Gwanak-gu Establishes Comprehensive Support Plan for Small Businesses... Yongsan-gu Focuses on Revitalizing Historical and Cultural Renaissance District

[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu's 5-Year Plan for Alley Market Development 'Gwanak-gu Alley Market Master Plan' Provides Systematic and Substantial Support... Yongsan-gu Holds Historical and Cultural Renaissance Special Zone Operation Committee Meeting to Review Progress of Four Specialized Projects and Discuss Infrastructure Expansion... Geumcheon-gu Provides 500,000 KRW Support for Closed Small Business Owners in 2022... Jung-gu Alley Shopping District 'Spring Customer Appreciation Event'... Seodaemun-gu and Ministry of Health and Welfare Sign MOU for 'Family Care Youth' Pilot Support Project... Gangdong-gu Holds Face-to-Face Circular Resource Meeting with Supermoa

Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, visiting the Artterior business site in Sinsa-dong, Gwanak-gu, painting a mural

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is making every effort to implement a comprehensive plan to support small business owners and local shopping districts, which are the foundation of the regional economy.

The district will invest a total of 9.9 billion KRW to promote 19 projects in three areas: recovery support and competitiveness enhancement for small business owners, revitalization of local shopping districts, and support for small business owners' entry into the online market.

First, following last year, this year the district will continue efforts to support small business owners' recovery and competitiveness by providing loans from the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund, support for small business owners who closed due to business suspension or restrictions, support for benevolent landlords, and issuing Gwanak Love Gift Certificates (mobile).

Additionally, the ‘Gwanak-gu Small Manufacturer Clothing Sewing Collaboration Center,’ which opened on the 24th of last month, will be operated in full swing to strengthen the capabilities and competitiveness of small manufacturers, and through public projects, support will be provided to improve the working environment of clothing manufacturers and promote collaborative projects.

The local shopping district revitalization project will also continue. In particular, this year, the district has established the ‘Gwanak-gu Local Shopping District Master Plan,’ a five-year plan for the development of local shopping districts, and plans to provide more systematic and substantial support in line with the comprehensive plan for small business owners.

To strengthen commercial district capabilities, a win-win cooperation network between merchants and residents will be formed, merchant universities will be operated, and merchant study groups (clubs) activities will be supported to discover and nurture key stores that will lead commercial district development.

Along with store environment improvements, activity funds will be provided to local artists to continue the Artterior project, which has received great response from merchants and residents every year. Applications for the project will be accepted until March 15.

The district secured a total budget of 3 billion KRW by having Nangok-dong selected for Seoul City's ‘Living Commercial District Development Project’ until 2023. Last year, Haengun-dong and Daehak-dong were additionally selected for the ‘2nd Phase Development Project,’ and will receive a budget of up to 1.5 to 2 billion KRW per project site over the next three years.

As the district will implement the living commercial district project in the largest number of areas among Seoul's autonomous districts, it plans to transform neighborhood commercial districts, which are disappearing due to intensified competition from large corporations, franchises, and online markets, into living stores frequently used by local residents, thereby revitalizing the alley economy.

In addition, in line with the trend of increasing non-face-to-face services and online shopping after COVID-19, the district plans to create a sustainable future for small business owners by supporting their digital transformation through first-step support for online markets, SNS promotional content support, and support for entry into online open markets.

A district official said, “Based on the comprehensive plan, we will provide more detailed support to small business owners and local shopping districts to offer practical help to small business owners who have suffered difficulties due to the spread of COVID-19.”

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) held the ‘Yongsan Historical and Cultural Renaissance Special Zone Operation Committee’ on the 3rd. This was the first meeting to revitalize the special zone.

Based on the Yongsan-gu Historical and Cultural Renaissance Special Zone Operation Ordinance enacted last November, the committee was formed with a total of 13 members: the vice mayor as chairman, 8 internal members, and 5 external members.

Eleven operation committee members attended the meeting to review the progress of the four major specialized projects, including the establishment of an urban historical hub, discuss plans for this year, and ways to expand infrastructure for revitalizing the special zone.

Of the 26 unit projects under the four major specialized projects, 25 are progressing smoothly except for one. The project not implemented was the 2021 Itaewon Global Festival, which was canceled due to COVID-19.

A district official said, “The Yongsan History Museum is scheduled to open on the 23rd, which will enhance the completeness of the urban historical hub project.”

