Songpa-gu Cares for Single-Person Households through 'One-Stop Call Center'

[Seoul District News] Seodaemun-gu Receives Prime Minister's Commendation for Gender Impact Assessment... Yangcheon-gu Strengthens Competency of Innovative Education Village Instructors through Online Training... Dongdaemun-gu Seoul Korean Medicine Promotion Center Hosts 'Naver Shopping Live Special Exhibition' for Chuseok Holiday... Yongsan-gu Produces 'Easy-to-Understand Guide to Yongsan-gu Shared Property Utilization'... Nowon-gu Creates and Distributes Notices Including Vaccination Completion Information to 4,440 Restaurants

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) is set to fully operate the ‘One-Stop Call Center for Single-Person Households’ (hereafter, Call Center), which has been running on a pilot basis to support single-person households, after completing its operational system and manual.

As of 2019, Songpa-gu had 68,861 single-person households, ranking third highest in Seoul. With the continuous increase in single-person households, the district determined that proactive policy support is necessary and established a ‘Comprehensive Support Plan for Single-Person Households’ in July, implementing a total of 40 detailed projects across five major sectors.

In particular, to enhance accessibility to various support projects for single-person households, the district has been operating the nation’s first ‘One-Stop Call Center for Single-Person Households’ since August 1. This integrated consultation window provides tailored support counseling with just one phone call for all single-person household support projects in Songpa-gu.

The district explained that it categorized support targets by gender, generation, and income among local single-person households, and after a month of pilot operation of the call center, it established a support system that guides the most needed services for each household and revised the manual accordingly.

Especially for female single-person households, the center linked ‘Safe Home Sets’ including double door locks, portable emergency bells, window locks, and smart doorbells. For middle-aged, elderly, and disabled single-person households with mobility difficulties, it connected them to the ‘Care SOS Center’ project for support.

Additionally, the center provided information on various welfare, education, culture, and daily life support projects such as ‘Songpa Food Market Visiting Delivery Service,’ ‘Companion Service,’ ‘Songpa Teacher’s Customized Education by Life Cycle,’ and ‘Single-Person Household Cooking & Cultural Programs,’ enhancing residents’ accessibility.

From September, the call center will be linked with the Seoul City Single-Person Household Portal, providing information not only on Songpa-gu but also on Seoul city support projects, playing an active and broad intermediary role.

Songpa-gu is preparing to enact the ‘Single-Person Household Ordinance’ in the second half of this year for more systematic support. It also plans to discover and promote customized projects such as public service linkage for housing-vulnerable single-person households, tailored real estate brokerage services for single-person households, and three types of care services for middle-aged people.

Mayor Park Seong-su of Songpa-gu said, “Through the ‘One-Stop Call Center for Single-Person Households,’ we will generously support everyone to easily access various administrative services,” adding, “We will proactively implement demand-centered policies that are more practical in response to the social trend of the rapid increase in single-person households.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) announced on the 2nd that it was selected as an excellent institution in the comprehensive evaluation of ‘Gender Impact Assessment Promotion’ conducted by the government for various administrative agencies this year and received the Prime Minister’s Commendation.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family annually awards excellent institutions by comprehensively evaluating policy improvements, related education implementation, active evaluations, and institutionalization levels to promote the gender impact assessment system.

This year, the evaluation was conducted on 306 organizations including basic and metropolitan local governments, government agencies, and education offices.

Gender impact assessment is a system that evaluates the impact on gender equality during the establishment or implementation of major policies to ensure that the policies contribute to gender equality.

Seodaemun-gu has promoted ▲prior consultation on gender impact assessment of autonomous regulations ▲gender impact assessment and gender-responsive budget settlement consulting for each project ▲evaluation and awarding of related improvement achievements ▲monitoring of gender impact assessment projects and policy improvement proposals with citizen participation gender governance.

It also operates a Gender Impact Assessment Committee and produces and utilizes staff work guides to help understand gender impact assessment during the enactment of autonomous regulations, project implementation, and production of promotional materials.

