Seodaemun Cultural Heritage Night 'Byeol Hanae Sungan' Exhibition Extended

[Seoul District News] Exhibition of typography, text boxes, moon benches, floor lighting, and more around Seodaemun Independence Park extended by 2 weeks from the original April 12 to 26... Dongdaemun-gu operates Women's Academy with Sookmyung Women's University... Seongbuk-gu supports online voting to increase apartment management transparency

Floor lighting visualizing the sneakers of martyr Lee Han-yeol

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) has extended the 2021 Seodaemun Cultural Heritage Night Exhibition Program "A Moment in a Star" by two weeks until the 26th of this month, past the Chuseok holiday, which was originally scheduled to end on the 12th of this month.

"A Moment in a Star" is one of the eight night programs of the Seodaemun Cultural Heritage Night, consisting of typography works embodying the spirit of youth from different eras, lettering cubes (text boxes), floor lighting, and a moon-shaped bench photo zone.

After viewing the typography exhibition on the outer wall of the Seodaemun Prison History Hall, visitors can head down towards Independence Park to enjoy the "floor lighting" works that visualize images such as Yu Gwan-sun's jeogori (traditional jacket), Yun Dong-ju's poetry collection, and Lee Han-yeol's sneakers.

In front of the "March 1st Independence Declaration Monument" within Independence Park, a lighting installation announcing the "2021 Seodaemun Cultural Heritage Night" is set up. Additionally, the "text boxes" representing the theme of the Cultural Heritage Night, "Youth Counting the Stars at Night," change their lighting colors moment by moment, harmonizing with the subtle lighting of Independence Park to create a charming scene.

Sitting on the crescent moon-shaped bench photo zone, visitors can take commemorative photos with the Independence Gate as the background.

The exhibition, which began on the 29th of last month, has been enjoyed by many citizens who comply with quarantine rules while spending cool autumn evenings outdoors. Especially, families out for a walk have taken commemorative photos and appreciated the typography exhibits.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, "Due to social distancing, those who cannot visit their hometowns during Chuseok may find it good to visit here as an outing."

These exhibitions are held outdoors and can be freely viewed by anyone without prior application. Since lighting is used, visiting after sunset allows for even more beautiful scenery. However, social distancing and mask-wearing must be observed.

Participants who certify their participation via SNS may also receive gift coupons through a lottery. Detailed information about the "A Moment in a Star" exhibition can be found on the "Seodaemun Cultural Heritage Night" website.

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) signed an agreement with Sookmyung Women's University Future Education Center on the 9th to operate a university-linked lifelong education program called the Women's Academy and to train instructors for seniors.

The Dongdaemun-gu Women's Academy is a lifelong education program designed to strengthen individual capabilities by providing learning opportunities to residents using the university's excellent human and material resources.

In preparation for the super-aged society, the district, together with Sookmyung Women's University Future Education Center, has established and operates certification preparation courses for ▲Senior Health Play Instructor Level 1 and ▲Laughter Coaching Instructor Level 1 aimed at training senior instructors.

This education is an expert qualification course that covers from elderly health leisure preparation to various practical knowledge, and upon completion, participants can work as instructors at various senior institutions, thus expected to create jobs. The education is conducted online via ZOOM to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Women aged 18 or older residing in Dongdaemun-gu can apply, with applications accepted from the 13th via the Dongdaemun-gu Office website. A total of 30 students will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis, and a certificate of completion signed by the president of Sookmyung Women's University will be issued upon completion.

Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, "This agreement was made to foster female leaders who contribute to community participation and development through job competency education suitable for the 100-year life era," adding, "We will continue to do our best to provide more diverse and practical job competency education opportunities."

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) supports online voting in local apartment complexes to increase transparency in apartment management and residents' participation in policies.

As part of the "Making Clear Apartments" project, 43 out of 133 apartment complexes (48,522 households) have participated in online voting so far.

Compared to the traditional voting method where voters visit designated polling stations on election day to insert ballots into ballot boxes, online voting can be done with a single click on a smartphone without the hassle of marking ballots or counting votes manually.

While the average voting rate for the traditional paper ballot method was around 20%, the average voting rate in local apartments increased to 55.9% with online voting, improving work efficiency as well.

By supporting online voting for apartments, the district provides budget support based on voter turnout: 50% of the budget if turnout is below 50%, and full 100% support if turnout is 70% or higher, allowing apartments to conduct elections with almost no cost when using online voting.

