Paju City Launches Preemptive 'Emergency Economy' Response... Activating Three Major Measures for Youth, Energy, and Agriculture

Paju City Responds to Youth Employment Slump... Secures Additional Government Funding
Expanding Participation in Youth Employment Support Programs for the Unemployed in May
Inspections of Gas Station Hoarding and Energy-Saving Promotion Activities
Reviewing Operations of the Public Foreign Seasonal Worker Program and Listening to Concerns

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province is launching emergency economic measures focusing on welfare stability, oil prices, and agriculture and livestock in response to worsening domestic economic conditions caused by instability in the Middle East.

Paju City Responds to Youth Employment Slump... Secures Additional Government Budget. Provided by Paju City

Welfare Stability: Responding to Youth Employment Slump... Securing Additional Government Budget

Paju City has secured additional government funding to expand the number of participants in employment support programs, aiming to help young people struggling in a shrinking job market.

The city increased the budget for the “Youth Challenge Support Project” from 659 million won to 748 million won, expanding the number of beneficiaries to 155. In addition, for the “Youth Growth Project,” the city also secured additional funding to extend benefits to up to 400 people. The “Youth Growth Project” is designed for unemployed youth, offering programs to strengthen job skills, visits to local companies, career counseling, and connections to employment policies. The project budget was increased by 6.3 million won from 61 million won to a total of 67.3 million won, expanding support from 336 to 400 recipients.

Besides the “Youth Challenge Support Project” and the “Youth Growth Project,” Paju City is implementing additional youth employment support initiatives. These include the “Gyeonggi Youth Capacity Enhancement Opportunity Support Project,” which provides up to 300,000 won per person to unemployed youth for language and certification test fees; the “Youth Dream Closet,” which offers free interview suit rentals to ease financial burdens for job seekers; and the expansion of the “Administrative Experience Project” into a “Youth Internship Project,” allowing young people to gain more practical job experience.

Eun-Sook Kim, Director of Welfare Policy, stated, “Economic uncertainty due to the Middle East conflict is having a direct impact on the youth employment market. By expanding youth employment support programs, we aim to ease the burden on job-seeking youth and help facilitate sustainable growth.”

Paju City Implements Comprehensive Measures to Overcome Energy Crisis. Joint Inspection of Gas Station Hoarding. Provided by Paju City.

Oil Price Stabilization: Implementing Comprehensive Measures to Overcome the Energy Crisis

The Paju City Emergency Economic Response Oil Price Stabilization Team, in cooperation with the Korea Petroleum Quality & Distribution Authority, has conducted joint inspections of local gas stations to prevent hoarding and cornering of petroleum products and to ensure product quality and fair distribution. Paju City also implemented an alternate-day public parking system and carried out campaigns to promote energy conservation.

Due to increasing international oil prices and the instability in the Middle East, volatility in the domestic oil market has worsened. To preemptively stop unfair trading practices such as hoarding and price-fixing and to establish a healthy distribution environment, the city carried out inspections. To encourage voluntary energy-saving efforts in the private sector, Paju City promoted energy conservation campaigns at the intersection near Paju City Hall.

The joint inspections covered ▲hoarding and cornering of petroleum products ▲compliance with quality standards ▲adherence to accurate quantity sales ▲appropriateness of price labeling ▲and any illegal activities during distribution. Minor issues were addressed and corrected on-site, while any violations discovered will be subject to strict action, such as fines or administrative penalties, in accordance with relevant laws. The city plans to continue monitoring for unfair trading practices such as hoarding and price-fixing.

During the energy conservation campaign, more than 160 participants from the Paju City Emergency Economic Headquarters, affiliated agencies, and civic groups encouraged citizens to take part in energy-saving actions, such as ▲participating in the alternate-day driving system ▲using public transportation ▲walking or cycling ▲maintaining proper indoor temperatures ▲and driving eco-friendly vehicles.

Byeonggap Choi, Deputy Mayor of Paju City, stated, “If uncertainty in the Middle East is prolonged, there is a risk of an energy supply crisis and increased cost of living for citizens. Paju City will take the lead in energy conservation in the public sector, eradicate illegal practices through ongoing cooperation and inspections with related agencies, and overcome the energy crisis together with the voluntary participation of our citizens.”

Paju City, On-Site Inspection of Rural Workforce Supply in Response to the Middle East Conflict. Provided by Paju City

Agriculture and Livestock Stability: On-Site Inspections of Rural Workforce Supply in Response to Middle East Conflict

On April 17, Deputy Mayor Byeonggap Choi visited accommodations for public foreign seasonal workers in Paju along with relevant officials to check on sanitation and safety conditions and visited farming sites where these workers are assigned to encourage them.

Deputy Mayor Choi inspected the living conditions of the dedicated accommodations for foreign seasonal workers, such as heating and cooling facilities, and visited farms to encourage both farmers and workers.

A local farmer met on-site commented, “I was worried that the war would make it even harder to find help, but with the timely arrival of workers, my concerns have been eased,” expressing gratitude.

On April 12, 16 “public foreign seasonal workers (from Laos)” arrived in Korea and, together with 4 previously assigned under the farm employment system, a total of 20 are now employed under contract with the Bukpaju Agricultural Cooperative and will work for either five or seven months.

Additionally, 384 “farm-employed foreign seasonal workers” are scheduled to arrive this year. As of April, 235 have already arrived and are working, while 149 more will enter the country according to the schedule requested by the farms.

The “Paju City Public Seasonal Worker Project” involves the Bukpaju Agricultural Cooperative directly hiring foreign workers and dispatching them to farms on a daily basis as needed. This method has received a positive response from small-scale farms that have difficulty securing accommodations or long-term employment.

Deputy Mayor Byeonggap Choi emphasized, “We will operate the public seasonal worker system more stably to ensure that external variables such as the Middle East situation do not disrupt the supply of labor during peak farming seasons. We will spare no administrative support so that workers can stay healthy and provide real assistance to the farms.”

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