Furthermore, to strengthen gender equality policy capabilities, it conducts gender awareness and gender impact assessment education annually for public officials and provides visiting gender awareness education to social welfare facility workers in the district to spread a culture of gender equality.

Seodaemun-gu, which received the highest award among basic local governments, plans to further strive to implement practical gender equality policies so that residents can feel the results of gender impact assessments in their daily lives.

Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il presented plaques of appreciation to the members of the first Yeongdeungpo-gu Cooperation Council who completed their terms on the afternoon of the 2nd at the district office’s planning situation room, expressing gratitude for their efforts.

The Yeongdeungpo-gu Cooperation Council was first formed and operated in 2017 and has led the establishment of a cooperative governance foundation within the community by executing and managing local innovation plans and designing open public forums, promoting public-private cooperation.

Mayor Chae said, “Thanks to the efforts of the members over the past four years, we were able to implement various citizen-centered policies,” adding, “We will continue to work harder to create Yeongdeungpo’s future together with residents based on communication and cooperation.”

About 7 out of 10 Seocho-gu residents expressed the highest satisfaction with the care sector among Seocho-gu’s gender equality policies.

Seocho-gu (Mayor Cho Eun-hee) conducted a ‘Seocho-gu Gender Equality Policy Survey’ targeting 600 randomly selected men and women aged 16 to 69 in the district during August. The results showed that the care sector for work-life balance had the highest satisfaction rate at 67.4%.

The survey items included awareness and policy effectiveness of five gender equality policy sectors promoted by the district (▲care for work-life balance ▲spread of gender equality culture ▲jobs ▲safety and health promotion ▲participation in decision-making), as well as future directions for gender equality policy development.

Looking at the district’s representative ‘care for work-life balance’ projects, the nation’s first ‘Grandparent Caregiver Allowance’ stands out. This project provides modern childcare methods and allowances to grandparents caring for grandchildren, creating social jobs for the middle-aged. It also helps reduce women’s childcare burdens and achieves work-family balance, gaining positive responses from residents.

Other highly satisfactory projects included Seoul’s first ‘Paternity Leave Incentive Payment,’ ‘Seocho Childcare Provider Policy,’ and ‘Seocho-Style Shared Daycare Centers.’

Regarding satisfaction by age group, those in their teens and twenties favored the ‘Gender Equality Activity Center Operation,’ those in their thirties and forties chose the ‘Paternity Leave Incentive Payment,’ and those in their fifties and sixties selected the ‘Seocho 50+ Plus Center Operation’ as the best policies.

When asked which policy sector they most want prioritized for Seocho’s gender equality policy development, ‘job sector’ accounted for 38%, followed by ‘work-life balance support’ at 26.9%, ‘safety and health promotion’ at 18.5%, and ‘spread of gender equality culture’ at 13.6%.

Based on this survey, the district plans to use the results as data to develop gender equality policies that residents truly want.

On the 4th, to mark Gender Equality Week (September 1?7), the district will hold the ‘Seocho-gu Gender Equality Grassroots Festival’ to promote and establish a culture of gender equality. This festival, planned and created by local activity groups and activists, will be held online from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The program includes family-friendly experiences such as ‘Calligraphy Experience,’ ‘Making Eco-Friendly Detergent with Dad,’ ‘Shadow Puppet Show of Fairy Tales,’ and ‘Marbling Cocktail Workshop,’ designed to raise gender sensitivity.

Mayor Cho Eun-hee of Seocho-gu said, “We will continuously discover gender equality policies that residents want beyond gender conflicts to create a happy city for both men and women.”

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) is operating ‘Saengsaeng Seongdong, Single-Person Household Plant Sharing’ (hereafter, Plant Sharing) to deliver flowerpots to vulnerable groups.

‘Plant Sharing’ is a project that collects unused flowerpots from offices or homes mainly in public institutions, upcycles them, and delivers them on special occasions to vulnerable single-person households.

Since June, 540 flowerpots collected through Seongdong-gu Office, Seongdong Police Station, Seongdong Gwangjin Education Support Office, Seongdong Urban Management Corporation, and Seongdong Community Security Council were upcycled by 10 homeless and self-support job participants who received detailed training from horticultural experts on planting, watering, and care.