The district plans to accelerate the implementation of specialized projects this year and also form and operate a ‘Specialized Project Promotion Working Council.’ The council, composed of public and private specialized project practitioners, will hold regular meetings and convene as needed to ensure the success of the projects.

The Yongsan Historical and Cultural Renaissance Special Zone was designated as a regional specialized development zone by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in April 2021. It covers 181 parcels including Hangangno 3-ga 65-154, totaling 577,866.7㎡, about one-third of the district's area (21,870,000㎡).

The district will invest 51 billion KRW in the special zone projects by 2024. Related projects can receive regulatory exemptions under five laws including the Road Traffic Act, Road Act, and Building Act. The specialized projects are expected to generate 66.2 billion KRW in production inducement effects, 9.4 billion KRW in income inducement effects, and create 431 jobs.

Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “Within one year of designation, we have established substantial external infrastructure. We will mobilize all local resources to enhance the brand value of Yongsan as a historical and cultural city.”

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced that it will provide 500,000 KRW in support funds to small business owners who closed due to business suspension or restrictions caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Geumcheon-gu conducted a similar support project last year for small business owners who closed, but due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, it decided to continue the project this year.

The support target is small business owners who operated for more than 90 days and closed after March 22, 2020. However, businesses that received closure support funds in 2021 are excluded.

Small business owners wishing to apply can visit the Geumcheon-gu Office 11th floor Regional Economy Division or apply by fax or email starting March 7 by filling out the required documents posted on the Geumcheon-gu website under ‘Notices & Announcements.’ The application may close early if the budget is exhausted.

Geumcheon-gu Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, “Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, small business owners are facing many difficulties, so we decided to continue the project this year as well. We hope this support will be a small comfort and a stepping stone for those who had to make the difficult decision to close their businesses.” For more details, inquiries can be made to the Geumcheon-gu Alley Economy Support Center.

Jung-gu (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) announced on the 7th that it will hold the ‘Spring Customer Appreciation Event for Alley-type Shopping Districts’ to revitalize the stagnant local shopping districts.

Organized by the Sindang Future Heritage Food Merchants Association, this event was prepared to breathe new life into alley-type shopping districts, which have faced the risk of closure due to prolonged social distancing and a drop in customer visits, and to revive the weakened consumer sentiment.

The event will be held sequentially in three local shopping districts designated as alley-type shopping districts within the region. The first event will be held at Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town (Sindang-dong Future Heritage Food Shopping District), designated as Jung-gu’s first alley-type shopping district in September last year.

From March 11 to 20, the ‘Sindang Nol-dang Meok-dang Thank You Event’ at Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town will offer generous prizes and various events such as Onnuri Gift Certificates (5,000 KRW) and shopping bags for customers, instant lottery draws, Cyworld mini homepage background photo zones, and sharing events for vulnerable groups. On the 12th, the small business owners’ cable broadcast ‘Wonderful My Hometown’ will visit the site to introduce restaurants, hold a merchant singing contest, and feature invited singer busking performances, providing abundant entertainment.

On the first day of the event, the ‘Safe Disinfection Team’ composed of Sindang-dong merchant members will be launched. The team plans to continuously conduct regular disinfection throughout the shopping district so that merchants and visitors can use the stores with peace of mind.

During the event, visitors to Sindang-dong Food Town who post a certification photo on Instagram or other SNS with hashtags #SindangdongFutureHeritage #SindangdongRestaurants #TteokbokkiRestaurants #JungguRestaurants will be entered into a draw to receive mobile Onnuri Gift Certificates.

Following this, from the 14th for five days, a customer appreciation event will be held at Donghwa-dong alley-type shopping district. Since the area is densely populated with apartment complexes, the purchase gifts will be daily necessities such as wet wipes, kitchen detergent, and fabric softener, tailored to the characteristics of the shopping district. The Donghwa-dong Merchants Association announced that part of the sales proceeds from this event will be donated to vulnerable groups.

The final event will be held on the 26th at Yaksu Market, a traditional market that has firmly maintained its position in the region. Customers can receive Onnuri Gift Certificates and shopping bags as gifts depending on their purchase amount. A roulette event offering a 3,000 KRW seasoned seaweed set as a prize is open to all participants.

Yaksu Market was designated as Jung-gu’s fifth alley-type shopping district earlier this month, following Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town and the Donghwa-dong, Pildong, and Chungmuro alley-type shopping districts. Yaksu Market covers an area of 15,098㎡ with 231 stores, making it the largest alley-type shopping district in the region. With this designation, benefits such as Onnuri Gift Certificate affiliation and promotional and marketing support are expected to increase for residents and merchants.