More importantly, the traditional paper ballot method had controversies over fraudulent elections due to election managers visiting voters without verifying voter registration lists when turnout was low, but with the introduction of online voting, suspicions of election fraud have disappeared.

A resident living in Jangwi-dong Dream Forest I-Park who participated in online voting said, "It was very convenient to vote on my phone while commuting without time restrictions on voting hours, and above all, I felt safe voting without worries about election fraud interference."

Seongbuk-gu supports online voting costs per complex without limits on the number of times until the budget is exhausted by the end of December this year. Interested complexes can submit an "Online Voting Support Application" to the Housing Policy Division of Seongbuk-gu Office after voting.

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) announced that the newly established Sangil 2-dong Community Service Center, created due to administrative district reorganization, held its opening ceremony on the 9th at its temporary office (1st floor, Daol Building, 51 Sangil-ro 6-gil, Gangdong-gu) and began providing new administrative services.

With the population increase due to large-scale apartment occupancy in the Gangil-dong area, the district established Sangil 2-dong on July 1 to proactively respond to administrative service demands and resolve resident inconveniences caused by discrepancies between legal and administrative districts.

The Sangil 2-dong Community Service Center is located 100 meters from the main gate of Samsung Engineering and will handle various civil affairs and welfare tasks such as issuing resident registration certificates and moving-in reports at the temporary office until the new building is completed by the end of 2023.

The opening ceremony was held with minimal attendees, including Mayor Lee Jung-hoon and local residents, in compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, featuring a plaque unveiling ceremony.

Mayor Lee Jung-hoon said, "The Sangil 2-dong Community Service Center will not only provide administrative functions but also resident-centered welfare and cultural services, becoming a hub space for the newly formed living area," adding, "We will do our best to complete the new building as soon as possible to minimize resident inconvenience."

The new Sangil 2-dong Community Service Center building is planned as a basement one floor and four floors above ground facility with community center and resident autonomy functions on the Complex Community Facility Site 2 in the Godeok Gangil 3 District, with construction procedures underway aiming for completion in the second half of 2023.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that free influenza (flu) vaccinations will be promoted starting from the 14th.

As chilly autumn winds begin to blow in the mornings and evenings, concerns about the simultaneous spread of COVID-19 and the flu are increasing. Moreover, both COVID-19 and the flu share similar symptoms such as fever, headache, cough, sore throat, and muscle pain, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

Since confusion could increase if COVID-19 and flu patients mix, the district is actively encouraging many residents to receive flu vaccinations.

The free flu vaccination targets include children from 6 months to 13 years old, pregnant women, seniors aged 65 and older, and vulnerable health groups.

Vaccinations for children under 9 years old who require two doses, especially those receiving their first vaccination or with unknown vaccination history, will begin on the 14th and proceed sequentially by age group.

Children who require only one dose can receive free vaccinations from October 14 to February 28 next year, and pregnant women from this month’s 14th to April 30 next year.

To prevent initial congestion and ensure safe vaccinations, the district staggered vaccination start dates by age group as last year. Seniors aged 75 and older can receive free vaccinations from October 12, those aged 70 to 74 from October 18, and those aged 65 to 69 from October 21 until February 28 next year.

Additionally, the district supports free vaccinations from October 28 to December 31 for vulnerable health groups including registered disabled persons aged 14 to 64 with severe disabilities, basic livelihood security recipients aged 50 to 64, and national merit recipients.

When receiving free flu vaccinations, identification must be presented. For children, bring a baby health book or documents verifying resident registration number (such as a resident registration certificate or health insurance card) and visit a designated medical institution with a guardian. Pregnant women should bring a maternity book or pregnancy confirmation documents, and vulnerable health groups should bring welfare cards, medical aid certificates, or national merit certificates along with ID.

Free flu vaccinations can be received at designated medical institutions nationwide regardless of residence. However, vulnerable health groups must receive vaccinations at designated medical institutions within the district.

Designated medical institutions for each target group can be checked on the public health center and vaccination helper websites. For details, contact the 120 Dasan Call Center or Gangseo-gu Public Health Center Vaccination Office.

Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, "Vaccination is the shortcut to protecting yourself and others from infectious diseases, so I hope everyone participates in this vaccination," adding, "Residents are asked to follow personal hygiene rules such as wearing masks when visiting medical institutions to prevent COVID-19 infection and ensure safe vaccination."

