Designation of Gwanak S Valley as a Venture Business Promotion District

[Seoul District News] Nakseongdae-dong? Inheon-dong? Jungang-dong? Haengun-dong? Cheongnyong-dong? Daehak-dong? Seorim-dong? Samsung-dong Area 0.67㎢ Newly Designated Venture Companies Expected to Attract Businesses with Tax Reductions, Fee Exemptions, and Various Financial Supports... Seongdong-gu Offers Free Safe Lodging for Confirmed Patients' Cohabitants... Yongsan-gu Improves Pedestrian Environment Around Hannam Station

Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, visiting Startup HERO-RO 3 (center)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Innovation is sweeping through Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee). 'Gwanak S Valley,' centered on 'Nakseong Venture Valley' in the Nakseongdae area and 'Sillim Startup Valley' in the Daehak-dong area, is transforming into an innovative economic ecosystem leading venture startups based on outstanding human resources such as youth and Seoul National University.

Thanks to these changes, the district achieved a great success on the 10th by being designated as a Venture Business Promotion Zone by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The 'Venture Business Promotion Zone' is a system under the Special Measures Act on the Promotion of Venture Businesses that provides various supports to areas with high growth potential for venture companies, promoting the clustering of venture businesses and balanced regional development. To be designated as a zone, at least 10% of the SMEs located in the area must be venture companies, and there must be universities or research institutes, as well as infrastructure such as transportation, communication, and finance.

The district has made efforts to transform the area, once a barren land for startups, into a mecca for venture startups. Within three years, it has established 13 startup infrastructure facilities including Nakseong Venture Startup Center, Startup HERE-RO 2, 3, 4, 5, and Seoul Startup Center Gwanak, currently housing 112 startup companies developing capabilities in various fields.

In addition to providing startup spaces, the district operates support programs such as mentoring, demo days, and job fairs to strengthen companies' capabilities, and annually promotes the 'Startup Scale-Up' project that supports commercialization funds including prototype production costs, market development, and publicity expenses.

To expand investment opportunities for companies, the district has signed business agreements with Seoul National University Technology Holding Company, Bukook Securities, KT, KB Financial Group, Woori Financial Group, and others to foster the startup ecosystem and link investments. Notably, it has established a 20 billion KRW startup support fund, the first of its kind among basic local governments nationwide, to continuously drive the growth of startups based on local core technologies.

The newly designated 'Gwanak S Valley Venture Business Promotion Zone' covers 0.67㎢ around Nakseongdae-dong and Daehak-dong, divided into Nakseong Venture Valley Zone, Sillim Startup Valley Zone, and Seoul National University Zone.

The 'Nakseong Venture Valley Zone' is a transportation hub with subway Line 2 and Nambu Beltway passing through, hosting facilities such as Nakseong Venture Startup Center, Seoul Startup Center Gwanak, and Seoul Startup Cafe Nakseongdae Branch, with a steadily increasing number of venture startup companies.

The 'Sillim Startup Valley Zone,' which has experienced a downturn due to the abolition of the judicial examination, is a region where a new startup boom is emerging in connection with the university campus town project. Companies such as KT, KB Financial Group, and Woori Financial Group are participating, anticipating its transformation into a venture startup hub. The 'Seoul National University Zone' is actively fostering student and professor startups centered around Seoul National University's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation.

Once designated as a Venture Business Promotion Zone, venture companies residing within the zone receive a 37.5% reduction in property tax and acquisition tax, exemptions from various charges such as development charges and traffic inducement charges, and various benefits including technology commercialization, market marketing, and educational consulting.

The district expects the designation to accelerate the Gwanak S Valley development project. As more companies are expected to relocate to the area, the district plans to expand venture startup infrastructure and support company growth through industry-academia-research collaboration, fostering related industries such as AI and bio.

To this end, this year the district plans to add startup infrastructure around Seoul National University Venture Town Station and strengthen investments in local companies by establishing the 'Gwanak S Valley Enterprise Support Fund.' It will also launch a new technology consulting support project to resolve technical development difficulties of venture startups and expand the 'Startup Scale-Up' project to support commercialization funds.

A district official said, "The designation as a Venture Business Promotion Zone has provided another driving force for the Gwanak S Valley development project," adding, "We will activate the promotion zone through collaboration with Seoul City, Seoul National University, and the private sector, ultimately making the entire Gwanak-gu a mecca for venture startups."

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) has signed a business agreement with Ewha Womans University to support music emotional care for the healthy growth and development of youth.

On the 11th, Gangbuk-gu signed an agreement with the Department of Music Therapy at Ewha Womans University. This is to support the resolution of emotional conflicts among youth at the community level, in response to the recent social emergence of various youth issues such as the increase in at-risk children and adolescents and multicultural families.

