Small Business Owners' Return to Normal!... Yangcheon-gu 'Good Consumption Campaign' Relaunched

[Seoul District News] Yangcheon-gu Receives 2,050 Kitchen Detergents Worth 15 Million Won from Homeplus Mokdong Branch; Residents Present Receipts Over 50,000 Won from Local Stores and Restaurants at Community Centers to Receive Kitchen Detergents... ‘Dobong-gu Love Sharing Kimchi Making Event’ Held on the 16th at 10 AM at Ssangmun-dong Eco-Friendly Sharing Garden
...Gwanak-gu Expresses Gratitude and Comfort to Childcare Workers Overcoming COVID-19 Challenges...Special Lecture ‘Jongno Hanok Salon’ Wearing Hanbok at Hanok on December 20th

Residents of Sinjeong 6-dong participating in the Good Consumption Campaign at the community center

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) will resume the Kind Consumption Campaign from the 8th to support the daily recovery of local small business owners in response to the With-Corona era.

First launched in Yangcheon-gu last year, the Kind Consumption Campaign became a commendable example of solidarity and coexistence to overcome crises, gaining nationwide support and sympathy. In September, the district also promoted the third phase of the Kind Consumption Campaign at Hyundai Department Store Mokdong Branch, distributing donated kitchen detergents to revitalize the local economy together with residents.

This time, the Kind Consumption Campaign, aligned with the period of daily recovery, will be held in collaboration with Homeplus Mokdong Branch. Homeplus Mokdong stated that despite difficult circumstances, they joined the campaign to share the values of coexistence and sharing with local small business owners. Yangcheon-gu plans to distribute 2,050 kitchen detergent items worth approximately 15 million KRW, sponsored by Homeplus Mokdong, to all neighborhood community service centers, to be used as giveaway items for event participants.

The campaign will run from the 8th, where residents can present receipts of 50,000 KRW or more spent at local stores or restaurants to their neighborhood community service centers. After verifying residency and amount, the centers will provide kitchen detergent. Note that only receipts issued from November 8th onward are valid.

Yangcheon-gu Mayor Kim Soo-young said, “We are resuming the Kind Consumption Campaign to support small business owners who have endured countless hardships and actively cooperated with government policies. We ask many residents to participate so that this campaign can serve as a catalyst for the recovery of the local economy.”

Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) will hold the ‘Love Sharing Kimchi Making Event’ at 10 a.m. on the 16th at the Eco-friendly Sharing Garden in Ssangmun-dong (33 Samyang-ro 144-gil, behind Duksung Women’s University) to wish for a return to normal life and share warm hope.

The ‘Love Sharing Kimchi Making Event’ uses napa cabbages and radishes donated by three eco-friendly sharing gardens and cooperative farms in Dobong-gu to make kimchi, which is then distributed to vulnerable groups in the community. Urban farmers from Dobong-gu, including garden cultivators, urban agriculture communities, and urban agriculture education students, participate as volunteers, making the event more meaningful.

The finished kimchi will be delivered to vulnerable groups recommended by each neighborhood community service center. Additionally, rice harvested in October at the Dobong-dong Eco-friendly Farming Experience Center (527 Dobong-dong) will be milled, packaged, and delivered to 32 district-run senior centers.

To reduce disposable product use, kimchi containers will avoid styrofoam and plastic packaging and instead use reusable kimchi containers.

Dobong-gu Mayor Lee Dong-jin stated, “During these difficult times prolonged by COVID-19, I hope the kimchi sharing event brings warm hope to neighbors in need. We will strive to expand the social value of urban agriculture and foster a community culture.”

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) awarded commendations to childcare workers in the district in celebration of Childcare Workers’ Day 2021.

The event, held on the 8th at the Gwanak-gu Office auditorium, was organized to comfort childcare workers who endured hardships during COVID-19 and to express gratitude to outstanding childcare staff who contributed to the development of childcare services in the district.

Commendations were presented face-to-face to 61 exemplary childcare workers by the mayor, while other childcare workers participated via a Zoom online video conference.

The event was graced by childcare facility directors, teachers, and staff from the Gwanak-gu Childcare Support Center, all dedicated to advancing early childhood care services.

Mayor Park Jun-hee, who personally presented the awards, said in his remarks, “There is a saying that those who look ten years ahead plant trees, and those who look a hundred years ahead nurture people. Our district will continue to expand support for childcare by increasing budgets for daycare meal expenses and restaurant operation costs next year.”

The district aims to be a ‘city where children and parents are happy’ by strengthening public childcare and improving service quality through balanced distribution of national and public daycare centers by district, encouraging conversion of home daycare centers to public ones, and supporting daycare meal expenses, among other efforts.

Jongno-gu has prepared a special opportunity this month at Mugaewon (2, Changui-munro 5ga-gil), located in Buam-dong, to immerse participants in the charm of traditional culture. The lecture program “Hanok Salon” combines popular trends among young generations such as social gatherings, Hanbok, and Hanok.

“Hanok Salon,” designed to help people naturally experience Korean culture and contribute to the normalization of tradition, will be held twice on November 12 and 20 at the Sarangchae of Mugaewon, targeting small groups.

On the 12th at 7 p.m., entrepreneur and broadcaster Mark Tetto will give a lecture sharing his decade-long experience and knowledge of Korean culture. Mark Tetto, who has appeared on numerous TV programs such as “Non-Summit” and “Where Is My Friend’s Home,” has consistently expressed interest in Korean culture and is a supporter of the National Museum of Korea and the National Ballet of Korea.

On the 20th at 4 p.m., documentary director Jeon Sang-jin will present a lecture related to Hanok. Director Jeon, who personally renovated and lives in a 69㎡ (21-pyeong) Hanok built in 1936 in Bukchon, will share the joys and hardships of living alone in a Hanok with participants.

