Dongdaemun-gu to Plant 260,000 Trees as 'Green Vaccine'

[Seoul District News] Dongdaemun-gu Plants 260,000 Trees Using Parks, Riverside, and Small Spaces to Combat Climate Change and Fine Dust... Gangbuk-gu Recycles Unused Forest Biomass Sawdust and Wood Chips... Dongjak-gu Strengthens Emergency Safety Management for 'Serious Accident Prevention' Facilities... Gwanak-gu Develops and Promotes Special Projects Considering Resident Needs at 21 Dong Community Centers... Eunpyeong-gu Provides 400,000 Won Disaster Relief per Taxi Driver

Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun District, is planting a tree.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is accelerating efforts to create a healthy living environment in the city where citizens can heal, in response to climate change and fine dust.

The district planted a total of 1.41 million trees over eight years from 2014 to last year as part of Seoul City's project to plant 30 million trees, proposed as a fundamental solution to environmental degradation.

This year, in addition to parks and riversides, 260,000 trees will be planted using leftover spaces to create urban forest areas. The species to be planted include tall trees such as Ippop trees and Zelkova trees, and small trees such as Spiraea, which have been announced by the Korea Forest Service to have significant fine dust reduction effects.

Each tree absorbs 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide and releases 1.8 tons of oxygen annually, and one hectare of urban forest removes 168 kg of air pollutants. Therefore, planting 260,000 trees this year is expected to greatly contribute to reducing carbon dioxide and fine dust.

Also, as demand for parks and riverside rest areas has increased due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, healing forests and urban forests will be expanded.

A district official said, "We plan to create various urban forests such as healing forest trails, therapeutic forests, fine dust blocking forests, and ecological gardens by planting trees and plants, which are excellent for treating 'corona blue' and are also called green vaccines, and by maintaining facilities."

Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, "Since one tree has the effect of running an air purifier for 3,966 hours, we will continue to plant trees and take the lead in reducing carbon dioxide and fine dust. We will also strive to create a pleasant city by expanding green infrastructure, which has seen increased demand due to COVID-19."

Wood waste is being recycled into sawdust using a shredder.

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) plans to recycle unused forest biomass (wood by-products) into high-quality sawdust and wood chips for utilization.

'Unused forest biomass' refers to discarded forest materials that do not meet lumber standards or are difficult to collect and thus are not easily utilized. These mainly arise from the removal of pest-damaged trees, forest maintenance, and street tree management, and are difficult to use due to low quality and high collection costs. Currently, the amount generated annually from tree maintenance in parks and green spaces in Gangbuk-gu reaches 500 tons.

To utilize the discarded unused forest biomass, the district plans to recycle branches trimmed from street trees and work by-products from parks and green spaces into sawdust and wood chips, which will be primarily used for mulching in parks and flower beds starting in March.

Furthermore, after a pilot operation in the first half of the year, the program will be expanded in the second half. The sawdust and wood chips will be distributed free of charge to residents who cultivate small gardens, horticultural farmers, and nearby flower farms in Seoul, and will also be used as materials for carbon cycling farming to increase utilization.

A district official explained that the resource recycling project for unused forest biomass not only reduces disposal costs of wood waste but also establishes a virtuous cycle of resources by planting and cultivating trees and utilizing by-products, thereby maximizing the value of urban forests.

Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, "We hope this will be an opportunity to move one step closer to realizing a carbon-neutral society by increasing the value of discarded resources and recycling them. We will continue to take the lead in creating an eco-friendly green city through innovative and diverse policies."

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) will conduct an urgent safety inspection by the 22nd targeting 42 district facilities and private contracted construction sites to prevent major accidents.

Following the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the district established a 'Disaster Safety Team' on February 17 to oversee safety and health management, appointed safety and health supervisors for each department and neighborhood, and is focusing all efforts on risk assessment and improvement measures to prevent major accidents at workplaces.

This inspection is being conducted to focus on the safety of facilities and construction sites in the area following the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act on February 27 and recent accidents including the elevator fall accident at a Pangyo construction site on March 8 and the Yeochun NCC explosion accident on March 11.

Main inspection items include ▲risk factors for the four major fatal accidents: falls, entrapment, collisions, and suffocation ▲management status of flammable materials ▲stabilization measures for slopes ▲general safety management such as tidiness around construction sites and securing safety for facility users.

After the inspection, minor issues will be corrected immediately on-site, and violations or safety hazards requiring safety measures will be addressed through administrative actions such as correction orders according to relevant laws to strengthen safety management.

Choi Dal-soo, Safety and Disaster Officer, said, "Even small defects at construction sites can cause serious damage to life and property, so we will do our best to create a safe Dongjak-gu through proactive prevention and systematic management. For accident prevention, voluntary safety management efforts by facility managers, construction personnel, and workers are essential."

