Seongdong-gu Supports Second COVID-19 Vaccination for People with Developmental Disabilities

[Seoul District News] Dobong-gu Distributes Dementia Prevention Kits for Focused Management of Mild Cognitive Impairment... Eunpyeong-gu Issues 10 Billion Won of ‘Eunpyeong Love Gift Certificates’ with 10% Chuseok Discount... Gangdong-gu Practices ESG Administration by Reusing Ice Packs... Travel Through Humanities Reading Park Kyung-ri's 'Toji'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has taken active measures to support people with developmental disabilities who face difficulties in receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for severe disabilities, starting from the end of this month.

People with developmental disabilities visiting the center for vaccination sometimes exhibit sudden behaviors due to unfamiliar environments or fear of injections. To ensure their safe vaccination, the district office's Disability Welfare Team, staff at facilities for people with disabilities, and vaccination center employees volunteered as helpers and joined forces.

Based on their accumulated experience, each vaccine recipient is assigned a dedicated staff member who accompanies them throughout the entire process?from moving to the vaccination site, pre-screening, to completing the vaccination.

They greet people with developmental disabilities kindly and gently to help them comfortably adapt to the unfamiliar environment, actively respond to their questions, and soothe their minds with warm voices. During vaccination, with the cooperation of guardians, they assist in holding the person still if movements are excessive to ensure safe vaccination.

Since the first dose was administered to 116 people with disabilities on the 26th of last month, the second dose will begin on the 27th of this month. There are a total of 886 people with developmental disabilities in the region, accounting for less than 10% of the total population. However, Seongdong-gu's vaccination center is easily accessible and attracts many people with disabilities from other areas for vaccination, so the district plans to do its best to ensure their safe vaccination.

Starting from the 17th of this month, as the third round of autonomous vaccination by local governments begins, preparations are in place to check internal flow lines and provide sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired, disability errand services, and mobility support services like ‘Chatdong-i’ to vaccinate 656 people with severe disabilities safely and smoothly.

A parent (Mr. Choi 00) living in Seongsu-dong with a child with developmental disabilities said that they had postponed the vaccination date three times so far and must get vaccinated this time, requesting the vaccination center staff. Mr. Choi said, “I thought if we postponed again, we might never get the chance, but as soon as our child arrived at the center, they took care of him immediately and gave priority consideration, so fortunately, we could get vaccinated. My child usually refuses to wear a mask, making it difficult to go outside due to infection risk, but now I feel somewhat relieved,” expressing gratitude.

Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh emphasized, “It is important to understand the difficulties faced by people with disabilities and for the community to solve problems together,” adding, “As the first vaccination center in Seongdong-gu, we will do our best with the staff to ensure no inconvenience throughout the vaccination process for people with disabilities.”

Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) Dementia Safety Center will distribute “Dementia Prevention Kits” to about 1,000 newly registered elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by the end of this year for focused management.

The “Dementia Prevention Kit,” created to raise awareness of the need for early dementia screening, improve negative perceptions of dementia, and manage risk factors, consists of five items: ▲ dementia newsletter “Dementia TalkTalk” ▲ MCI information leaflet ▲ brain exercise worksheets ▲ two types of hygiene products.

Dobong-gu Dementia Safety Center provides systematic integrated dementia management services year-round for local elderly residents, including early dementia diagnosis and registration management, treatment cost support, cognitive health programs, and preventive education.

To reduce the incidence of dementia, the center continuously manages elderly people with MCI by encouraging them to receive early dementia screening annually through phone calls, sending screening notices, and SNS.

Dobong-gu Mayor Lee Dong-jin said, “Mild cognitive impairment has the potential to progress to dementia, so it is very important to pay attention and start management early. Any Dobong-gu resident aged 60 or older can receive free early dementia screening, so please get screened for a healthy old age.” For dementia-related consultations, contact Dobong-gu Dementia Safety Center or the Dementia Counseling Call Center.

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced on the 27th that it will issue an additional 10 billion KRW worth of Eunpyeong Love Gift Certificates ahead of Chuseok.

The district will issue 10 billion KRW worth of Eunpyeong Love Gift Certificates starting at 10 a.m. on September 3. Buyers receive a 10% discount and a 30% year-end income deduction. With this issuance, the total issued this year will reach 39 billion KRW, an increase of 19 billion KRW compared to last year.

