully support mental health recovery and help overcome these difficult times together.”

Beopjangsa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism Donates 100 Bags of Compassionate Rice to Support Neighbors in Need in Jungnang-gu

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) announced on the morning of the 24th that it received 100 bags of compassionate rice (10kg white rice) from Beopjangsa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (Head Monk Toehyu).

The donations will be delivered to the Jungnang Food Market Myeonmok branch through the Jungnang-gu Social Welfare Council to assist vulnerable groups in the area, including those who lost eligibility for benefits, low-income households, and single-parent families.

Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi of Jungnang-gu said, “The ‘compassionate rice’ donated during these challenging times amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation will be a great help to struggling families in the community,” and expressed sincere gratitude to Beopjangsa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism for their warm-hearted generosity toward the local community.

Yangcheon-gu Mayor Kim Soo-young Checks District Status through Smart Map

On the morning of the 24th at 11 a.m., Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, reviewed the district’s status using the big data integrated platform Smart Map installed in the Open Participation Room on the 5th floor of Yangcheon-gu Office.

The Smart Map is a system that visualizes all data collected by departments, including real-time disaster and traffic situations, pledge projects, financial status, various statistics, and facility information in Yangcheon-gu. It was developed to enable data-driven, scientific, and proactive decision-making.

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