The main contents of the agreement include ▲psychological and emotional stability and psychotherapy for children and adolescents ▲support for music emotional projects to improve school adaptability ▲support to enhance multicultural families' adaptation to Korean culture ▲joint development of music therapy and programs for vulnerable groups.

In the future, customized music healing programs will be conducted for elementary and lower-grade middle school students in the region using after-school classes.

Additionally, the district will actively cooperate with related departments to ensure practical support for out-of-school youth, multicultural families, and vulnerable groups.

Gangbuk-gu Mayor Park Kyum-soo said, "I hope that the positive energy of music will greatly help children and adolescents form constructive and positive self-identities," adding, "We will continue to provide wholehearted support for the healthy and happy growth of youth through cooperation with the local community."

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is operating dedicated safe accommodations for cohabiting family members of COVID-19 home treatment patients.

When confirmed with COVID-19, the patient isolates and undergoes home treatment for up to 10 days, while cohabiting family members must also quarantine for the same period regardless of their infection status. If independent living within the home is not possible, daily life becomes inconvenient and the risk of secondary infection among family members increases.

Accordingly, the district has prepared a total of 27 rooms, including 15 standard rooms, at a dedicated safe accommodation in Yongdap-dong for cohabiting family members of confirmed patients, available free of charge for up to 10 days.

Eligible occupants for the safe accommodation are vaccinated passive monitors who can commute and go out except for multi-use facilities. They must have completed vaccination, such as 14 days after the second dose, and provide a PCR negative certificate within 48 hours of hotel check-in. Families wishing to use the accommodation can apply during the basic epidemiological investigation at the health center or by phone to the General Affairs Team of Seongdong-gu Office.

Since September last year, the district has supported up to 300,000 KRW in accommodation costs for cohabiting family members of quarantined close contacts. It also provides 'Seongdong-type Psychological Defense Kits,' consisting of coloring books and 24-color pencils, to patients in residential treatment centers to stabilize anxiety and aid smooth return to daily life.

Furthermore, the district fully supports taxi fares for residents using quarantine taxis to move home after discharge from treatment centers outside Seongdong-gu. On the 27th of last month, it significantly expanded treatment center rooms by adding 75 rooms to a total of 129 rooms and 159 beds, ensuring immediate treatment without waiting.

Mr. Jo, a user of Seongdong-gu safe accommodation, said, "I was overwhelmed thinking about living in a confined space with a family member undergoing home treatment, but being able to use the safe accommodation free of charge until the end of treatment eased my worries."

Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh said, "We have prepared safe accommodations to block the spread of infectious diseases and support the daily lives of cohabiting families," adding, "We will do our best with all staff to support residents in every detail from quarantine to recovery so that confirmed patients and their families can return to daily life healthily, and to minimize inconvenience during the long journey to normalcy."

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) is promoting the 'Digital Tutor' project to enhance digital capabilities of elementary, middle, and high school students and create youth jobs.

With a budget of about 2.7 billion KRW, the district will support 137 tutors in 40 local schools from March to December during the school term.

Previously, to respond to rapid changes in education in the 4th Industrial Revolution era, the district started with 32 tutors in 6 schools from September to December 2020, and dispatched 134 tutors to 34 schools last year.

Seodaemun-gu Digital Tutors support education in general classrooms, computer rooms, makerspaces, etc., enhancing students' digital skills and learning satisfaction.

They also provide technical support for digital learning environments and individual or group tutoring after school.

The district is recruiting digital tutors aged 18 to 39. Applicants can download the participation application form from the Seodaemun-gu website notice board and submit it via email (yiseul@sdm.go.kr) from the 14th to 24th of this month by 6 p.m.

There will be a first document screening and a second interview. Preference is given to those majoring in digital or information education, holding software-related certificates, or with school support experience.

Work is five days a week (Monday to Friday), with options for 3 or 6 hours per day. Successful candidates will receive pre-job training at the Seodaemun-gu Convergence Talent Education Center before starting as digital tutors.

Mayor Moon Seok-jin said, "I hope many motivated young people will apply for the Digital Tutor project, the first of its kind nationwide in Seodaemun-gu, and that their experience in schools will become a valuable asset for the future."

Meanwhile, separately, Seodaemun-gu plans to dispatch about 20 digital tutors to local senior centers from March to teach app usage, kiosk operation, Wi-Fi settings, and QR code use to reduce the digital gap among the elderly.

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Chang-hyun) has completed pedestrian environment improvements from Hannam-daero to Hannam Station.