Jung-gu Mayor Seo Yang-ho said, “Through this event, we hope to promote the newly reborn local shopping districts and provide an opportunity for the commercial districts, which had been stagnant due to Omicron and other factors, to recover. We will do our best to help the local shopping districts regain vitality through continuous support.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) announced on the 7th that it recently signed a business agreement with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Kwon Deok-cheol) regarding the ‘Pilot Project for Supporting Young Family Caregivers and the Operation of a Policy Council for This Purpose.’

This agreement was promoted as part of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ‘Plan to Establish Support Measures for Young Family Caregivers (Young Carers),’ announced at the 6th Youth Policy Coordination Committee (Chairman: Prime Minister) on February 14, to strengthen the responsibilities of the state and local governments for young people who face difficulties while caring for family members.

Seodaemun-gu, which has been proactively leading the definition, survey, and support for ‘young family caregivers’ at the local government level, will collaborate with the Ministry of Health and Welfare through this agreement to conduct surveys and pilot projects to concretize support models for young family caregivers.

First, the district will closely cooperate with the Western Education Support Office and local middle and high schools to improve the accuracy of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s survey scheduled for the end of this month.

Then, the two organizations will provide customized support linked to existing welfare systems for the ‘young family caregivers’ identified through the survey.

Additionally, they will operate services such as connecting village lawyers to support administrative and legal tasks for young family caregivers, home-visit housekeeping and nursing services for caregiving support, and elderly customized care services.

To ensure smooth implementation of these projects, the district and the Ministry of Health and Welfare will form a policy council. Through this, they will closely cooperate to provide practical support to young family caregivers and analyze and evaluate the pilot project outcomes.

The cooperation period under the agreement is one year, with the possibility of extension being reviewed in the future.

Seodaemun-gu will also establish a detailed support management system by implementing its own projects such as ‘discharge patient linkage’ through cooperation with local hospitals, comprehensive welfare counseling based on the ‘Health and Welfare Integrated Service Counseling Manual,’ emergency support for medical and living expenses, emotional stability support to alleviate the emotional isolation of young carers, and enacting the ‘Seodaemun-gu Ordinance on Young Family Caregivers.’

At the signing ceremony held on the 3rd in the district office’s main conference room, Yang Sung-il, 1st Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said, “I hope this collaboration with Seodaemun-gu will be an opportunity for the state and local governments to share the heavy burden of young family caregivers who are in welfare blind spots.”

Mayor Moon Seok-jin said, “We will actively develop and implement various policies for young carers not only by closely cooperating with the Ministry of Health and Welfare but also through our own initiatives so that young people do not have to give up their future to care for their families.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) announced on the 4th that it signed a business agreement with Superbin for the face-to-face collection project of recyclable resources called ‘Super Moa’ at the Gangdong-gu Office 5th-floor auditorium.

The face-to-face collection project for recyclable resources is a project to expand the recycling of valuable resources by collecting large volumes of transparent PET bottles, which are easy to collect and bulky. At the signing ceremony, both organizations agreed to establish a resource circulation system for efficient recycling of waste resources and reduction of carbon emissions.

According to the agreement, Gangdong-gu will provide transparent PET bottles, and Superbin will actively operate fixed and mobile face-to-face resource collection channels, establish a reward system for participants in recyclable resource separation and collection, and promote and educate on resource circulation campaigns.

Using big data from the AI recycling unmanned collection machine (Nephron), the project will prioritize face-to-face collection of transparent PET bottles in areas vulnerable to separation and collection, and plans to expand the project to fixed non-face-to-face resource collection channels in the future.

The district expects that the face-to-face collection project will help establish a proper separation culture in line with the Ministry of Environment’s expansion of the ‘Transparent PET Bottle Separation Day System’ to general residential areas.

Also, by increasing resident participation through monetary rewards, the project is expected to reduce waste emissions of bulky transparent PET bottles and contribute to revitalizing senior citizen jobs by providing points convertible to cash to participants in separation and collection.

Gangdong-gu Mayor Lee Jung-hoon said, “We expect this face-to-face collection project agreement to contribute to realizing a carbon-neutral society. We ask for residents’ interest and active participation, and the district will continue to do its best to create an environment for resource circulation.”

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