The district plans to deliver the upcycled flowerpots along with daily necessities mainly on birthdays and other special days to elderly living alone or middle-aged single-person households. It also encourages recipients to care for the plants to alleviate depression caused by COVID-19 and support their horticultural activities.

This project is gaining attention as a virtuous cycle project that cares for the vulnerable’s mental health, provides higher-level horticultural skills jobs to job participants, and recycles discarded flowerpots.

The district plans to expand the flowerpot collection project to private companies and apartment complexes in the area and operate a ‘Single-Person Household Horticultural Volunteer Group’ centered on recipients to further activate the project.

A homeless job participant in his 50s residing in a homeless facility said, “I was always worried because I couldn’t work due to poor health, but I’m glad to be able to work while receiving education on plants I like. I want to learn horticultural skills diligently and live a meaningful second life helping others.”

Mayor Jeong Won-oh of Seongdong-gu said, “This project is a ‘good-cycling’ project beyond ‘up-cycling’ that considers both the environment and people,” adding, “We will continue to support the project’s activation.”

2021 Village Instructor Capacity Building Online Lecture Filming

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) will conduct non-face-to-face capacity-building training using an online lecture platform for village instructors active in the Yangcheon Innovation Education District throughout September.

This training aims to cultivate the basic qualities village instructors should have and strengthen their ability to effectively conduct non-face-to-face online classes in the changing educational environment due to COVID-19.

The training consists of basic and advanced courses covering ▲Understanding the Innovation Education District and the role of village instructors ▲Enhancing human rights and gender sensitivity of village instructors ▲Teaching methods for online lectures in the With-Corona era.

Yangcheon-gu produced training videos in advance and posted them on the online lecture platform for a set period, allowing participants to freely join the training regardless of time and place. A key feature is that participants can set their own learning plans and repeat courses as much as they want according to their learning needs.

Since being selected as a Seoul-type Innovation Education District in 2016, Yangcheon-gu has supported discovering hidden talents in the village to work as village instructors. About 300 village instructors in the Yangcheon Innovation Education District are actively engaged in various fields such as theater, musical, woodworking, broadcast dance, video production, traditional play, and career guidance. Classes with diverse content linked to the curriculum have significantly contributed to improving the quality of school education and student satisfaction.

Mayor Kim Soo-young of Yangcheon-gu said, “I thank the village instructors who play an important role connecting the village and schools,” adding, “We will spare no support to help our children grow into future talents of the village.”

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will produce and distribute signs including vaccinated persons to prevent resident confusion due to changes in social distancing and to encourage COVID-19 vaccination.

Due to the fourth wave of COVID-19, social distancing level 4 has continued, and private gathering restrictions remain. Under current metropolitan area distancing measures, private gatherings of up to four people are allowed after 6 p.m. in restaurants and cafes if two vaccinated persons are included.

However, some businesses have not fully understood the vaccination incentive details or had no way to identify whether vaccinated persons are included among customers, causing confusion and complaints from other customers.

Therefore, the district decided to produce and distribute signs to restaurants indicating that vaccinated persons are included at the table.

The distribution targets are 3,684 general restaurants, 694 snack bars, and 62 bakeries over 50㎡, totaling 4,440 places. The district will produce 17,760 sets of signs and stands, distributing four per business. Distribution will be handled by district office staff and life quarantine officers.

Businesses should verify customers’ vaccination status and place the provided signs on each table to indicate that vaccinated persons are included. Customers can also easily confirm that the business complies with quarantine rules and use the facilities with confidence.

Currently, there are four main ways to verify vaccination completion: ▲checking QR code information ▲confirming vaccination completion text messages ▲checking vaccination stickers with name and completion date ▲checking paper certificates issued by Government24 website or community centers.

The district expects that distributing vaccination completion signs will prevent confusion on-site and promote vaccination incentives, contributing to increased vaccination participation.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “It was unfortunate that strengthened social distancing caused damage to small business owners and self-employed people,” adding, “We will continue to make every effort to prepare support measures for self-employed people and prevent COVID-19 spread in the community.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the Mobile Worker Support Center, the first of its kind operated directly by a local government to provide rest areas for mobile workers in welfare blind spots.

