Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Tackles Traffic Congestion in Front of Mangwon Market... Dongdaemun-gu Focuses 14.5 Billion Won on Education Investment

[Seoul District News] Mapo-gu Mangwon 1-dong Residents Actively Participate: Traffic Control by 6 People Every Weekend, Nearby Public Parking Guidance When Parking Lots Are Full... Dongdaemun-gu Invests 8 Billion KRW in Education Subsidies This Year, Including 5.3 Billion KRW for Eco-Friendly School Meals, 400 Million KRW for Enrollment Preparation, and 500 Million KRW for Innovation Education District Projects... Gangbuk-gu Recruiting 21st Dasan Academy Students... Gangseo-gu Promotes ‘2022 Apartment Community Revitalization Project’ with Up to 5 Million KRW Support... Yeongdeungpo-gu Installs Expired Medicine Collection Boxes

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On weekends, the road in front of Mangwon 1-2 Public Parking Lot in Mapo-gu becomes congested with visitors to Mangwon Market and Mangridan-gil.

Various TV programs and SNS have introduced popular restaurants, and being located along the Han River, visitors from outside Mapo-gu also use private vehicles to visit Mangwon Market and Mangridan-gil.

The Mangwon 1-2 Public Parking Lot is located right next to the entrance of Mangwon Market, causing significant inconvenience to nearby residents who have to endure blocked roads and honking sounds even on weekends when they want to rest comfortably.

To solve this problem, residents of Mangwon 1-dong volunteered to manage traffic.

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) held a meeting on December 19 last year at Mangwon 1-dong Community Service Center, where Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun, relevant departments of the district office, and residents of Mangwon 1-dong gathered to discuss solutions to the congestion at the entrance and exit of Mangwon Market parking lot.

Although expanding nearby parking lots was considered, it was a solution requiring significant budget and time, so residents had to endure inconvenience for the time being.

At the meeting, Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun suggested, "I will also volunteer for traffic control on weekends, so how about residents joining as well?" Residents expressed their willingness to participate.

As a result, on January 8, Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun, residents of Mangwon 1-dong, and the Mangwon Market Merchants Association started volunteering for traffic control. Every Saturday and Sunday, about 100 residents from 10 organizations including the Residents' Autonomy Committee, the Autonomous Crime Prevention Unit, and the Mangwon Market Merchants Association volunteer for traffic control.

They form teams of three, with two teams in total, guiding vehicles to nearby public parking lots within about 1 km when the Mangwon 1-2 Public Parking Lot is full, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Kim Seung-nam, chairman of the Mangwon 1-dong Residents' Autonomy Committee participating in the traffic control volunteer work, said, "Since the traffic control volunteer activities began, the frequency of car honking and loud voices has significantly decreased."

Nearby public parking lots include ▲Mangwon On-street Public Parking Lot (68 Huiujeong-ro) ▲Mangwon Yusuji Sports Park Public Parking Lot (190 World Cup-ro 25-gil) ▲Mangwon Nadeulmok A Building Public Parking Lot (53 Donggyo-ro 1-gil).

The district formed a TF team on December 23 last year to improve weekend congestion around Mangwon 1-2 Public Parking Lot and held two countermeasure meetings.

As a result, a pre-payment machine was introduced at Mangwon 1-2 Public Parking Lot, and the market discount verification process was simplified to shorten parking fee settlement time. They are also reviewing comprehensive traffic system adjustments such as one-way traffic on the two-lane road and are promoting the creation of parking spaces in the green area on the ground level of Mangwon 1-2 Public Parking Lot.

Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun of Mapo-gu said, "The residents' active participation in solving local problems, as seen in this traffic control volunteer work, is a true example of genuine resident autonomy. Instead of using vehicles, using public transportation and walking to feel the atmosphere of Mangwon 1-dong could be a unique way to enjoy a weekend trip."

Dapsimni Elementary School Coding Club

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) will continue focused investment in education by providing 14.5 billion KRW in educational expenses to each school, an increase of 1.7 billion KRW from last year.

The district allocates 8 billion KRW for educational expense subsidies, 5.3 billion KRW for eco-friendly school meals expanded to kindergartens, 500 million KRW for innovative education district projects utilizing community resources, 400 million KRW for entrance preparation funds supporting not only middle and high school students but also elementary school students, and 300 million KRW for free education for all high school grades.

In particular, regarding the 8 billion KRW educational expense subsidy, which increased by 900 million KRW from last year, the Dongdaemun-gu Educational Expense Subsidy Deliberation Committee held a meeting on January 27 to finalize detailed plans for "specialized projects by field and academic achievement and environment improvement projects."

This year, 1.52 billion KRW was allocated to create a smart educational environment including the establishment of makerspaces to facilitate future science education related to the 4th Industrial Revolution and to provide environmental and ecological education about the Earth.

Additionally, 1.15 billion KRW was allocated for school and learning space improvements. Open and flexible spaces will be created in response to the implementation of the high school credit system, and students, parents, and teachers will collaboratively design emotional play, rest, and collaboration spaces. Some libraries will also be rebuilt to improve creative school environments.

Furthermore, based on a survey conducted last year, 760 million KRW was allocated to provide new programs such as character development programs prioritized for elementary schools and native English experience programs, which had many requests.

