Gwanak-gu Invests 119.1 Billion Won in Projects for Childbirth and Childcare... Yangcheon-gu Provides 15.9 Billion Won in Educational Expense Subsidies

[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Invests 119.1 Billion KRW, 5.2% Increase from Last Year, Promotes 79 Projects in 3 Major Areas with Focus on Practical Changes... Yangcheon-gu Supports Free Meals from Kindergarten to High School, Provides Entrance Preparation Funds and Early Education Expense Subsidies, Builds VR Sports Room, Supports Digital Tutors... Gangseo-gu Operates 'Sejong Uri Dongne Gangseo-gu Orchestra'
... Dongjak-gu Implements Youth Tomorrow Savings Program with 82% Employment Retention Rate Last Year... Geumcheon

Siblings happily playing at Cheongnyongsan in Gwanak-gu

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is establishing and actively implementing the ‘Low Birthrate Response Implementation Plan’ under the vision of ‘Gwanak-gu, a good place to have and raise children’ to address the issues of the decreasing number of newborns and the continuous decline in birth rates.

According to the 4th Basic Plan for Low Birthrate and Aging Society, the district plans to invest a total of 119.1 billion KRW (a 5.2% increase from the previous year) in 79 projects across three areas: ▲Creating a society where people work and care together ▲Creating a society where everyone’s capabilities are evenly demonstrated ▲Adapting to changes in population structure, focusing all efforts on overcoming low birthrate.

In particular, the current low birthrate phenomenon is recognized as a complex social issue that cannot be resolved by addressing only one area, so efforts will be made to discover policies from various fields with a balanced perspective.

First, 112.8 billion KRW will be concentrated in the area of ‘Creating a society where people work and care together.’ This includes 60 projects such as the first-time meeting voucher and infant allowance, which are focused investments in infancy starting this year, expansion of public daycare centers, operation of comprehensive childcare support centers, and operation of the Gwanak-type Mother Center ‘I-rang.’ The plan is to actively promote a tightly woven support network from pregnancy to childbirth and child-rearing.

In the area of ‘Creating a society where everyone’s capabilities are evenly demonstrated,’ 1.7 billion KRW will be invested to accelerate youth jobs and employment capacity enhancement, support for the ‘Excellent Gwanak Youth Account,’ and job creation for women to maintain their careers.

Finally, in the area of ‘Adapting to changes in population structure,’ a total project budget of 4.6 billion KRW will be used to expand welfare and care so that diverse families such as multicultural, single-parent, and disabled families are not discriminated against. Focus will be placed on intergenerational exchange and communication and strengthening social safety nets through the operation of the Gwanak Family Happiness Center opened last year, women’s safety networks, and protection of at-risk youth.

An official from the district said, “Like the African proverb that it takes a whole village to raise a child, we will continue to do our best to build various infrastructures and discover policies to make Gwanak-gu a good place to have and raise children.”

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) will concentrate 15.99 billion KRW in educational expense subsidies to create an educational environment that matches the times and strengthen public education competitiveness.

First, in early February, Yangcheon-gu expedited the support process for educational institutions wishing for early payment and promptly provided educational expense subsidies.

This is about a month earlier than the previous schedule of payment in March for the new semester, actively reflecting the voices from the field requesting early payment to practically assist in the annual curriculum organization.

This year, the district has allocated a total of 15.990365 billion KRW for 27 projects across five areas, an increase of about 550 million KRW compared to last year.

By sector, the budget includes ▲101.73 billion KRW for free meals extended to kindergartens ▲765.64 million KRW for entrance preparation funds for new elementary, middle, and high school students ▲3.048 billion KRW for school public projects such as facility environment improvements and after-school program support for kindergartens and schools ▲478.82 million KRW for common school support projects such as care education support and one school one cultural activity ▲927.9 million KRW for matching projects such as virtual reality sports rooms and EduTech self-directed learning rooms ▲447 million KRW for innovation projects including cultural arts, creative experiences, and traditional games ▲150 million KRW reserved for emergency projects such as safety accident prevention.

Especially, from this year, the support for free meal costs has been expanded to include kindergarten students, so children from kindergartens to high schools in Yangcheon-gu will receive safe and quality meals free of charge.