Considering the nearly 20-year-old deteriorated and inconvenient pedestrian and vehicle roads and surrounding commercial areas, the district pushed for street maintenance improvements.

Through this project, new disconnected sidewalks were installed in front of Hannam Station, in front of the SK gas station on Hannam-daero 21-gil, and parts of Daesagwan-ro 34-gil. Old blocks were replaced and nighttime lighting improved, creating a safe and pleasant pedestrian environment. The project cost totaled 1.3 billion KRW.

Resident Lee Ki-kwon (75) said, "There were many times my heart skipped a beat because my grandchild would run out without looking when coming out of Hannam Station," adding, "Now that vehicle access is blocked, I feel safe walking around," expressing gratitude.

Hannam Station has about 5,000 daily users. Residents have requested pedestrian paths due to safety concerns from constant vehicle traffic on the shared pedestrian-vehicle roads around the station.

A district official said, "The Daesagwan-ro 34-gil section is a representative dining alley in Hannam-dong, and this pedestrian environment improvement will help revitalize the commercial area," adding, "The newly installed sidewalk on Hannam-daero 21-gil, where the gas station is located, is expected to significantly reduce accidents between pedestrians and vehicles."

The district requested a feasibility review from the Seoul City Road Project Advisory Group in December 2020. Recognizing the necessity, the city secured a special grant of 1.3 billion KRW. The detailed design service began in April 2021, a residents' briefing was held in May, construction started in July, and was completed by the end of December.

To ensure successful pedestrian environment improvement, consultations were held with related organizations including Korea Electric Power Corporation, Seoul Yongsan Police Station, KT Wonhyo Branch, and Seoul Facilities Management Corporation. Old bike rental stands were replaced, communication poles in front of Hannam Station relocated, and elevated crosswalks were installed.

Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Chang-hyun said, "We have transformed the pedestrian environment around Hannam Station into a pleasant space that harmonizes with the surroundings," adding, "Thanks to the residents who gave feedback, the responsible departments, and related organizations."

Jongno-gu is partnering with Seoul City to nurture video content experts. As part of the '2022 City-District Upward Cooperative Job Creation Project,' it will operate the 'Jongno Content Cluster (JCC) Video Content Expert Training Course.'

With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic making non-face-to-face interactions the norm, demand for personnel in the video content field has surged rapidly. This program aims to strengthen youth expertise in related fields to support employment and entrepreneurship.

The training runs from March 7 to June 17, totaling 300 hours on weekdays. It covers the overall birth and development process of video content, learning the necessity of scenarios, equipment usage, and hands-on production of works.

It will be an excellent opportunity to comprehensively learn everything about video content such as 'shooting,' 'editing,' and 'planning.'

Applications are accepted from the 10th until February 4 via Naver Form. Eligible applicants are Seoul residents aged 19 to 39 as of 2022, with additional points for Jongno-gu residents. The total number of recruits is 20.

Selected candidates will receive full tuition and facility usage fees free of charge. However, a deposit must be paid, which will be fully refunded upon course completion.

The district plans to decide acceptance through online application followed by interviews with experts. For inquiries and more details, refer to the Jongno-gu website or contact the Youth Content Lab Unicorn or Jongno-gu Job Economy Division.

A district official said, "This course is fully funded by Jongno-gu and Seoul City," adding, "Participants will receive systematic training and can excel as video content experts, capturing both employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. We encourage many interested individuals to apply."

"Please join the small efforts to save the environment!"

Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) has launched a public campaign to promote the mandatory separation and disposal system for waste vinyl and clear PET bottles, which was enforced on the 25th of last month.

Guro-gu announced on the 12th, "To reduce confusion and inconvenience among residents due to the full implementation of the separation disposal system for waste vinyl, which complicates recycling sorting, and clear PET bottles suitable for recycled raw material production, we will strengthen publicity."

Previously, plastic and all recyclable items were mixed for disposal, but under the new system, waste vinyl and clear PET bottles must be disposed of separately.

Clear PET bottle containers for separation disposal must be emptied, rinsed, labels removed, crushed, and caps closed.

For detached houses and commercial buildings, disposal days vary by recycling disposal area. For Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday areas, disposal is on Thursday; for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday areas, disposal is on Friday. Waste vinyl and clear PET bottles should be placed in transparent or semi-transparent bags.

In apartment complexes, clear PET bottles must be separated from colored PET bottles and other plastics and disposed of in dedicated collection bins.

Violating the separation disposal day system may result in fines up to 300,000 KRW according to relevant laws.

Guro-gu plans to cooperate with apartment management offices and actively promote the system through the district website, blog, SNS, newsletters, and more to reduce resident confusion.