The purchase limit for the Eunpyeong Love Gift Certificates is 700,000 KRW per person per month, with a holding limit of 2 million KRW (including gifts), and a 10% purchase discount rate. Corporations have no purchase or holding limits but cannot receive purchase discounts.

Refunds are available when the balance is used at 60% or more of the face value, deducting the purchase discount rate from the remaining balance. The certificates are valid for five years and can be purchased and used through 20 payment apps including Beeple Zero Pay and Seoul's public delivery app ‘Zero Delivery Union.’

They can be used at over 10,000 Zero Pay affiliated stores in Eunpyeong-gu, such as convenience stores, pharmacies, academies, and cafes. However, they cannot be used for apartment management fees after September 1.

Eunpyeong-gu Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “We hope the Eunpyeong Love Gift Certificates issued for this Chuseok holiday will help small business owners and residents struggling due to COVID-19,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to revitalize the local economy for both small business owners and buyers so that everyone can overcome these difficult times together.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) is practicing sustainable ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) administration through collaboration with businesses (small business owners) to promote ice pack reuse.

Previously, Gangdong-gu launched the nation’s first public-private-business (small business) cooperative ice pack reuse campaign in 2019, leading efforts in plastic reduction and resource circulation. So far, it has reduced over 130 tons of waste and cut about 70 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Collaborating with companies and small businesses such as Lush Korea, Seoul Startup Hub Center (ABC Cooking Studio), Emart Myeongil Branch, Gangdong GS Retail, traditional markets, and food companies, the eco-friendly ice pack reuse campaign has received great response. To date, about 185,000 ice packs have been provided free of charge to small business owners, resulting in a purchase cost reduction of 54 million KRW.

To address hygiene, size standards, and specific brand issues related to ice pack reuse, civic groups select medium-sized (15×20cm) products without specific brand names, and sterilization companies clean, disinfect, and package them before providing them free to small business owners.

Gangdong-gu Mayor Lee Jung-hoon said, “For a resource-circulating and plastic-free Gangdong-gu, we ask residents to actively participate in reducing single-use items, using shopping bags and tumblers, recycling vending machines, and the Gangdong The Dream recycling reward program.”

Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) has prepared humanities lectures that can be safely enjoyed at home ahead of the season ideal for reading books.

The lectures aim to explore modern Korean history and culture through Park Kyung-ri’s novel “Toji (The Land),” known for its native style and narrative richness. The lectures will be held online via Zoom every Friday night from September 3 to November 13.

First, Professor Kim Yeon-sook of Kyung Hee University will deliver five lectures from September 3 to October 1 on topics including ▲ The land of humans, human life ▲ Production and capacity of love ▲ Money, ownership, and desire ▲ Ontological meaning and ethics of human existence ▲ Self and community, self and world.

Professor Kim taught “Reading Classics: Park Kyung-ri’s Toji” at Kyung Hee University’s Humanities College from 2012 to 2017, receiving high praise from about 600 students as one of the best liberal arts courses with a warm resonance.

Following this, a tour of Park Kyung-ri Literary Park and Literary House in Wonju, Gangwon Province, will be conducted, followed by a lecture by Professor Lee Seung-yoon of Incheon University titled “How History Became a Novel: Reading Park Kyung-ri’s Toji Along Spaces.”

The lecture covers ▲ Park Kyung-ri’s literary biography and “Toji” resume ▲ Stories around the failed historical novel “Toji” ▲ The hidden marriage story of Seo-hee and Gil-sang, a refuge or liberation zone ▲ History of heroes and ordinary people ▲ Another way to read the mobility in “Toji.”

After all lectures, a follow-up meeting will be held with Jo Jin-seok, CEO of Bookstore Eum, to discuss methods of reading classics.

Youth and adults interested in participating can apply through the Jongno Cultural Foundation website. The course is free with no limit on the number of participants.

Depending on the COVID-19 situation, the tour and follow-up programs may change, with individual notices sent to participants. For more details, contact the Jongno Cultural Foundation Children and Youth National Studies Library. Jongno-gu Mayor Kim Young-jong said, “We hope residents enduring difficult times due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic will find healing and time for reflection through these humanities lectures.”

Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Sung-soo) announced that it will expand the ‘Non-face-to-face College Admission Counseling Support Project’ in collaboration with Uway to help students who have pursued their college admission dreams despite the uncertainties caused by COVID-19.

Uway Co., Ltd. is a leading domestic admission platform providing counseling from domestic admissions to overseas study and currently operates nationwide university online application services.