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) is conducting the Geumcheon-type self-reliance settlement fund "Fence Fund" support project for youth preparing for independence (youth aging out of care) ahead of the Chuseok holiday.

Youth aging out of care are those who have grown up in child welfare facilities or foster families and must become independent when they turn 18 as state protection ends, facing difficulties starting on their own without sufficient preparation.

Although government policies provide independence allowances, settlement funds, and college tuition support after aging out of care, these youths still face difficulties due to low wages and insufficient living expenses. Therefore, Geumcheon-gu decided to provide the "Fence Fund" separately from government support to local youth aging out of care taking their first steps into society.

The support targets 26 independence allowance recipients as of the end of July 2021, providing 3 million KRW per person (one-time lifetime payment). The fund can be used for various purposes necessary for social independence such as housing, education, and employment preparation. Geumcheon-gu plans to notify recipients in advance during September and complete payments before Chuseok.

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, "There have been issues with youth aging out of care having to stand alone without sufficient independence foundations," adding, "I hope the Fence Fund provided this time will help lay the foundation for youth preparing for independence."

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Chang-hyun) will conduct the "2021 Second Half Creative New Deal Capacity Building Training" over two days on the 13th and 14th.

This is to ensure the successful promotion of next year's district New Deal projects. The training is conducted in real-time non-face-to-face format so participants can attend from home. The number of participants is 110 (55 per day).

The training covers orientation, understanding of the Korean New Deal and Creative New Deal, the necessity of creative problem-solving, idea generation techniques, and application of creative problem-solving methods over seven hours.

Those who complete the training will receive continuous learning hours required for civil servant promotion.

The district will then proceed to discover new Creative New Deal projects by department (dong). The discovery areas include ▲innovative urban remodeling (smart city), ▲optimized social services (digital public services, AI·IoT-based care projects), and ▲customized resident leisure and clean living environment creation.

Confirmed projects will be reflected in next year's main budget proposal.

The Creative New Deal is a concept combining the Moon Jae-in administration's national project "Korean New Deal" and the district's existing "creative administration." This year, the district is conducting 83 related projects (45 digital, 12 green, 3 safety net reinforcement, 23 creative).

Major projects include ▲operation of the district promotion robot "Yongbot," ▲establishment of a non-face-to-face parking system at the Comprehensive Administrative Town, ▲promotion of digital customized integrity self-learning, ▲construction of a big data integrated platform, ▲supply of eco-friendly EM fermented liquid, ▲construction of an urban information integrated viewing system, and ▲establishment of a smart sewer monitoring system, with a total project cost of 6.3 billion KRW.

Seong Chang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, "In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the creativity of civil servants is the competitiveness of the city," adding, "We will continuously strive to educate our staff."

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Sun-gap) is conducting "Marriage and Family Positive Value Formation Education" by allocating a separate budget for the first time among Seoul's autonomous districts as part of measures to address low birth rates.

This education has been conducted since 2019 to foster positive values about marriage and family during the important period of value formation in youth, aiming to create a family-friendly social atmosphere.

This year, starting from the 9th, the program is conducted for 1st to 6th graders in local elementary schools. Due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, the educational content is produced as videos and distributed to all elementary schools in the area.

The videos are linked to the curriculum, tailored to the levels of lower, middle, and upper grades, and composed of various types such as character use, instructor lectures, infographics, discussions, and debates.

The specific content includes ▲redefining the meaning of family to maintain a happy home, ▲youth opinions on marriage, childbirth, and family, ▲understanding low birth rates and aging society and raising awareness of the risks of population decline, and ▲future family images according to demographic changes.

Notably, elementary school teachers from Gwangjin-gu directly participated in drafting the scripts for these educational videos, adding significance.

Additionally, after the video education, students will perform practical tasks for daily life application. 1st and 2nd graders will make nameplates, 3rd and 4th graders will draw comics about Gwangjin-gu landmarks visited with family, and 5th and 6th graders will create family vlog videos.

Kim Sun-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, "It is important to create an educational environment where young students, during the crucial period of value formation, can establish positive values about family," adding, "Since 2019, Gwangjin-gu has allocated a separate budget and developed specialized educational materials for positive value formation about marriage and family, the first among Seoul's autonomous districts."

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