Seongdong-gu Selected for Ministry of Education's 'Lifelong Learning City Specialization Support Project' Competition

[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu, the only district nationwide simultaneously selected in two public contest fields for strengthening local resource linkage and lifelong learning city consortium; highly praised for virtuous cycle plan practicing dementia prevention education and digital literacy lifelong learning graduates in the community... Jungnang-gu accepting resident participation budget proposals worth 1.1 billion won until May 18... Yeongdeungpo-gu selected as ‘Best Institution’ in Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport road maintenance evaluation... Eunpyeong-gu recruiting companies for youth new job creation project

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (District Mayor Jung Won-oh) was selected in two categories for the ‘2022 Regional Lifelong Education Activation Support Project’ on the 9th.

The district was simultaneously selected in two categories (Strengthening Linkage with Local Resources, Regional Specialized Programs) of the ‘Lifelong Learning City Specialization Project’ hosted by the Ministry of Education and organized by the National Institute for Lifelong Education, and will carry out the project until November.

Among the two selected categories, the ‘Strengthening Linkage with Local Resources’ category targets projects that establish a learner-centered regional lifelong learning system by linking various lifelong education resources such as universities, schools, and lifelong education facilities within the region.

The district plans to link with the local Dementia Safety Center to train graduates of advanced dementia prevention education as activists and conduct dementia prevention education for elderly residents at local senior centers.

To transform all 161 senior centers in the region into ‘Dementia Safety Senior Centers,’ the district signed an agreement last month with the Seongdong-gu branch of the Korea Senior Citizens Association. It will raise awareness among seniors using the centers about the importance of early detection of dementia through early screening and implement awareness improvement activities that promote consideration and coexistence even with dementia. Through this public contest, local senior centers are expected to become important hubs for dementia prevention.

Additionally, the ‘Regional Specialized Program’ is a project where existing designated lifelong learning cities and the Lifelong Education Promotion Institute form a consortium and apply. The district formed a consortium with the Seoul Lifelong Education Institute and Geumcheon-gu and Dongdaemun-gu districts of Seoul.

The district plans to train instructors through digital literacy lifelong education, form instructor-learner village networks, and plan and operate lifelong learning programs tailored to local issues.

This public contest was conducted targeting 182 local governments selected as lifelong learning cities nationwide, with 21 cities including Seongdong-gu selected by category. The district’s plan to return lifelong learning graduates as instructors and activists to solve local problems received high evaluation, achieving the distinction of being the only city nationwide selected simultaneously in two categories.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “The selected projects all share the common feature of a virtuous cycle model of learning and practice where lifelong learning graduates become instructors to solve local issues,” adding, “We will do our best to ensure that the good intentions of the selected projects are carried out without any setbacks.”

Jungnang-gu (District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) started the ‘Jungnang-gu Resident Participatory Budget’ project contest on the 7th to create a communicative Jungnang where residents can directly participate in administrative operations.

The district expanded the project scale from 1 billion KRW last year to 1.1 billion KRW this year. Residents can propose projects in two categories: general fields such as daily inconveniences or projects to improve welfare and quality of life, and policy task fields under the theme ‘Making Jungnang-gu Respond to the Climate Crisis.’ However, projects involving rigid expenses such as labor costs and statutory expenses, ongoing projects rather than one-year projects, projects requiring support for specific organizations or individuals, projects with total costs exceeding 100 million KRW, and event-type projects with costs over 30 million KRW are excluded.

Anyone including Jungnang-gu residents, employees of institutions and businesses located in the district, and students can freely participate in project proposals until May 18. Proposals can be submitted via the Jungnang-gu Office website → Citizen Participation → Resident Participatory Budget section. If online submission is difficult, submissions can be made by visiting the Village Cooperation Division on the 4th floor of the district office or the local community service centers, or by mail.

Proposed projects will be reviewed by related departments and deliberated by the Resident Participatory Budget Committee, with final selection through resident voting in August. Selected projects will be implemented by the relevant departments in 2023 after the budget allocation process by the council.

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “We resolve residents’ long-standing issues every year through the resident participatory budget system,” and added, “We hope many residents will propose various projects in the policy task field so that Jungnang-gu can also respond to the increasingly serious climate crisis.”

