Mapo-gu Dispatches Professional Housekeepers for Families with Three or More Children... First Among Seoul's Autonomous Districts

[Seoul District News] Mapo-gu Accepts Applications Until the 31st, Service Available Up to 4 Times a Month (Once a Week) for 4 Hours a Day with 5,000 Won Co-Payment; Kitchen Cleaning, Bathroom Cleaning, Laundry Services Provided... Gangnam-gu Supports Low-Income Households with Cleaning, Disinfection, and Home Repair 'Home Care Service'... Gwanak-gu Recruiting Participants for Seoul-Style Clothing Manufacturing Workplace Environment Improvement Project... Dongjak-gu Implements 'Construction Site Waste Disposal Reporting System'... Guro-gu Provides 500,000 Won Emergency Living Expenses for Special Employment and Freelancers... Yeongdeungpo-gu Supports Small Business Social Safety...

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) will support a service dispatching professional housekeepers to families with three or more children starting in April to reduce childcare burdens.

The district added that it is the first in Seoul to implement a housekeeping service support project for families with three or more children to encourage childbirth.

The housekeeping service can be used up to 4 hours per day, once a week, and up to 4 times a month, providing ▲kitchen cleaning ▲bathroom cleaning ▲laundry services, excluding ▲use of fire including cooking ▲childcare ▲pet care.

The usage fee is 55,000 KRW per use, with Mapo-gu covering 50,000 KRW and users paying only 5,000 KRW.

Applicants must be families raising three or more children under 8 years old, with a household income below 100% of the median income (6,025,000 KRW per month for a family of five), and must have been registered residents of Mapo-gu for more than six months as of the application date.

The application period is from March 22 to March 31. Applications can be submitted by visiting the Women and Family Division on the 11th floor of Mapo-gu Office in person or by mail or email with the application form and health insurance payment confirmation for each subscriber. However, eligibility must be maintained until the end of the housekeeping service project from the start date of application. Selection may be canceled if disqualifications are found after notification, and duplicate support with other government housekeeping services is not allowed.

For more details, visit the Mapo-gu Office website under the ‘Notices and Announcements’ section and check ‘2022 Housekeeping Service Support Project for Families with Three or More Children’.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “It is the duty of government institutions to provide appropriate childcare services when citizens give birth,” adding, “We hope this housekeeping support service will alleviate the burden on multi-child families and improve the birth rate.”

Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) will start the ‘2022 Home Care Service’ from April, adding small-scale home repairs to the cleaning and disinfection services introduced last year to improve the living environment of low-income households.

Gangnam-gu will provide monthly cleaning and disinfection once a month until November for low-income elderly living alone, severely disabled persons, and single-parent families, and special cleaning once per household until June for ‘hoarding disorder households.’ Additionally, this year, small-scale home repairs such as replacing damaged wallpaper, flooring, window screens, faucets, and adjusting sink height will be supported.

Last year, Gangnam-gu conducted general cleaning once a month for 129 low-income elderly living alone and severely disabled households, disinfection for 312 households, and special cleaning for 25 households with hoarding disorder or depression that left trash inside, receiving great response.

The project targets basic livelihood security recipients residing in Gangnam-gu, including elderly living alone, disabled persons, severely ill patients, and near-poverty groups. Inquiries can be made at the local community service center or the Social Welfare Division of the district office.

Mayor Jung Soon-gyun said, “We provided home cleaning services last year for those who cannot perform simple cleaning due to physical or economic difficulties, and this year we will offer home care services including small-scale home repairs,” adding, “We will continue to strive to create a ‘Dignified Gangnam where everyone enjoys health and happiness without discrimination.”

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is recruiting participating companies for the ‘2022 Seoul-type Garment Manufacturing Workplace Environment Improvement Support Project’ until the 31st.

The ‘Seoul-type Garment Manufacturing Workplace Environment Improvement Support Project’ supports garment manufacturing companies working in harsh environments exposed to dust, poor ventilation, and other harmful substances by providing equipment and materials to improve their work environment.

Selected companies will be prioritized for support such as installing fire extinguishers, fire detectors, leakage breakers, and wiring boxes to eliminate hazards, as well as items to improve the work environment like ducts, suction devices, air purifiers, heating and cooling devices, and items to enhance work efficiency such as vacuum dies, cutting tables, and pressing machines.

Eligible applicants are small-scale manufacturers registered in Gwanak-gu with fewer than 10 regular employees. The district plans to select up to 40 companies and provide support up to 8 million KRW.

Interested companies can check application documents on the Gwanak-gu Office website (News & Notices → Announcements) and submit applications by email, visit, or mail to the Regional Commercial Revitalization Division by the 31st.

The district will conduct on-site surveys and review by the Seoul City subsidy review committee to select final supported companies by the end of May.

Meanwhile, in February, the district opened and operates the ‘Gwanak-gu Small-scale Garment Manufacturing Collaboration Center,’ a shared infrastructure facility in the urban-type small-scale manufacturing cluster area of Sinsa, Jowon, and Miseong-dong, where garment manufacturing small businesses are concentrated.

The center includes ▲cutting room and CAD room ▲education room and pattern room ▲shared workshop, equipped with special equipment such as cutting machines, pattern CAD, and sewing machines, which require high initial investment or are difficult for general small manufacturers to operate.

It also supports various programs for local small manufacturers, including shared workshop use, capacity-building education, consulting, network building within the cluster, joint brand and product development, and market expansion, serving as a strong support for garment manufacturing small businesses working in harsh environments.

A district official said, “Through this support project, we hope to improve the harsh working environment of garment manufacturing small businesses in the region, enabling them to work in a safe and comfortable environment, improving work efficiency and productivity,” adding, “We will continue to implement various support policies to strengthen the self-reliance and competitiveness of garment manufacturing small businesses.”