In 2019, the district opened the Mobile Worker Support Center recognizing the need to protect the rights of vulnerable labor groups, especially mobile workers engaged in substitute driving, delivery, and courier services.

Since opening, over 8,700 people have used the center. Under normal operation, about 45 people use it daily, and even with limited operation due to COVID-19, about 30 mobile workers continue to use the center.

The high usage rate is because the center provides not only rest space but also customized services.

Considering mobile workers’ main working hours and targets, one-on-one customized counseling is provided by specialized institutions in housing, finance, health, and job fields. For housing-vulnerable groups living in goshiwons or semi-basements, housing counseling offers welfare linkage opportunities such as housing benefits and rental housing. For middle-aged workers with musculoskeletal diseases and chronic illnesses, regular health counseling is provided to offer practical life support services.

Currently, thanks to a donation from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation, a water supply event is underway. Mobile workers can receive bottled water during their work by referring to the ‘Ice Water Map’ stocked with water at Seoul Labor Comprehensive Support Center and rest shelters.

A substitute driver in his 60s who frequently uses the center said, “During heatwaves or cold winters, I desperately need a place to rest while waiting for customers. Now I can have a drink and interact with people at the center, which is great. I hope COVID-19 ends soon so more people can use it.”

The Mobile Worker Support Center, located at 58, Cheonho-daero 175-gil, operates from 10 a.m. on weekdays until 6 a.m. the next day. It is equipped with a lounge, training room, counseling room, massage chairs, foot massagers, blood pressure monitors, coffee machines, and more for convenient use.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it secured 4.826 billion KRW in next year’s budget through the ‘Seoul Citizen Participatory Budget’.

The district achieved the feat of securing the largest budget among Seoul’s autonomous districts for two consecutive years.

The Citizen Participatory Budget system allows residents to directly propose and decide on projects throughout the selection process. The 2022 projects were finalized at the ‘Citizen Participatory Budget Festival’ held online on August 28.

This year’s selected proposals include 100 projects in three categories: ▲Metropolitan proposal type 27 projects (3.328 billion KRW) ▲District-level plan projects 7 projects (1.1 billion KRW) ▲Dong-level plan projects 66 projects (398 million KRW).

Metropolitan proposal projects are those implemented across Seoul or multiple districts, including ‘Create Pleasant Green Spaces,’ ‘Improvement of Gangseo Wetland Ecological Park Facilities,’ ‘Replacement of Old Streetlight Sources on Airport Road,’ and ‘Expansion of Bus Information Terminals (BIT) at Village Bus Stops.’ Many projects involve facility improvements and maintenance to enhance residents’ convenience.

District-level plan projects are linked to next year’s local community innovation plans, including seven projects related to environment, village, and welfare such as ‘Wise Parenting Preparation “I am a Parent”’ and ‘Creating Zero-Waste Parks with Citizens.’

Dong-level plan projects are proposed and operated directly by neighborhood resident councils, with lifestyle-oriented projects like ‘All Recycling’ in Deungchon 2-dong and ‘Elderly Care’ in Hwagok 1-dong being selected.

Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, “The participatory budget system guarantees resident participation in budget formulation and realizes fiscal democracy,” adding, “I thank all residents who participated in project proposals and selection, and we will do our best to ensure smooth implementation of projects proposed and chosen by residents next year.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) Seoul Korean Medicine Promotion Center (Seoul Yakryeongsi Korean Medicine Museum) is operating a ‘Naver Shopping Live Special Exhibition’ where excellent Korean medicine products from Seoul Yakryeongsi can be purchased at affordable prices for Chuseok.

The ‘Naver Shopping Live Special Exhibition’ is a shopping event provided by the portal site Naver, with five Seoul Yakryeongsi Korean medicine shops participating to sell excellent Korean medicine products from the 7th to the 10th, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for four days.