Also, the target for entrance preparation funds has been expanded to include first-grade elementary school students, with 200,000 KRW support for elementary school entrants and 300,000 KRW for middle and high school entrants.

A ‘Virtual Reality Sports Room’ will also be created where children can enjoy physical activities regardless of weather conditions such as fine dust and heat waves. Selected through a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism contest, the virtual reality sports room will be established at one elementary school in the area (Jihyang Elementary School) with a budget of 70 million KRW (35 million KRW from the district and 35 million KRW from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation fund).

Additionally, 600 million KRW from the district budget will be provided to one middle school in the area (Yangseo Middle School) to operate the ‘Daga-chi School’ lifelong learning program and create a village-linked youth autonomous learning center.

Furthermore, to proactively prepare for the high school credit system to be implemented from 2025, the district will gradually create ‘EduTech self-directed learning rooms,’ smart learning spaces, in all local high schools over three years starting this year. The schools selected for support this year, each receiving a budget of 30 million KRW, are ▲Geumok Girls’ High School ▲Mokdong High School ▲Sinmok High School ▲Yangcheon High School ▲Jinmyeong Girls’ High School.

Since the introduction of smart device-assisted learning from the 2022 middle school first-grade curriculum, ‘Digital Tutors’ will be supported in all middle schools in the area. Selected digital tutors will be dispatched to schools to strengthen students’ smart learning capabilities.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “Through proactive support of educational expense subsidies, we aim to flexibly respond to the rapidly changing educational environment and lay the foundation for nurturing future talents,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to become an educational happiness city without blind spots based on a universal education welfare system.”

A place for music education and experience for future dream trees will open.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) announced that it will operate the ‘Sejong Our Neighborhood Gangseo-gu Orchestra,’ a high-quality cultural arts education program for children.

‘Sejong Our Neighborhood Gangseo-gu Orchestra’ is an arts education project jointly operated by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and Gangseo-gu. This project is designed to support children’s emotional stability and hobbies through arts education and help them grow into capable members of society by learning consideration and communication.

First, the district will recruit members for the ‘Sejong Our Neighborhood Gangseo-gu Orchestra’ targeting 4th to 6th-grade elementary school students in the area until March 4.

The recruitment includes 12 violinists and 6 cellists, totaling 18 members, with priority given to socially vulnerable students. Students who are learning instruments for the first time can also apply, and participation is free of charge.

Students wishing to participate should submit application documents by March 4 via email to the person in charge or visit the Gangseo-gu Culture and Sports Division.

Detailed information and application forms can be found on the ‘Gangseo-gu website - Gangseo News - Notices/News.’

The district plans to announce the final successful candidates on March 11 (Friday) after document screening and interviews.

Selected participants will receive regular education for 2 hours every Wednesday from March 14 for a total of 36 sessions. The education will cover music theory, instrument playing techniques, and orchestra performance experience.

In October, a recital will be held at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts where the members will showcase the skills they have honed through education. A district official said, “Learning and completing music together will be a great asset for students’ growth,” adding, “As this is a great opportunity to develop new talents and build friendships, we hope many interested students will participate.”

◆Personnel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul ▲Audit Officer Kim Yong-hwan ▲Construction Management Division Chief Yoon Sung-shin ▲Gonghang-dong Chief Woo Jin-han ▲Urban Regeneration Division Chief Hyun Seok-dong ▲Health Administration Division Chief Baek Jin-gi ▲Sanitation Management Division Chief Choi Soon-hyang ▲Ujangsan-dong Chief Jang Joo-min ▲Balsan 1-dong Chief Kim Dong-yeon ▲Banghwa 3-dong Chief Han Eung-ho ▲Administrative Management Bureau Hwang Mi-yeon

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) will implement the ‘2022 Dongjak-gu Youth Tomorrow Filling Deduction (hereafter, Filling Deduction)’ this year to expand regular employment of youth in the region.

The Filling Deduction is a system that provides hiring incentives to small and medium-sized enterprises located in Dongjak-gu when they hire local youth and provides retention support funds to young workers. It was established to resolve labor shortages faced by companies due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and to encourage youth employment and long-term retention.