Other allocations include 420 million KRW for improving kindergarten meal facilities and programs, 770 million KRW for creative arts fields to strengthen traditional Korean music specialized schools and cultural and artistic enjoyment capabilities, 2.95 billion KRW for academic achievement and customized career guidance for each school, and 430 million KRW for teacher capacity building and other school issues. Dongdaemun-gu will continue to support special projects unique to the district as well as school-specific applications.

Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol of Dongdaemun-gu said, "We are constantly thinking and striving to make Dongdaemun-gu a great place to raise children. We will continue to advance education this year by providing spaces where creative imagination can be realized and building school environments that enable emotional and flexible thinking, nurturing leading talents who can actively respond to any uncertain future environment."

Exploration of Hwaseong Yungneung and Geonneung in 2021

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) is recruiting students for the 21st term of the lifelong learning program "Dasan (茶山) Academy," operated jointly with Seoul Cyber University Lifelong Education Center and Dasan Research Institute.

Any resident of Gangbuk-gu or business operator within Gangbuk-gu can apply, and the tuition fee is 30,000 KRW. Interested persons can apply by visiting the Education Support Division on the 3rd floor of the district office or through the Gangbuk-gu website under 'District Administration Participation - Integrated Reservation Application' by March 15.

Dasan Academy is a representative specialized program of Gangbuk-gu established in 2012 to provide residents with wisdom for adapting to rapidly changing society through the life and practical learning philosophy of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, the first Korean registered as a UNESCO World Commemorative Figure. It offers opportunities to cultivate expertise in various fields such as economics and literature.

Students will have opportunities to engage with Dasan's spirit in various fields such as economics, society, and literature, starting with "The Life and Thought of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong" by Park Seok-mu, chairman of the Dasan Research Institute, followed by lectures like "Dasan Thinking about Livelihood and Economy," "Dasan Seeking Regional Development Plans," "Dasan's Philanthropic Spirit through Welfare Issues," and "Characteristics and Meaning of Dasan Literature."

The lectures will be held over 12 weeks from March 29 to June 14, consisting of 10 theory classes and 2 field trips. However, the schedule and location may change depending on the spread of COVID-19.

Since the first term in 2011, a total of 1,081 residents have taken Dasan Academy courses, which are highly rated for excellent instructors and quality education. Additionally, students participate in social contribution activities through the alumni association "Dasan Spirit Practice Association," established in 2014, engaging in Dasan research and community development volunteer work.

Mayor Park Gyeom-su of Gangbuk-gu said, "Dasan Jeong Yak-yong's philosophy will provide wisdom, vitality, and courage to overcome difficulties for us living through the challenging times of COVID-19. I hope many residents seeking vitality in life will show interest and participate."

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) has embarked on creating a residential community culture that shares affection and consideration among neighbors.

The district announced that it will promote the "2022 Apartment Community Activation Project," which supports activities of resident communities within apartment complexes.

The purpose is to form and practice communities through voluntary participation and harmony among apartment residents, fostering a healthy residential community culture that lives together with neighbors.

The Apartment Community Activation Project supports part of the costs for community activation programs proposed and participated in directly by residents.

This year, the district selected and will support six project areas: ▲Communication and resident harmony ▲Eco-friendly practice and experience ▲Hobbies and entrepreneurship ▲Health and exercise ▲Helping neighbors and social service ▲Mixed (two or more project areas).

The support target is apartment complexes with 150 or more households located in Gangseo-gu, with a total budget of 50 million KRW, providing from a minimum of 1 million KRW to a maximum of 5 million KRW per complex.

The self-payment rate will be applied differentially from 10% to 40% depending on the years of project participation, with lower self-payment rates for new communities to encourage more participation.

Interested complexes can submit project proposals and plans jointly signed by the residents' representative meeting, community activation group, and management office head by visiting the Housing Division of Gangseo-gu or by mail by March 11.

Details and application forms can be found on the Gangseo-gu website under 'Gangseo News - Notices/News.'

Support projects and amounts will be comprehensively reviewed based on eight criteria including resident participation, budget feasibility, and project necessity, and final selections will be made through a joint housing support review in March.

The district plans to assign community activity experts to selected apartment complexes to help operate various programs tailored to each complex's status and characteristics.

A district official said, "We hope many will show interest and participate in this project, which is a great opportunity to activate apartment communities. We will continue to promote various projects to foster a healthy community culture that communicates with neighbors."

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) has installed 31 collection boxes for expired and unused medicines at community service centers, apartments, hospitals, and other locations.

Until now, the principle was to dispose of expired medicines by removing packaging and collecting only the medicines at health centers or pharmacies with collection boxes.

However, only about 8% were properly collected and incinerated, while over 55.2% were discarded through trash bins or drains, causing environmental pollution by entering soil and waterways. (2018 Survey on Wasted Medicines, Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service)

The amount of collected expired medicines in the area also decreased by about 55%, from 2,990 kg in 2014 to 1,340 kg in 2020, indicating the need to improve the collection system.

Therefore, the district installed expired medicine collection boxes at 31 locations including 18 community service centers, 5 hospitals, and 5 apartments, as well as the district office and health center, to safely and conveniently dispose of medicines discarded at home.

The collected medicines will be gathered once a month by the district's Cleaning Division for incineration. The district plans to actively promote the locations of collection boxes, the necessity of separate disposal, and proper disposal and treatment methods.

Mayor Chae Hyun-il of Yeongdeungpo-gu said, "Although it may be inconvenient, we ask residents to find the nearest community service center or location with a collection box to dispose of expired medicines. We will implement cleaning administration that considers residents' convenience to increase satisfaction."

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