"Beat the Heatwave"... Jongno-gu Supports Air Conditioner Installation for Vulnerable Groups

Air Conditioners Installed in 55 Vulnerable Households, and Electricity Bills of 30,000 KRW Supported for Energy-Vulnerable Residents

A total of 74 Heat Relief Centers, Including 48 Senior Centers, Operate in the Area Until September 30 to Provide Resting Places for the Elderly

Circulator Installation

Jongno-gu (District Mayor Jeong Munheon) has taken measures to install air conditioners and provide electricity bill support for vulnerable groups as part of its heatwave countermeasures amid an unprecedented heatwave forecast this summer.

The beneficiaries are 55 welfare recipients who have not been able to purchase air conditioners due to economic difficulties. The district plans to complete the installation of wall-mounted air conditioners worth approximately 700,000 KRW in these residents' homes with poor living conditions by the 23rd of this month to minimize heatwave damage.

In addition, special attention is given to energy-vulnerable residents who own air conditioners but have been unable to operate them timely due to the burden of electricity costs. It has been decided to provide 30,000 KRW per household once for electricity bills. The recipients are households that have installed air conditioners among basic livelihood security recipients and the near-poor class.

To support this air conditioner installation and electricity bill assistance, the district has utilized donations from the Seoul Social Welfare Community Chest and has installed about 700 air conditioners for elderly living alone and people with disabilities since 2019.

Furthermore, ahead of the full-scale heatwave, from May 30 to June 5, a total of 50 wall-mounted circulators were installed next to public air conditioners in the corridors of buildings in the Donui-dong and Changsin-dong shantytowns. This was to ensure that shantytown residents living in rooms far from air conditioners could also equally benefit from cooling.

Besides this, starting from May 20 until September 30, a total of 74 ‘Senior Heat Relief Centers’ are being operated in the area, including 48 senior centers, 4 welfare centers, and 17 community service centers.

From this year, for user convenience, the district office building, Jongno Culture and Sports Center, Olympic Memorial National Life Center, Jongno Residents’ Hall, and Dongbu Women’s Culture Center, which have good accessibility and well-equipped cooling facilities, have been additionally designated.

The Senior Heat Relief Centers are open to any elderly person exhausted by the heat and are divided into general shelters operating from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and extended shelters operating from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during heatwave warnings (some operating hours may vary).

District Mayor Jeong Munheon stated, “We hope this will help residents who could not install air conditioners or operate them timely due to cost burdens. We will do our best to proactively respond to disaster-like heatwave situations and ensure that all residents can safely get through this summer.”

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