To assist students struggling with changes in college admission processes such as non-face-to-face evaluations due to COVID-19, the district signed a business agreement with Uway in September last year and launched the ‘Songpa Non-face-to-face College Admission Counseling Support Project,’ providing free online admission counseling services to low-income high school seniors (including repeaters) with household income below 100% of the median income.

This year, the income eligibility has been expanded to 120% of the median income, offering free access to high-quality college admission content services provided by Uway, including ▲ university early admission and regular admission diagnosis, ▲ similarity checks for self-introduction letters, and more for low-income examinees in the region.

Applications can be made directly on the Uway.com website until September 10, or through local community centers, welfare centers, integrated case managers, or school principal recommendations.

A student who used the service last year said, “Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, I lacked information about college admissions, but receiving free counseling was a great help,” expressing gratitude.

Songpa-gu Mayor Park Sung-soo said, “We hope this ‘Non-face-to-face College Admission Counseling’ will provide practical help to students and parents confused by the COVID-19 situation,” adding, “We will continue to provide quality learning environments and comprehensive support for youth struggling due to COVID-19 based on Songpa-gu’s unique education support system, ‘Songpa Ssem.’”

Car Seat Rental

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) is discovering and implementing various support measures to overcome low birth rates and create a healthy childcare environment.

First, the district introduced the ‘Customized Household Care Support Project for Pregnant Women’ for the first time this year. This project aims to reduce the household burden before childbirth to help pregnant women prepare for a comfortable delivery.

It targets pregnant women residing in Gwangjin-gu and provides basic household services such as cleaning, laundry, and meal provision, as well as customized services including hospital accompaniment in emergencies and COVID-19-related disinfection. The service is free and available regardless of income level.

The district also started a ‘Free Naming Service for Newborns’ for the first time this year. It supports families who find it difficult to name their babies due to economic burdens or cultural differences, including low-income families, families with disabilities, multicultural families, and families with three or more children.

One parent must visit the local community center within 10 days of the birth or apply via email to the district office. Naming is done through free talent donation by two naming shops in Gwangjin-gu.

Additionally, reflecting the trend toward simplifying 100-day and first birthday celebrations and reducing economic burdens on families, the district operates a free rental service for 100-day and first birthday tables. Families with infants residing in Gwangjin-gu can apply to rent these tables free of charge for five days.

For families with children under six years old, a safety car seat rental service is also provided. The rental period can be up to 12 months. The service is free, and a 30,000 KRW deposit is refunded upon return. Priority is given to applicants who are disabled, basic livelihood security recipients, single-parent families, multicultural families, or families with three or more children if demand is high.

Residents wishing to rent 100-day or first birthday tables or safety car seats can apply online or in person at the Gwangjin-gu Childcare Comprehensive Support Center and borrow items at the toy library located in Guui 1-dong Community Center.

Gwangjin-gu Mayor Kim Seon-gap said, “The low birth rate has become a more serious issue since the COVID-19 outbreak and is one of the important challenges our society must solve,” adding, “We will continue to discover customized support measures that understand the hearts of parents raising children and realize administration that residents can feel.”

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced the selection of ‘Climate Change Response Leaders’ to enhance residents’ climate change adaptation capabilities and lead responses to changing climate and energy policies.

The district recently selected 12 leaders from trainees who completed the ‘Climate Change Response Leader Training Course’ and wished to serve as instructors, based on lecture demonstration evaluations.

The selected leaders will undergo supplementary training and, after a period of class observation and assistant instructor activities, will begin working as instructors for the ‘Welcome! Geumcheon Eco Classroom’ education program starting in November.

They will also operate experiential programs at environmental events and engage in various local environmental activities such as the Geumcheon Eco Life Day campaign, greenhouse gas diagnosis consulting for non-industrial sectors, and mini solar power dissemination as part of community-based low-carbon lifestyle practices.

The Geumcheon Eco Center operates 31 climate and environmental education programs year-round, including five programs designated as excellent environmental education programs by the Ministry of Environment, such as ‘Challenge! Waste Diet’ and ‘Exploring Green Energy.’ This year, it promotes sustainable education through both online and offline classes and online content development to adapt to untact (contactless) situations.

Geumcheon-gu Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, “To respond to the imminent climate change crisis, nationwide interest and the role of climate change response leaders who will lead the way are urgently needed,” urging, “Please take a keen interest and participate in the climate and environmental education programs operated mainly by the Geumcheon Eco Center.”