On September 7, products such as ‘Domestic Natural Seasoning’ and ‘Premium Mixed Grain Gift Sets’ will be sold; on September 8, ‘Balloon Flower Candy Gift Sets,’ ‘Fruit Chips Oranda,’ and ‘Medicinal Chicken Soup Ingredients’ will be available; on September 9, ‘Deer Antler Buluodan,’ ‘Geochang Fresh Red Ginseng Pills,’ and ‘Geochang Vitality Pills’ will be offered; and on September 10, about 12 products including ‘Red Ginseng Cheonma Tea,’ ‘Deer Antler Ssanghwa Tea,’ ‘Heungbohwan Detox,’ and ‘Boswellia Comprehensive Pills’ will be sold.

Customers can purchase by accessing the Naver ‘Shopping LIVE’ page, and those who buy during the broadcast can get products up to 30% cheaper than market prices. Some products come with additional gifts such as ‘small digestive medicine.’ For details, contact the Seoul Korean Medicine Promotion Center.

As part of COVID-19 prevention, the Seoul Korean Medicine Promotion Center (Seoul Yakryeongsi Korean Medicine Museum), which was temporarily closed, has provided non-face-to-face education and experiences through its website and SNS channels. It partially reopened on July 10 and operates under strict quarantine rules with limited numbers by time slots. Currently, museum tours, herbal foot baths, and Boje-won Korean medicine experiences are available.

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) produced the ‘Easy-to-Understand Yongsan-gu Shared Property Utilization Guide’ and distributed it to the district office’s shared property management departments and community center civil service desks to help anyone easily understand the methods and procedures for leasing and selling shared property.

Shared property refers to assets owned by local governments through purchase, exchange, or donation in accordance with laws. Depending on use, it is classified into administrative property, which the government uses directly or indirectly or preserves by law, and other general property. General property can be leased or sold.

The distributed guide contains detailed information on understanding shared property, leasing, sales, and protection to help residents easily utilize shared property. The guide is also available on the Yongsan-gu website.

It includes ▲Chapter 1: Shared property that can be leased or sold and how to check details ▲Chapter 2: Advantages, methods, periods, and rent calculation standards for leasing shared property ▲Chapter 3: Procedures for sales contracts, payment, and contract termination reasons ▲Chapter 4: Compensation imposition, procedures, and amount calculation for unauthorized occupation of shared property ▲Chapter 5: Frequently asked questions.

Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “Although the district office manages Yongsan-gu’s shared property, the owner is all residents,” adding, “Transparent disclosure of assets owned by the district and publishing an easy-to-understand usage guide will greatly help improve civil service related to shared property.”

The district has disclosed 542 general properties available for lease or sale on its website. In 2020, rental fees and compensation totaled 505 million KRW, and sales revenue was 1.95 billion KRW.

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) began pilot operation of the ‘Jung-gu Type After-School Program’ in September.

In July, the district signed a business agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Central District Support Office and pilot schools Bongrae Elementary and Cheonggu Elementary to operate the ‘Jung-gu Type After-School Program.’ After pilot operation at two schools in the second half of this year, it plans to expand to all nine public elementary schools in the district next year.

After-school programs have traditionally been entrusted to private companies by the education office. The ‘Jung-gu Type After-School Program’ is directly operated by the district, which takes full responsibility for program establishment, instructor recruitment, registration, and student management.

This standardizes the quality of after-school programs and instructors across schools, enabling all elementary students in the district to receive universal, high-quality educational services.

Before the pilot operation, the district formed parent promotion groups at each school to actively collect opinions and conducted expert consulting to diagnose existing after-school problems and identify service demands, ensuring thorough preparation.

Based on satisfaction and demand surveys, the program includes curriculum-linked courses such as native English, math classes, and reading and writing, as well as various cultural and physical education courses comparable to private education, including creative robot classes, Picasso creative art, Beethoven violin, growth yoga, and children’s chef cooking classes.

Unlike existing after-school courses, programs with low enrollment will not be canceled. English courses are entrusted to professional language institutes with native and Korean instructors alternating classes. All other programs are directly operated by the district, with class sizes capped at 15 to ensure quality.

Mayor Seo Yang-ho’s vision of ‘free education’ and ‘universal educational welfare’ is realized by fully supporting tuition, textbook, and material costs.