Last December, the district conducted training for all employees on the purpose and key contents of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, safety and health management methods, and public institution compliance according to related laws to enhance major accident prevention and safety capabilities.

A scene of delivering kits containing groceries and quarantine supplies to elderly people living alone

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) will discover and promote special projects tailored to the characteristics of 21 neighborhoods and residents' needs in 2022 to realize resident-centered administration.

First, various services will be provided to meet the urgent care needs of vulnerable groups who have become more difficult due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Haengun-dong is conducting the 'Kanggam Side Dish' project, which builds customized neighbor networks by purchasing healthy side dishes directly and delivering them contactlessly to mobility-impaired households isolated from the outside.

Cheongnyong-dong is promoting the 'Let's Be Strong Together! Stay-at-Home Life' project. It provides companion plants to vulnerable single-person households suffering from social isolation and depression, aiming to alleviate social isolation through social network care.

Other projects include Nanhyang-dong's 'Green Light Care Safety Net' that checks on elderly living alone, and Jowon-dong's 'Neighbor Plus Dodream Care' project where welfare recipients, community leaders, and neighborhood social security councils form neighborly bonds, filling care blind spots arising from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

There are also various welfare projects where residents, local welfare institutions, and neighborhood community centers cooperate to share food, side dishes, education, and daily necessities.

Seonghyeon-dong runs the 'North Korean Food Man!(Bring) Na!(Share)' project, where North Korean defectors prepare North Korean food to provide meals to socially vulnerable groups, promoting social adaptation of defectors while simultaneously monitoring isolated households.

Other unique neighborhood projects include Jungang-dong's 'I Love You (I♥Milk)' providing milk, Inheon-dong's 'Be the Light of Inheon' supporting desks and educational materials for children and youth with poor educational conditions, and Sillim-dong's 'Fragrant Box Delivery' providing dehumidifiers, air fresheners, and beauty coupons to middle-aged residents in vulnerable housing.

Creative projects to create pleasant and safe neighborhoods include Euncheon-dong's 'Safe Home for Crisis Escape' installing safety equipment and providing customized accident prevention education for households exposed to domestic accident risks, Nakseongdae-dong's 'Fire Busters' supporting throwable fire extinguishers to fire-vulnerable groups, Namhyeon-dong's 'Illegal Dumping Prevention Logo Projector' to eradicate nighttime illegal dumping, and Daehak-dong's 'Minimal Life, Making Our Home a Place to Stay' for improving living environments of low-income households.

As part of efforts to overcome the serious social issue of low birth rates, Cheongnim-dong and Gwanak Saemaeul Geumgo headquarters signed a business agreement for a 'Birth Celebration Account.' Cheongnim-dong's 'Thank You for Being Born~ Our Child's Nulpoom Account' provides a congratulatory fund of 50,000 KRW in the newborn's name and offers an additional 0.2% interest rate at account opening.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, "Special projects at the neighborhood level tailored to local characteristics often involve small budgets but have high resident satisfaction. We will actively promote special projects reflecting diverse resident needs to improve satisfaction with administrative services."

Eunpyeong-gu announced that it will provide 1.75 billion KRW in disaster relief funds to taxi drivers who have been struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The support targets individual and corporate taxi drivers registered in Eunpyeong-gu, with 400,000 KRW provided per person.

Individual taxi drivers are those who, as of January 28 this year, have their resident registration in Eunpyeong-gu or belong to the Eunpyeong branch of the Individual Taxi Association.

Corporate taxi drivers are those who joined before January 21 this year and currently have resident registration in Eunpyeong-gu or work for corporate taxi companies in the Eunpyeong area.

It is expected that 3,182 individual taxi drivers and 1,200 corporate taxi drivers in Eunpyeong-gu will benefit from the disaster relief funds.

Individual taxi drivers can apply for the support fund until the 28th of this month. Association members can apply at the Individual Taxi Association Eunpyeong branch, and non-members can apply at the Eunpyeong-gu Office Transportation Administration Division.

Corporate taxi drivers can apply until March 4. Corporate taxi drivers in Eunpyeong should apply through their affiliated companies, and drivers affiliated with other Seoul districts should apply at the Eunpyeong-gu Office Transportation Administration Division.

On the 15th, the district also provided disaster relief funds of 10 million KRW each to four local village bus companies in Eunpyeong.

A district official said, "We sincerely thank the transportation workers who have quietly served as the feet of residents despite the prolonged COVID-19 situation. We will continue to do our best to ensure that no one is left out of support for COVID-19 damages and to overcome the crisis."

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