Songpa-gu Selected as an Excellent Institution in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Disaster Management Evaluation

[Seoul District News] Songpa-gu, the only Seoul district selected as an 'Excellent Institution' for 5 consecutive years... Eunpyeong-gu, public-private-academic talent development in construction sector... Eunpyeong-gu, Sinjin Science and Technology High School, and 10 construction companies in the metropolitan area sign 'Public-Private-Academic Talent Development Agreement'... Nowon-gu selects Book of the Year through resident voting

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Seogang-seok) was selected as an excellent institution for five consecutive years, ranking in the top 10% among all evaluated institutions in the ‘2022 Disaster Management Evaluation’ hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and was the only autonomous district in Seoul to achieve this distinction.

The Disaster Management Evaluation, conducted since 2005 in accordance with Article 33-2 of the Framework Act on Disaster and Safety Management, serves to diagnose and improve the disaster management capabilities of responsible agencies and to enhance the national level of disaster management.

This year’s evaluation was conducted on a total of 335 institutions (29 central government ministries, 63 public institutions, and 243 local governments). The Central Disaster Evaluation Team, together with private experts, comprehensively assessed 45 indicators based on the 2021 performance, including management status at each disaster management stage and management activities by disaster type.

In particular, Songpa-gu secured excellent grades in most areas such as ▲expansion of financial investment plans in disaster safety, ▲management performance of disaster management funds, ▲implementation of comprehensive earthquake disaster prevention measures, ▲efforts to establish public-private cooperation systems, ▲maintenance of response systems for disaster situation management, and ▲training performance in disaster relief, continuing the reputation of ‘Safe City Songpa.’

Ahn Yong-sang, Head of the Disaster Safety Division, stated, “We will not be complacent with this result and will do our best for the safety of residents, concentrating all capabilities to be selected as an excellent institution again in the 2023 evaluation.”

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that on the 13th, it signed a ‘Public-Private-Academic Agreement for Talent Development in the Construction Sector’ with Sinjin Science and Technology High School and 10 construction companies in the metropolitan area.

At the signing ceremony, Eunpyeong-gu, Sinjin Science and Technology High School, and the construction companies agreed to strengthen the major skills and employment support for students of Sinjin Science and Technology High School.

Through this agreement with construction companies in the metropolitan area, they aim to prevent talent outflow due to employment in other regions and to cultivate construction sector talents who possess both character and skills to immediately adapt to field work through construction-related programs.

This agreement will promote the ‘Public-Private-Academic Talent Development in Construction Sector’ project. Various programs such as certification guidance, advanced major classes, job application support, and competitions will be provided to students in the Construction Information Department of Sinjin Science and Technology High School.

Going forward, Eunpyeong-gu will provide budget support for talent development in the construction sector, Sinjin Science and Technology High School will plan and operate educational programs, and construction companies will provide field training and recruit talents.

The project aims to cultivate talents with the character desired by industries, enhance students’ employment motivation and initial adaptation ability, and help them systematically prepare for job applications.

Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “Through this agreement, I hope a long-term and systematic talent development system will be established rather than a one-time effort,” and added, “We will provide wholehearted support so that excellent talents can be nurtured.”

The children’s picture book category selected ‘A Letter to the Forest Photo Studio’ (Lee Si-won / Whale Belly / 2020), the children’s literature category chose ‘There Is a Family’ (Kim Yu, Jo Won-hee / Ttwindol / 2020), the youth category selected ‘Pilgrimage House’ (Yoo Eun-sil / Biryoungso / 2021), and the adult category chose ‘Year After Year’ (Hwang Jung-eun / Changbi / 2020).

Since March, a 12-member resident council was formed to set this year’s theme together with public library librarians, and over 1,000 residents participated in online and offline voting. Despite the accelerated social changes due to COVID-19, residents chose family as a value that must be preserved and should not change.

The district placed mini bookshelves in 54 locations including public libraries, small libraries, and related institutions so that residents can easily access the selected books nearby. After reading the selected books, residents can participate in reading clubs and discussion meetings to share stories and empathy. Events such as author lectures, book concerts, performances, exhibitions, and films are also planned to facilitate communication.

As a start, on August 19 at 7 p.m., ‘Chaekyeonghwa (Book + Film) Salon,’ a time to experience ‘Family’ through books and films, will be held at Nowon The Forest Art Cinema. Director Yoon Dan-bi’s film ‘Summer Night of Siblings’ will be screened, followed by a Q&A session with the audience and small group discussions about ‘Family.’ Detailed information and participation applications are available on the district library website and Nowon Cultural Foundation website.

Nowon-gu has been running the ‘Chaekmomo (Meetings Gathered by Books)’ project since May to support reading groups, with 40 teams currently receiving support and actively participating.

Additionally, from July to December, various themed book curations aimed at improving awareness and understanding of people with developmental disabilities are being exhibited and conducted in the district office lobby, attempting diverse communication with residents.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Reading books, when done collectively as a social community beyond the individual level, can become a great movement to share and spread good values,” and added, “We will continue to create various opportunities so that many people can participate in reading.”

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