Earlier in June, the district achieved direct operation of elementary care in all public elementary schools in the area, expanding operating hours to 8 p.m., introducing a two-teacher system per classroom, providing eco-friendly meals and snacks, deploying care security officers, and offering various cultural and physical programs. ‘Jung-gu Type Elementary Care’ has become a national model for quality care services.

Starting with the completion of direct operation of elementary care, the district plans to convert all public elementary after-school programs to direct operation by next year. It also aims to directly operate all 23 public daycare centers in the district by 2023, having already converted 13 centers including Hwanghak, Sindang, Dasan, and Yaksu.

Through systematic public care and public education systems, the district is fully committed to making ‘Jung-gu a good place to raise children.’

Mayor Seo Yang-ho said, “We will continue to invest and support future generations so that our children can freely nurture and realize their dreams.”

Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Seong) installed elevators at the pedestrian overpass near Ojeong Elementary School (10, Gyeongin-ro 2-gil).

Guro-gu announced on the 2nd that it installed two elevators at the Ojeong Elementary School pedestrian overpass to improve convenience for vulnerable pedestrians such as elementary students and the elderly.

The pedestrian overpass crossing the six-lane Gyeongin-ro road between Onsu Station (Subway Lines 1 and 7) and Ojeong Elementary School had only stairs without ramps, making it inconvenient for vulnerable pedestrians.

Also, drivers had limited visibility due to the overpass stairs, raising accident risks.

To resolve residents’ inconvenience, the district decided to install elevators, starting construction in December last year and completing it in August this year. Elevators were installed at both ends of the overpass, and stairs obstructing drivers’ views were reorganized.

For students’ safe commuting, a direct pedestrian passage connecting the overpass and Ojeong Elementary School was created. The 4m wide and 10m long passage allows access to the school without passing through the main gate.

The project cost a total of 933.49 million KRW from city and district budgets.

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) announced on the 2nd the payment period and methods for the ‘September Property Tax’.

The tax applies to houses (half portion) and land other than houses owned as of June 1 this year, with the owner being the taxpayer.

Land property tax is fully imposed in September, while house property tax exceeding 100,000 KRW is split into two halves, imposed in July (first half) and September (second half) to reduce taxpayers’ burden.

This year, property tax rates are reduced by 0.05% for single homeowners with official prices under 900 million KRW. Also, entertainment bars and similar businesses closed due to business suspension orders receive a tax rate reduction from 4% to 0.4%.

The district will send tax bills and notices from the 3rd. If lost, reissuance is available at the district tax office or nearby community centers.

The payment deadline is September 30. Even without a bill, taxpayers can pay at unmanned payment machines and ATMs at all banks nationwide using their own bankbook, cash card, or credit card after checking local taxes.

Late payment incurs a 3% surcharge. For property tax over 300,000 KRW, if unpaid by October 31, an additional 0.75% monthly surcharge applies for 60 months.

Choosing email billing and paying within the deadline grants 350 KRW mileage and 150 KRW tax credit; applying for automatic transfer adds 500 KRW mileage and an additional 500 KRW tax credit.

The district will operate special duty for professional consultation on reissuance and various relief measures from September 15 until the payment deadline, open until 8 p.m. on weekdays at the 2nd floor tax office.

Ryu In-sook, head of the property tax division, urged residents to pay on time and said the district will actively promote through the website, newsletters, banners, and apartment broadcasts.

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it will hold the ‘2021 River Forum’ online on September 3 at 4 p.m. via the Eunpyeong-gu YouTube channel to exchange opinions on the ‘Sustainable River Conservation and Utilization Plan,’ a district cooperation task.

This forum is the last of four thematic forums planned last year, postponed due to COVID-19 and now rescheduled.

The forum will proceed with the theme ‘How to Restore Nokbeoncheon Stream,’ including presentations, Q&A, designated discussions, and open discussions. Representative Park Joo-min of Eunpyeong Gap will present, and four experts and residents will participate in designated discussions.