Last year, the district also implemented the Filling Deduction, supporting 10 companies and 11 youths with a total of 29.75 million KRW. Among the 11 employed youths, 9 maintained long-term employment (employment retention rate of 82%).

The Filling Deduction targets small and medium-sized enterprises in the region that have not subscribed to the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Youth Tomorrow Filling Deduction and youths aged 15 to 34 residing in Dongjak-gu (up to 39 for those who have completed military service). *Born between January 1, 1987, and December 31, 2006.

Companies or youths wishing to apply should visit the Job Policy Division (161 Jangseungbaegi-ro, Dongjak-gu) within six months of the regular employment date with the application form and supporting documents or submit them by mail or email to the person in charge.

Companies applying for the Filling Deduction can receive a hiring incentive of 2 million KRW, and youths can receive retention support funds of 1 million KRW, paid in installments. The support funds are provided after verifying eligibility at 1, 6, and 12 months from the hiring date.

The application deadline is until the budget is exhausted. For more details, contact the Job Policy Division.

Jeon Hye-young, head of the Job Policy Division, said, “Through this project, we hope to help local small and medium-sized enterprises struggling with labor shortages due to COVID-19 and revitalize the local economy through youth employment stability,” adding, “We encourage interested companies and youths to participate.”

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) has introduced Seoul’s first ‘Smart Management Service for Electric Vehicle Charging Zones’ to completely block illegal parking in electric vehicle-only charging zones and guarantee charging rights for electric vehicles.

For pilot operation, Geumcheon-gu invested 40 million KRW secured from the ‘Citizen Experience IoT Pilot Project’ contest hosted by Seoul City last year to build the system in four locations: Geumcheon-gu Office parking lot and public parking lots (Siheung 4-dong, Multipurpose, Doksan 4-dong), covering 10 electric vehicle charging spots.

The ‘Smart Management Service for Electric Vehicle Charging Zones’ uses IoT sensors to recognize the license plates of vehicles entering electric vehicle-only parking zones. If the vehicle is not registered as an electric vehicle, the system activates a warning light and voice guidance to encourage the non-electric vehicle to voluntarily move.

Additionally, the system allows checking photographic information of illegally parked vehicles, enabling fines to be imposed based on this evidence. Geumcheon-gu has set a guidance period for cracking down on illegal parking and charging obstruction in electric vehicle charging zones until July 31.

During the first month of monitoring the electric vehicle charging zones (December 2021), about 80% of non-electric vehicles (425 out of 530 cases) left within 5 minutes after receiving warning lights and voice guidance, confirming the effectiveness of the guidance. After sufficient monitoring of the pilot operation results, the district plans to expand installation annually based on operational performance.

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “This ‘Smart Management Service for Electric Vehicle Charging Zones’ will guarantee charging zones for electric vehicle drivers and greatly help establish a proper parking culture,” adding, “We will continue to discover and expand smart city services so that all residents can enjoy convenience together and make Geumcheon a ‘Smart City.’”

Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) will support participation fees for companies participating in the overseas branch project.

Guro-gu announced on the 21st, “Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, local companies are facing difficulties in pioneering overseas markets. To address this, we will support companies participating in the overseas branch project conducted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).”

The ‘Overseas Branch Project’ is a program where KOTRA’s overseas trade offices act as local branches on behalf of small and medium-sized enterprises that find independent overseas expansion difficult, supporting exports.

It helps with export contracts, participation in exhibitions and consultations, brand promotion, establishment of local corporations, and provides warehouse and logistics consulting through shared logistics centers.

This year, Guro-gu will select about 10 local companies participating in KOTRA’s overseas branch project and support 50% of the participation fee (up to 1.5 million KRW). Support is available once per company per year for one trade office.

Companies that participated in 2021 or withdrew midway, companies that received support from other institutions for the same trade office, and companies with national or local tax arrears are excluded.

Companies wishing to participate should prepare business registration certificates, application forms, company introductions, etc., and visit the district’s Regional Economy Division or apply by mail. The program may close early if the budget is exhausted. Detailed information is available on the district office website.

A Guro-gu official said, “We hope this participation fee support for the overseas branch project will help companies struggling with exports,” adding, “We will continue to support local small and medium-sized enterprises’ overseas expansion and exports through various policies.”

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