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) will implement the ‘Construction Site Household Waste Disposal Reporting System’ as part of measures to strengthen household waste management.

According to the Ministry of Environment’s ‘Resource Circulation Policy Paradigm Shift Plan,’ from this year, construction site household waste will only be accepted if residuals are separated and sorted at public sorting centers or entrusted companies.

Previously, household waste under 5 tons generated from small-scale construction sites could be disposed of using ‘Construction Site Household Waste Volume-based Bags’ without separate reporting, leading to frequent cases of mixed waste disposal, and most waste was inevitably treated by landfill or incineration.

Accordingly, the district will start the ‘Construction Site Household Waste Disposal Reporting System’ from April 11 to actively reduce waste.

The reporting target is construction site household waste between 10 or more 20-liter special bags and less than 5 tons. Disposal is only allowed after reporting ▲items ▲disposal volume ▲transportation method 1 to 3 days before the scheduled disposal date.

Reporting can be done through the ‘Construction Site Household Waste Disposal System’ newly established on the district website next month, and during the pilot operation period, written applications can also be submitted by visiting the district office.

The district plans to transparently track and manage the entire waste disposal process through this system, promote separation by waste type, and minimize direct landfill of combustible waste.

For detailed information about the system implementation, contact the Cleaning Administration Division.

The district will sign agreements with 17 intermediate waste treatment companies and temporary storage sites in Seoul to ensure smooth implementation of the reporting system. It also plans to revise related ordinances in the first half of the year to establish legal grounds for waste separation by type and reporting obligations.

Choi Seung-baek, head of the Cleaning Administration Division, said, “The introduction of the reporting system is expected to greatly help reduce the amount of waste sent to the metropolitan landfill,” adding, “We will make every effort to promote the reporting obligation through illegal dumping patrol officers to prevent confusion during the initial implementation.”

Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) will provide emergency living expenses of 500,000 KRW to special employment and freelancers facing economic difficulties due to COVID-19.

Eligible recipients are special employment and freelancers whose registered address is in Seoul as of the announcement date (March 25, 2022) and who have received the 5th emergency employment stabilization subsidy from the government (Ministry of Employment and Labor) this year.

Those in nine occupations such as insurance planners and delivery workers whose employment or income has recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels are excluded.

Applications can be made by registering a resident registration transcript and the 5th subsidy deposit statement on the ‘Seoul Special Employment and Freelancer Emergency Living Expense Application Site’ if they have received government support from the 1st to 5th rounds.

The application period is from March 28 to April 22, with a 5-day five-day rotation system during the first five days, requiring applicants to apply according to the last digit of their birth year.

For those who find online application difficult, on-site applications will be accepted from April 11 to 12 by visiting the multipurpose room on the 4th floor of the Guro-gu Office main building with the required documents.

Special employment and freelancers who are applying for the 5th emergency employment stabilization subsidy for the first time (not receiving 1st to 4th subsidies) will be separately notified of the application period and method in May after the subsidy payment is completed.

For detailed information on eligibility and payment schedules, contact the Seoul Special Employment and Freelancer Emergency Living Expense Support Review and Counseling Center or the Guro-gu Office Job Support Division, or check the district office website.

The application period for the Seoul ‘Tenant Small Business Keeper Fund’ support project has been extended.

The ‘Tenant Small Business Keeper Fund’ project supports small business owners operating leased business sites in Seoul with annual sales under 200 million KRW in 2020 or 2021 by providing 1 million KRW.

The application deadline has been extended to March 31, and the objection period has been extended to April 8.

Those wishing to apply can visit the Seoul Keeper Fund internet website by the 31st. A Guro-gu official said, “We hope this will help residents struggling due to COVID-19 even a little,” adding, “Please be sure to apply within the period.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) supports the ‘Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid Hope Incentive’ to stabilize small business owners’ management and expand social safety nets.

The Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid is a public mutual aid system operated and managed by the Korea Federation of SMEs to prepare for closure, old age, death, etc., of small and micro enterprises. The mutual aid funds are protected from seizure, transfer, or collateral, guaranteeing legal entitlement, allowing subscribers to stabilize their lives from livelihood threats and find opportunities to restart their businesses.

The district promoted the ‘Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid Hope Incentive Support Project’ last year, the first among Seoul’s autonomous districts, to encourage local small business owners to join the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid. Thanks to the incentive support, the average monthly number of Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid subscribers in Yeongdeungpo-gu increased by 17.5% compared to the beginning of last year.

This year, the eligibility for the hope incentive support has been expanded from annual sales of 200 million KRW or less to 300 million KRW or less, allowing more small business owners to benefit.

The support targets small business owners in the district with annual sales of 300 million KRW or less who newly joined the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid after January this year. When paying monthly mutual aid contributions, an additional 10,000 KRW per month will be credited for one year, up to a maximum of 120,000 KRW. The incentive support is provided until the budget is exhausted.

Applications can be made together when joining the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid or by submitting the incentive application form and sales proof documents within 30 days from the mutual aid subscription date.

The Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid can be applied for by visiting commercial banks or the Yellow Umbrella website. New subscriptions can be made in increments of 10,000 KRW from 50,000 to 1,000,000 KRW per month, with an annual maximum income deduction of 5 million KRW.

For more information about the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid, contact the Korea Federation of SMEs Yellow Umbrella Call Center.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “We hope the hope incentive support project will promote small business owners’ subscription to the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid, helping them overcome crises within a solid social safety net,” adding, “We will seek various practical support measures for small business owners facing difficulties such as sales decline due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.”

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