Meanwhile, the district will implement 29 projects this year, including the ‘School Route Improvement Project’ for creating a safe walking environment and the ‘Senior Health Exercise Festival with Mangwoo Station Historical Figures’ to promote senior health, which were selected last year.

For more details about the resident participatory budget, check the Jungnang-gu Office website or contact the Village Cooperation Division.

Yeongdeungpo-gu was selected as the best district in the '2021 Autumn Road Maintenance Evaluation' hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The photo shows the area around Yeongdeungpo Fruit and Vegetable Market, which received excellent evaluation for illegal occupancy facility maintenance.

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) was honored as the best institution in the 2021 Fall Road Maintenance Evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conducts an annual joint comprehensive evaluation of road maintenance status and other factors for all road management authorities nationwide to create safe and pleasant road environments.

This evaluation was conducted through on-site assessments and administrative evaluations by a joint evaluation team composed of internal ministry staff and external experts. The evaluation focused on repair status of damaged or deteriorated road facilities, availability of snow removal materials and equipment for winter snow, and selected outstanding institutions.

Yeongdeungpo-gu scored highly in most evaluation categories including road and structure repairs, landscape improvement, road traffic and safety management, and winter measures, and was selected as the best institution in the district road (Gu-do) category. It was especially recognized as an exemplary case in road pavement and drainage facility maintenance, illegal occupation facility maintenance, and cleanliness of road facilities.

The district has worked hard to promptly resolve road usage inconveniences through proactive field administration and create a pleasant traffic environment. It responds proactively not only to daily management but also to damage prevention and recovery activities according to weather conditions for residents’ safety.

Since last November, the district has operated a comprehensive snow removal plan to ensure a safe city even during heavy winter snowfalls. It is the first local government nationwide to create and share maps of vulnerable side roads such as alleys with residents and divide snow removal work areas, focusing on managing vulnerable areas. It also improved snow removal efficiency by using a self-made ‘simple snow remover.’

Additionally, the district is piloting a ‘smart snow removal device’ that automatically detects snowfall and sprays deicing agents, planning to expand installation to vulnerable areas after effectiveness analysis.

Furthermore, the district registered a patent last year for the nation’s first ‘road water pooling drainage device and new construction method’ that perfectly solves water pooling and resulting traffic inconveniences during the rainy season, actively sharing it with other local governments and leading road environment improvements nationwide.

A district official said, “Thanks to the efforts of staff who worked on the ground to resolve residents’ inconveniences and the active cooperation of residents, we achieved the meaningful result of being selected as the best institution,” adding, “We will not be complacent with this evaluation result and will do our best to create a pleasant road environment where our residents can travel with peace of mind.”

Eunpyeong-gu (District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is recruiting companies and organizations to participate in the ‘2022 Regional-Led Youth Job Project’ until the 28th to alleviate youth job shortages.

The ‘Regional-Led Youth Job Project’ is a program that discovers and provides suitable local jobs for youth to support economic activities and strengthen job competencies. It plans and provides various services needed by the local community as youth jobs.

The district aims through this recruitment to create an environment where youth can settle in local-based jobs. It plans to provide youth with opportunities to improve their capabilities and gain job experience, increase interest in the local community, and ultimately induce local settlement through inclusive regional job fields.

The recruitment target is companies and organizations located in Eunpyeong-gu as of the announcement date that can provide jobs in regional specialization, social economy linkage, and community contribution fields. Up to three workers per workplace can apply.

Participating companies will be selected through document screening, on-site inspection, and interviews, comprehensively considering the appropriateness, effectiveness, necessity of the project purpose, and the representative’s commitment. Selected companies will receive 90% support for youth labor costs.

Applications can be submitted by visiting or emailing the Social Economy Division of Eunpyeong-gu Office from the 21st to the 28th. For further inquiries, check the district website or contact the Social Economy Division of Eunpyeong-gu Office.

An Eunpyeong-gu official said, “We hope that many quality companies in various fields will be recruited so that youth can demonstrate their job competencies in desired jobs and become economic actors, allowing youth and the local community to grow together.”

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