Especially, as local streams such as Bulgwangcheon and Gupabalcheon serve as places for rest and emotional stability and receive residents’ interest and affection, the district conducted perception surveys on rivers alongside public forums. It plans to continue forums discussing river conservation and use with residents.

Last year, the district held forums on ‘Finding the Intersection of Urban Stream Conservation and Use,’ ‘Research on Sustainable River Conservation and Utilization in Eunpyeong-gu,’ and ‘Various Cases and Activation Tasks of Citizen Participation in River Management.’

Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “Through this forum, I hope to raise awareness of river ecosystems and carefully examine the impact of urban streams on life to establish appropriate and balanced measures for sustainable river conservation and use.”

The forum will be broadcast live on the Eunpyeong-gu YouTube channel from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on September 3.

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) is launching a traditional Korean medicine program preferred by seniors to prevent dementia among the elderly.

According to statistics from the Central Dementia Center, among the population aged 65 and over residing in Mapo-gu, the estimated number of dementia patients was 5,038 in 2019, with the estimated prevalence rate increasing from 9.95% in 2017 to 10.3% in 2019.

The project targets 50 seniors aged 60 or older residing in Mapo-gu who are classified as high-risk through cognitive screening tests, recruiting on a first-come, first-served basis until the end of September. Those currently diagnosed and undergoing treatment for dementia are excluded.

Interested seniors can apply by visiting designated Korean medicine clinics near their homes. After cognitive screening at the designated clinics, blood tests will be conducted for those assessed as high-risk, and final selection will be based on the results. The tests are free.

Designated clinics include eight locations such as Gongdeok Kyunghee Korean Medicine Clinic and Soongsil Korean Medicine Clinic, which can be found on the Mapo-gu Health Center website (Business Guide → Dementia Management Project → Senior Korean Medicine Health Promotion Project).

Selected participants will receive free Korean medicine health management services at designated clinics until November, including ▲Chongmyeong acupuncture (12?16 sessions) ▲herbal medicine prescriptions (decoction or granules) ▲individual health consultations with Korean medicine doctors.

Since last November, the district has provided an ‘AI IoT-based Senior Health Management Service’ for residents aged 65 and over, helping seniors continuously monitor their health despite COVID-19 restrictions.

Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said, “With the rapid aging population, this project is expected to greatly help prevent cognitive decline and depression among seniors,” adding, “We will continue to promote various health improvement projects for healthy aging.”

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) is opening the second half of the year lifelong learning programs at the Everyone’s School Gangbuk Learning Center, recruiting learners until the 3rd and 17th.

The district offers lifelong learning courses for the second half of the year including ▲Senior Planner Course for a Happy Old Age ▲Retirement Preparation Academy ▲Facilitator (Communicator) Training Course ▲Card News Production Education Program.

The ‘Senior Planner Course for a Happy Old Age’ helps prepare for a happy 100-year life by enabling a new second act. It reflects on well-dying and focuses on respect, consideration, and sharing. It runs every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. from September 30 to November 4.

The ‘Retirement Preparation Academy’ is conducted with the National Pension Service Seoul Northern Regional Headquarters, covering four areas: finance, leisure, health, and interpersonal relationships. Lectures run every Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. for eight weeks from October 1 to November 19.

The ‘Facilitator Training Course’ strengthens communication skills and helps learners practice them. It runs every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from September 29 to December 1. Learners must bring laptops for practice.

The ‘Card News Production Education Program’ uses Bukhansan as a theme, exploring its meaning and creating SNS news content. It runs every Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. from September 30 to November 11. Field trips to Bukhansan may occur. Learners should bring laptops and smartphones.

The district recruits Gangbuk residents on a first-come, first-served basis via the Gangbuk-gu Neulbaeumteo website. The Facilitator Training Course accepts applications until September 3; others until September 17.

Tuition is free. Depending on COVID-19, classes may be held face-to-face at Everyone’s School Gangbuk Learning Center or switched to online learning.

Mayor Park Gyeom-su said, “Despite COVID-19, we will strictly follow quarantine rules and strive for uninterrupted learning for residents,” adding, “We will do our best to establish a lifelong learning system where all residents can learn whatever they want anytime.”

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