Jung-gu (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) has started creating streets lined with beautiful flowers flowing through all four seasons to revitalize the daily lives of citizens exhausted by COVID-19.

The district plans to improve street scenery and create walkable streets by installing diverse street flower pots and three-dimensional flower beds using seasonal flowers along major roads frequented by residents.

Old flower pots near Majang-ro will be replaced with hydroponic flower pots, and trellis three-dimensional flower pots will be installed along the street near Sindang Station intersection to decorate the intersection with seasonal flowers.

The district will continue creating beautiful flower paths by installing hanging flower pots along major routes in Dasan-ro, Cheonggu-ro, and Hwanghak-dong areas by September.

Starting from the end of September, the district will begin improving damaged strip green spaces (small green areas under street trees) along Cheonggyecheon-ro, Chilpae-ro, and Tongil-ro. Suitable flowers and shrubs will be planted in these strip green spaces to expand urban greenery and contribute to fine dust reduction.

Additionally, the district is promoting the ‘Our Neighborhood Alley One-span Garden Cultivation’ project to beautify surrounding alleys. Groups participating in greening projects must organize at least five resident participation programs, and selected groups will receive subsidies.

Jung-gu Mayor Seo Yang-ho said, “The district will continue various projects to improve urban greenery and street scenery,” adding, “We hope flowers and greenery will provide small comfort to residents whose daily lives have been stagnant due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.”

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) is recruiting 30 artists to participate in the ‘Our Neighborhood Store Artterior (Art+Interior)’ project in Songjung-dong and Songcheon-dong areas.

‘Our Neighborhood Store Artterior’ is a project that strengthens the competitiveness of small business stores by improving store signs, interiors, and product packaging through collaboration between small business owners and local artists.

A total of 30 artists will be selected, including 6 mid-career artists and 24 local artists. Applicants must be residents of Seoul majoring in visual and plastic arts (painting, sculpture, ceramics, installation, media, etc.). Priority is given to local university students.

The application period is until August 31. Application forms and required documents can be downloaded from the Gangbuk-gu website (Our District Introduction → Notice Board → News), and applications are submitted via the Google address on the website.

The activity period is about three months from September to November, and artists may receive up to 5.4 million KRW in activity fees depending on project progress.

The district will announce successful candidates on September 9 after qualification and document screening. Selected artists will receive orientation and preliminary training online on the announcement day.

Among selected artists, mid-career artists will support communication between local artists, small business stores, and project contractors. They will also assist local artists with design-related tasks considering the characteristics of the stores or regions.

Local artists will be responsible for design improvement work for 3 to 4 stores each, including ▲ interior and exterior space renewal (wall painting, window painting, wallpaper, furniture reform, etc.) ▲ product display improvement (wall decoration, show window design, etc.) ▲ installation and exhibition of artworks (three-dimensional sculptures, paintings, etc.) ▲ production of products and printed materials (cups, tableware, business cards, stickers, etc.) ▲ branding and marketing (logo, color and style establishment, promotional posters, etc.).

The district is also recruiting participating stores. Eligible stores are small businesses with fewer than five regular employees located in the specialized commercial areas of Songjung-dong and Songcheon-dong. A total of 80 stores will be selected. Participating stores will receive up to 1 million KRW in material costs for design improvements.

Gangbuk-gu Mayor Park Kyum-soo said, “This project will provide an opportunity for artists who lost jobs due to COVID-19 to revitalize the local economy with their cultural and artistic talents,” adding, “We hope many artists will show interest and participate so that small business owners and local artists can coexist and revitalize neighborhood commercial districts.”

Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) has completed a voluntary signboard improvement project in the Gocheok-ro area.

Guro-gu announced on the 27th, “To create a pleasant street environment and ensure pedestrian safety, we carried out a signboard improvement project for some sections of Gocheok-dong, which was recently completed.”

The project, which started in March this year, covered 47 buildings and 192 businesses along a 1.15 km two-way section from 238 Gocheok-ro (High Living Apartment) to 184-1 Gocheok-ro. Guro-gu invested about 285 million KRW in total, supporting signboard production and installation costs of 1 signboard per business at 1.7 million KRW (up to 2.5 million KRW for curved signs).

The new signboards were made as LED wall-mounted signs that meet permit standards and have high energy efficiency. The district replaced street signs for 149 businesses and removed 31 unsafe signboards, including ownerless signs.

Since 2008, Guro-gu has steadily carried out signboard maintenance projects along major roads, starting with the Guro Digital Complex area. The policy aims to improve signboard visibility by regulating indiscriminate outdoor advertisements and reduce economic burdens on small businesses through replacement cost support.

