Seoul City to Provide 200,000 KRW Monthly Support for 3 Years for New 'Environmental Improvement Facilities' in Restaurants

No Installation Fee with Rental Method, Only Maintenance Costs... No Subsidy Return Even if Business Closes Early, Reducing Burden on Entrepreneurs; Applications Accepted from 2nd at Local District Environmental Departments, Support Recipients Selected After April

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 2nd that it will support 200,000 KRW per month for three years to cover maintenance costs of environmental improvement facilities for businesses generating residential area odors, such as general workplaces, to reduce living odors this year.

The environmental improvement facility support project is an annual initiative by the city to effectively reduce the increasing living odors in residential areas by supporting small businesses struggling to install odor reduction facilities. Although complaints about living odors from places like restaurants have more than doubled over the past five years, installation of environmental improvement facilities has been difficult due to the conditions of small businesses.

Starting this year, the subsidy method has been improved by supporting maintenance costs for the first three years after installation. This rental method requires no installation fee, only maintenance fees, and eliminates the mandatory usage period, solving the problem of refunding installation fees due to early business closure. Of the 300,000 KRW monthly maintenance cost, 200,000 KRW is supported by the city, and business owners pay a deposit of 1,000,000 KRW and about 100,000 KRW monthly.

Businesses wishing to install the facilities can submit applications and required documents in person to the environmental department of their respective district office starting March 2. The district office reviews the necessity of installation and recommends candidates for support, and the city selects and announces recipients through a selection committee that evaluates the expected odor reduction effects. After installing the environmental improvement facilities and applying for the subsidy, Seoul City verifies the installation and maintenance before disbursing the subsidy.

Seoul City plans to ensure the installed reduction facilities operate safely and efficiently through continuous maintenance by the Seoul Green Environment Support Center. Once installation is complete, the environmental home doctor from the Seoul Green Environment Support Center will conduct on-site inspections to check the proper installation and operation of the reduction facilities and provide technical support for efficient operation.

Yoon Jae-sam, Director of the Environmental Policy Division, said, “This year, by improving the subsidy method to maintenance fee payment, we have reduced the burden on business owners, such as the issue of refunding installation fees due to early closure,” and added, “We ask for much interest and applications for Seoul City’s environmental improvement support project.”

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