Applications will be accepted via the Jongno Hanok Salon Instagram starting one week before each lecture. As the program aims for small cultural classes, only 10 participants per session will be recruited in advance.

Previously, on October 15, in line with Hanbok Culture Week, the district held a Hanok Salon program titled “I Wear Hanbok and Go Global.” Designer Hwang Isul, CEO of the Hanbok brand Leesle, appeared, and the event was held without a separate recruitment process by inviting the Jongno Youth Hanbok Promotion Group in compliance with social distancing regulations. The recorded video will be available on the ‘Jongno TV’ YouTube channel in mid-November.

“Hanok Salon” is part of the “Why Lee Jongno” project, a collaboration between Jongno-gu and advertising agency TBWA in 2020. This year, following Jongno-gu’s selection for the Hanbok Culture Regional Hub Support Project by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation Hanbok Promotion Center, the program has been revamped and is being reintroduced after last year.

An official from the district said, “Next year, we will continue to operate Han culture projects, festivals, and various programs to promote the normalization of tradition and help residents appreciate the charm of Hanbok and Hanok.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) announced on the 9th that it will launch the so-called ‘Making My Neighborhood My Room’ project to support independent living for youth aging out of child care facilities and group homes upon turning 18 (also known as care-leaving youth).

Since independent living education for care-leaving youth has been conducted inconsistently by welfare facility staff, the district aims to support children’s preparation for independence at the district level to help them settle better in the community.

Currently, there are about 150 protected children in Seodaemun-gu. The ‘Child Welfare Act’ defines a child as a person under 18 years old.

In August this year, the district conducted a housing needs survey targeting 35 children scheduled to age out of care and 20 discharged children, and based on the results, formulated an operational plan for the ‘Making My Neighborhood My Room’ project to strengthen housing independence capabilities.

According to the plan, starting next year, the district will implement ▲equal opportunities for various education to enhance independence capabilities ▲priority access to youth rental housing in the area ▲step-by-step support from counseling to moving in (in cooperation with Seoul Youth Housing Counseling Center and Seodaemun Housing Welfare Center) ▲utilization of stepping-stone housing ▲expanded rent support ▲support for certification exam tuition fees.

Prior to this, the district is conducting a ‘Housing Education and Field Trip Program’ three times this month in collaboration with the Seoul Youth Housing Counseling Center for children about to age out of care.

Participants receive housing-related education and visit stepping-stone housing, youth rental housing, and real estate agencies in the area.

Seodaemun-gu Mayor Moon Seok-jin said, “Since a stable housing environment is fundamental to independence, we will systematically promote the ‘Making My Neighborhood My Room’ project.”

Earlier, in a policy meeting in July this year, Mayor Moon instructed related departments to prepare housing support measures for social care of care-leaving youth.

Since May last year, Seodaemun-gu has been the first autonomous district in Seoul to provide a ‘First Step Social Allowance’ of 200,000 KRW monthly for three years to care-leaving youth in the area. Separately, since January this year, it has been supporting up to 200,000 KRW monthly for housing rent for two years, making multifaceted efforts to support their independence.

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) announced that it will hold the Dongdaemun Career Fair for four days from the 10th to the 13th at the Dongdaemun Career and Job Experience Support Center.

The career fair will be conducted online through the YouTube channel ‘WarakTube’ and live programs (Zoom) targeting elementary, middle, and high school students in the district as well as Seoul youth. It will showcase popular programs from the 2021 Dongdaemun Career and Job Experience Support Center, as well as new formats such as VR programs.

Additionally, various programs such as department mentoring, job experiences, and online field trips will be operated regularly to provide information on the complex world of jobs and higher education, helping youth broaden their career perspectives.

In particular, to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, kits allowing experiences as robotics engineers, coding experts, and drone specialists will be provided. The online field trip will introduce VR programs for the first time this year, offering a more immersive experience.

Besides regular programs, from the 10th to the 12th, middle school students can enjoy performances and participate in a healing concert and career talk concert on the WarakTube channel, where they can discuss common adolescent concerns with professional instructors in real time. On the 13th, pre-registered participants will engage in real-time job experiences and department mentoring, providing opportunities for direct communication with mentors.

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol said, “I hope this fair helps youth discover their abilities and choose careers suited to their aptitudes. We will continue to provide various programs to support youth career planning even amid the COVID-19 situation.”

The Dongdaemun Career Fair is open to all youth. For more details, contact the Dongdaemun Career and Job Experience Support Center.

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) will hold the ‘2021 Small Business Startup Academy’ to strengthen the capabilities of prospective entrepreneurs struggling with startup concerns.

In collaboration with the Gangbuk Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, this education program targets prospective entrepreneurs, small business owners, and those changing industries, providing startup education and information to support successful entrepreneurship.

The program, held on the 29th and 30th of this month, will invite experts from various startup-related fields to cover diverse topics. Participants will learn about ▲startup preparation procedures and entrepreneurial spirit ▲commercial district location analysis and utilization ▲labor and employee management ▲startup funding, guarantee support systems, and small business support projects ▲startup tax knowledge necessary for business operators.

Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis via the Gangbuk-gu Office website under ‘Citizen Participation > District Administration Participation > Integrated Reservation Application.’ The course is free of charge and will be held in the Planning Situation Room on the 3rd floor of Gangbuk-gu Office.

Graduates of the Startup Academy will be eligible to apply for startup funds from the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation.

Gangbuk-gu Mayor Park Kyum-soo said, “I hope this Startup Academy provides practical help and builds confidence in entrepreneurship. We will actively support entrepreneurs facing difficult times with tangible assistance.”

For more information, contact the Regional Economy Team of the Job and Economy Division.

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