A Guro-gu official said, "Proper separation disposal of waste vinyl and clear PET bottles is expected to improve recycling efficiency and secure recycled raw materials," adding, "We will do our best to ensure the system is well established through resident publicity."

Health management for infants and toddlers in daycare centers is now smart.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) announced that it has provided 312 real-time health monitoring devices to 163 daycare centers.

The purpose is to prevent safety accidents involving infants and toddlers in daycare centers in advance, creating a safe childcare environment for children and peace of mind for parents.

Infants and toddlers are easily exposed to sudden dangerous situations such as improper sleeping postures like face-down sleeping, high fever, and respiratory distress, requiring continuous health monitoring.

Especially amid the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, early detection of health status and rapid response to emergencies for infants and toddlers with weak immunity are increasingly important.

Accordingly, the district decided to support health monitoring devices using the Internet of Things (IoT) that provide real-time health information of infants and toddlers to local daycare centers.

First, the district held a preliminary briefing for the daycare center association, conducted a demand survey, and reviewed application documents to select target daycare centers.

A total of 312 IoT devices were provided to 163 selected daycare centers, enabling real-time monitoring of infants' health status. The IoT devices used are verified to be harmless to the human body as they are attached close to infants.

In daycare centers, IoT devices are attached to infants' diapers, and childcare teachers install a dedicated app on their phones to link with the devices, allowing real-time monitoring of infants' breathing, pulse, temperature, and other health conditions.

The district expects that installing these IoT health monitoring devices will greatly help prevent safety accidents in daycare centers and infectious diseases like COVID-19.

Gangseo-gu Mayor Roh Hyun-song said, "We expect this project to greatly contribute to preventing safety accidents involving infants and toddlers in daycare centers," adding, "We will continue to do our best to create childcare infrastructure where children can grow up healthy and happy."

Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) will provide 1 million KRW in cash as management stabilization funds to small business owners whose sales have decreased due to COVID-19.

The target is businesses located in Gangnam-gu that opened before September 30 last year, with annual sales under 1 billion KRW and fewer than five regular employees (fewer than 10 for mining, manufacturing, construction, and transportation industries), and whose sales have declined due to COVID-19. Businesses must be operating as of the announcement date, excluding certain industries such as entertainment bars and real estate rental.

Online applications can be submitted from the 12th on the Gangnam-gu Office website with business registration certificates and sales proof documents attached. In-person applications start from February 3 at the district office's second annex basement 1st floor, following a representative's birth year-based 5-day rotation system. The application deadline is February 18.

Businesses that received government recovery funds last year due to sales decline do not need to submit sales proof documents separately and will receive notification messages. Inquiries can be made to the management stabilization fund call center.

Gangnam-gu Mayor Jung Soon-gyun said, "During the 7th term of the elected government, Gangnam-gu has provided various supports such as rent, public utility fees, and management stabilization funds for small business owners," adding, "The third round of management stabilization funds following last year will bring comfort and hope to small business owners."

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) has established a safety inspection plan for housing construction sites in preparation for the 2022 Lunar New Year holiday and will conduct on-site inspections targeting major housing construction sites and vacant houses in the area.

This safety inspection is planned to strengthen the safety awareness of construction site workers and management entities by preemptively identifying and eliminating risk factors in winter construction sites, where accidents frequently occur. It also aims to eliminate blind spots in management through thorough safety inspections of vacant houses within reconstruction sites.

The district will form a joint inspection team consisting of external experts (construction safety and structural engineers) and responsible officials, conducting inspections from the 17th to the 19th.

Inspection targets include ▲Shinwol 4 Housing Reconstruction Maintenance Project Site in Shinwol 2-dong ▲Deokhwa Apartment Street Housing Maintenance Project Site in Shinwol 1-dong ▲Vacant houses within the Daegyeong Apartment Housing Reconstruction Maintenance Project area in Sinjeong 2-dong ▲Retaining walls in the planned apartment street housing project site at 657-1 Mok 3-dong, totaling four locations.

Main inspection items include ▲Implementation status of safety management plans for the holiday season ▲Subsidence and safety management status around construction sites ▲Proper maintenance of construction equipment, etc. Minor issues found will be corrected immediately on-site, while serious defects will be addressed with emergency measures and separate supplementary plans to ensure safety.

The district plans to conduct additional safety inspections during vulnerable periods such as thawing and rainy seasons after the Lunar New Year holiday to prevent accidents at housing construction sites.

Yangcheon-gu Mayor Kim Soo-young said, "Winter construction sites are prone to accidents due to stiffened bodies in cold weather, so they require more careful management," adding, "Through this pre-inspection, we will thoroughly identify and eliminate hazards to maintain vigilance and prevent accidents even during the long holiday."

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