Seoul City Fully Implements Comprehensive Lunar New Year Plan... '18 Detailed Tasks' Prepared

Comprehensive Lunar New Year Measures in 5 Key Areas... 24-Hour Emergency Response System Promotion

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 15th that it will implement the '2023 Lunar New Year Comprehensive Measures,' consisting of 18 detailed tasks across five major areas: ▲Safety ▲Sharing ▲Transportation ▲Living ▲Prices, for eight days from the 18th to the 25th to ensure a safe and warm Lunar New Year holiday.

In particular, from 6 p.m. on the 20th to 9 a.m. on the 25th, a 'Comprehensive Situation Room' composed of task forces for each sector will operate 24 hours a day on the first floor of Seoul City Hall to promptly respond to emergencies and civil complaints occurring during the holiday period.

Regarding safety, amid recent discussions on easing indoor mask mandates due to the decline in COVID-19 cases, selective screening clinics and temporary screening centers will continue to operate during the Lunar New Year holiday to respond to COVID-19 spread, and one-stop medical institutions focusing on face-to-face treatment will be intensively operated. Additionally, an emergency duty system led by fire station chiefs will be implemented, and proactive safety measures will be prepared for fires, incidents, accidents, heavy snow, and cold waves, prioritizing citizen safety.

Furthermore, in the prolonged situation of COVID-19, economic recession caused by high prices, high exchange rates, and high interest rates, customized support without blind spots will be prepared so that all citizens can spend a warm holiday. This includes providing consolation goods or meals during the Lunar New Year holiday to vulnerable groups such as elderly residents in nursing facilities, basic livelihood security households (approximately 234,000 households), disabled persons in facilities, homeless people, residents of small rooms, and children at risk of food insecurity (27,482 children) to help alleviate their difficulties.

Due to the somewhat shorter holiday period (4 days) compared to last year, congestion of vehicles traveling to and from hometowns is expected, and with the recovery of demand for public transportation such as trains and express/intercity buses with normal ticket sales, the floating population is expected to increase. Therefore, efforts will focus on expanding transportation capacity through extended public transportation operating hours and additional services, as well as improving convenience for transportation users to ensure smooth and safe transportation.

Emergency medical institutions (50 locations), emergency room operating hospitals (17 locations), and hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies open during the holiday period (7,000 locations) will respond to emergency medical demands, and timely collection of household waste before and after the holiday will minimize citizen inconvenience. Additionally, transportation and medical measures for visitors to municipal park cemeteries are also being prepared.

Regarding prices, with the average cost of Lunar New Year table settings at around 310,000 KRW this year, supply of major Lunar New Year seasonal items such as agricultural products, livestock products, and seafood will be expanded, and price trends of 16 key management items will be monitored to implement price stabilization measures. Furthermore, fair trade order will be established through guidance and inspections against various unfair practices. During the Lunar New Year period, Seoul Love Gift Certificates worth a total of 300 billion KRW will be sold at a 7% discount from the 18th to the 19th in 25 autonomous districts.

Jung Sooyong, Director of Planning and Coordination at Seoul City, stated, “We will maintain the COVID-19 spread prevention system and concentrate administrative efforts to ensure that citizens and visitors can have a comfortable and happy Lunar New Year holiday without inconvenience in transportation and living environments.” He added, “Although there are many difficulties due to recent price increases and economic recession, we will do our utmost to ensure a holiday without worries about grocery shopping and to spread warmth even to marginalized and vulnerable groups, making the Lunar New Year a warm and heartwarming holiday.”

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