A Guro-gu official said, “The urban landscape has become much cleaner through this signboard improvement project,” adding, “We will do our best to create a clean and safe street environment through continuous management.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) will provide customized education from basic to advanced levels on cooperative governance.

The district announced that it will operate ‘Gangseo Cooperative Governance School’ and ‘Cooperative Governance Keeper Learning Center’ programs online throughout September to strengthen residents’ cooperative governance capabilities.

The purpose is to broaden understanding of cooperative governance for residents unfamiliar with it and to nurture cooperative governance keepers who can proactively solve local problems.

First, ‘Gangseo Cooperative Governance School’ is a basic education program on the concept of cooperative governance, held over two days on September 8 and 10.

The education consists of four sessions: ▲ Cooperative Governance Humanities 1 (Language Sensitivity) ▲ Cooperative Governance Humanities 2 (Resilience) ▲ Cases of Local Community Problem Solving ▲ Cooperative Governance Policy Integration.

During the ‘Cooperative Governance Humanities’ sessions, participants will learn about the meaning and value of cooperative governance and receive comfort and vitality for daily life exhausted by COVID-19 blues. The ‘Local Community Problem Solving Cases’ session will vividly convey field activities of cooperative governance activists, and the ‘Cooperative Governance Policy Integration’ lecture will comprehensively cover policies related to cooperative governance such as village communities, participatory budgeting, and social economy.

Next, the advanced course ‘Cooperative Governance Keeper Learning Center’ will be held over two days on September 27 and 28.

This education course aims to nurture cooperative governance keepers who promote cooperative governance activities in the district. It covers various skills such as design thinking, communication techniques, and facilitation that can be acquired and applied to lead smooth cooperation in the field.

The education consists of four sessions on ▲ Cooperative Governance Keeper Identity ▲ Creative Problem Solving through Design Thinking ▲ Basic Facilitation Skills (Relationships, Communication) ▲ Core Facilitation Skills (Meeting Management).

‘Gangseo Cooperative Governance School’ is open to any resident interested in cooperative governance, with applications accepted until September 3. The ‘Cooperative Governance Keeper Learning Center,’ recruiting 20 participants, prioritizes graduates of ‘Gangseo Cooperative Governance School.’ Interested residents can apply by September 13.

Details on how to apply and other information can be found on the Gangseo-gu website under Notices/News.

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is providing a ‘Stay-at-Home Home Training’ program for residents who have difficulty engaging in physical activities due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Stay-at-Home Home Training’ is a program offering real-time online classes teaching exercises using easily accessible household items such as towels and water bottles to help residents maintain healthy habits amid increasing restrictions on outdoor activities due to social distancing.

Any Dongdaemun resident can participate. The district will recruit 100 participants on a first-come, first-served basis from September 1 to 30. Interested residents can apply online through the Dongdaemun-gu website or by phone at the Dongdaemun-gu Sports Promotion Division.

The program runs for six weeks starting October 1. Participants can attend real-time online classes via links sent individually. Classes will be 10 minutes each, three times a week.

Participants must take exercise certification photos and post them on Instagram with the mandatory hashtag (#StayAtHomeHomeTraining) or send them via email. All participants who submit at least one certification during the challenge will receive a mobile gift certificate worth 5,000 KRW. Additionally, the top 20 participants with the most participation will receive extra exercise equipment.

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol said, “As COVID-19 continues to spread, making outdoor activities difficult, we aim to provide non-face-to-face physical activity services so residents can take care of their health at home,” adding, “We will do our best to offer programs that residents can enjoy in various forms for healthy daily life.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) announced that it will hold nighttime docent tours at the Seodaemun Natural History Museum from September 10 to 12.

The tours will be held six times over three days, each lasting one hour starting at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., with 10 participants per session, totaling 60 participants.

The exhibition viewing will take place on all floors of the museum and will be conducted as guided tours following the docent rather than self-guided visits.

Those wishing to participate can apply from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the 31st of this month through the official website of ‘Seodaemun Cultural Heritage Night Tour’ (Program → Night View → Seodaemun Natural History Museum Night Opening).

This event is part of the ‘2021 Seodaemun Cultural Heritage and Cultural Space Night Tour.’ Considering that the previous ‘One Star Night Workshop’ program was fully booked within one minute, the participant selection method has been changed from first-come, first-served to a lottery system.

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