Gwangjin-gu Provides Welfare Points of 240,000 KRW Annually to Welfare Facility Workers... 'Companion Animal Village Map' Initiative

345 Social Welfare Facility Workers Receive Welfare Points Worth 240,000 KRW Annually... 'Pet Village Map' Created Showing Locations of Unique Facilities Like Pet Studios, Pet-Friendly Cafes, Animal Hospitals, and Grooming Salons

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) will provide welfare points to social welfare facility workers in Gwangjin-gu starting this year to improve their treatment.

This is because the workload of welfare facility workers has increased due to the rapid changes in social welfare services caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, Gwangjin-gu has started supporting welfare points to improve the working conditions and relieve work stress of welfare facility workers, thereby enhancing the welfare service experience of residents.

The support targets are 345 workers at a total of 53 facilities located in Gwangjin-gu, including comprehensive social welfare centers, facilities for the disabled and children, and senior welfare centers.

Welfare points of 240,000 KRW per person per year will be provided. Welfare facility workers can choose desired welfare items such as health management, self-development, and leisure activities, use the welfare points, and then request reimbursement from their institutions.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “I thank the social welfare facility workers who strive to improve the welfare of residents in every field,” and added, “We hope that by supporting workers to take pride and focus on their work to become welfare experts in the community, our district’s welfare services will further develop.”

Pet Village Map

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) has created the ‘Gwangjin-gu Pet Village Map,’ which carefully marks facilities that can be used together with pets.

The Pet Village Map shows the locations of facilities related to pets, such as animal hospitals, pharmacies, grooming salons, and pet care service providers.

It also includes unique facilities exclusive to Gwangjin-gu, such as ▲pet studios ▲handmade snack sales and experience workshops ▲pet-friendly cafes and hotels, making it expected to be useful for families with pets. The Pet Village Map is available at animal hospitals in Gwangjin-gu, the district office, community service centers, and can also be viewed on the district’s website.

This map was produced through cooperation between the district and Konkuk University Campus Town Project Group. The Campus Town project aims to revitalize the university area through collaboration between the local community and the university.

Through the Campus Town project, the district and university selected 29 startup teams over three years from 2019 to 2021 to promote the ‘Pet Industry and Cultural Street,’ and last year, the popular online lecture ‘Happy with Animals’ was held, attracting 5,545 citizens.

In addition, the district has promoted various projects to spread a mature pet culture, including ▲the first Pet Street in Seoul ▲the nation’s first ‘Visiting Neighborhood Animal Trainer’ program ▲operation of a pet school ▲hosting pet festivals.

First, the ‘Pet Street,’ created by Gwangjin-gu as the first in Seoul, is a 1.2 km stretch from Guui-mun Intersection to Children’s Grand Park Station Intersection, where sign blocks about pet etiquette are installed. It is a place where people can naturally learn pet etiquette while walking with their pets.

There is also the ‘Visiting Neighborhood Animal Trainer’ program, which provides consultation on problematic pet behaviors and helps with behavior correction. Neighborhood animal trainers diagnose and conduct practical training by identifying types of problematic behaviors in pets. Since 2017, the district has been the first in the nation to implement this program, receiving great responses from participating residents.

Additionally, the district continues to lead pet-related projects such as ▲‘Pet School,’ which educates current and prospective pet owners to coexist happily with pets ▲‘Free Rabies Vaccination’ for the health of dogs and their owners ▲and the ‘Gwangjin Pet Festival,’ held in conjunction with the Seoul Fairy Tale Festival.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “In this era of living with pets, we will establish a proper pet culture and make Gwangjin-gu a better place for pets to live.”

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