Promotion of Safe Summer Projects in Gwanak, Nowon, Dongdaemun Districts, and Others

Gwanak-gu installs green curtains and cool roofs for vulnerable children and seniors... operates heat relief shelters for seniors

Nowon-gu operates neighborhood water play areas ahead of summer heat

Dongdaemun-gu installs bottled water refrigerators at outdoor heat relief shelters from the 10th until the end of August to prepare for summer heatwaves

Gwanak-gu Byeolbitnaerimcheon Water Playground

Seoul autonomous districts such as Gwanak-gu and Nowon-gu are actively supporting safe summer living for residents exhausted by high temperatures.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of heat-related illness patients nationwide increased from 1,078 in 2020 to 1,564 in 2022 over the past three years.

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Junhee) invested a total budget of 101 million KRW by June to install ‘green curtains’ and ‘cool roofs’ at nine facilities used by children and seniors vulnerable to heat, creating a comfortable and cool indoor environment.

A ‘green curtain’ is a vine plant that grows along the exterior walls of a building in the form of a curtain, greening the building and lowering indoor temperatures by nearly 5℃ during summer. A ‘cool roof’ involves painting rooftops with special paint that reflects sunlight, reducing indoor temperatures and expected to save about 20% of cooling energy in summer.

The district also operates the ‘Energy Voucher’ program to support heating and cooling costs for energy-vulnerable groups. Energy vouchers can be used to purchase electricity, city gas, kerosene, LPG, briquettes, or to deduct utility bills.

The support amount varies by household size, including summer and winter seasons: ▲ 149,800 KRW for single-person households ▲ 205,700 KRW for two-person households ▲ 292,500 KRW for three-person households ▲ 379,600 KRW for households of four or more.

The summer voucher is deducted from electricity bills from July 1 to September 30, and eligible households can use up to 45,000 KRW of the winter voucher in advance. Detailed information on eligibility and application methods can be found at local community service centers or the online Bokjiro website.

Additionally, the district has prepared 140 ‘Senior Heat Relief Shelters’ (▲110 senior centers ▲21 community centers ▲7 welfare centers ▲2 safety lodgings), operating ‘general shelters’ (weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and ‘extended shelters’ during heatwave warnings (weekdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., holidays and weekends from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.).

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seungrok) operates neighborhood water play areas ahead of the peak summer heat.

This is to allow residents to enjoy water play close to home. Following the opening of five sites on the 1st, six additional sites will open from the 15th.

Last year, the neighborhood water play areas averaged about 2,500 users per day. With the end of COVID-19, the number of users is expected to surge, and the district has made thorough preparations for safer and more enjoyable operations.

The six newly opening neighborhood water play areas are: ▲ Nowon Water Park (Seoul National University of Science and Technology Sports Complex), ▲ Haebaragi Children’s Park (Hagye 1-dong), ▲ Satgatbong Park (Junggye 4-dong), ▲ Sanggye Park (Sanggye 8-dong), ▲ Galul Park (Sanggye 9-dong), and ▲ Biseokgol Park (Wolgye 2-dong).

Along with the five neighborhood water play areas opened on the 1st (Gongneung-dong Park, Hannae Park, Deulgukhwa Children’s Park, Neutiul Park, Danggogae Park), a total of 11 sites will be in operation.

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pilhyung) announced that from the 10th until the end of August, to prepare for summer heatwaves, bottled water refrigerators will be installed at outdoor heat relief shelters, prioritizing distribution of bottled water to vulnerable groups such as the elderly, disabled, and homeless residents.

The bottled water refrigerators have been installed at seven outdoor heat relief shelters including major walking trails along Jungnangcheon, Jeongneungcheon, Seongbukcheon streams, and Baebongsan Park.

Bottled water is prepared three times a day (9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m.) and distributed by district volunteer disaster prevention members, limiting one bottle per person to prevent indiscriminate use.

This year, due to the early arrival of hot weather, the operation period of the bottled water refrigerators was advanced by about 15 days compared to last year, and unlabeled bottled water with plastic labels removed from PET bottles is supplied.

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