Paju City Launches Emergency Economic 'Four-Pronged Response'... Strengthening Welfare, Transportation, and Healthcare Measures

Paju City Launches Full-Scale Emergency Economic Measures for Livelihood Stability
Direct Response to High Oil Prices and Supply Chain Crisis

Monthly Support of 100,000 Won for Five Months to 150 Facilities
Ensuring Mobility Rights for the Elderly, People with Disabilities, and Children

"We Cannot Stop Citizens' Transportation"
Additional Buses Deployed on Routes 10, 80, 150, and 900

Close Management of Small Clinics and Pharmacies
Strengthened On-Site Response to Prevent Medical Service Gaps

"Making Every Effort to Prevent Citizen Inconvenience"
On-Site Inspection of Volume-Based Waste Bag Production Facilities

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province is implementing proactive measures to stabilize the livelihoods of its citizens in response to external economic crises, such as high oil prices and unstable supply chains.

On April 16, Paju City announced that it will launch an emergency economic response plan focused on four key areas: welfare, transportation, healthcare, and the cost of living, in response to rising fuel costs and raw material supply instability triggered by recent instability in the Middle East.

Paju City, Emergency Support for Vehicle Fuel Expenses at Social Welfare Facilities. Mobility Support Service in Action. Provided by Paju City.

Welfare Stability: Mobility Is the 'Start of Welfare Services'... Fuel Cost Support

Social welfare facilities are structured in a way that requires them to bear fuel costs within a limited operating budget. If the current high oil prices persist, it will inevitably lead to a reduction in mobility support services for the elderly, people with disabilities, and children.

In response, Paju City has decided to provide emergency fuel cost support to prevent care gaps among vulnerable groups and to ensure fair support across the region. In particular, the city is focusing on addressing blind spots in the welfare system by including regional facilities and previously unsupported facilities that have received relatively less support.

This emergency support will be implemented temporarily for five months, from May to September. The beneficiaries include: ▲45 senior daytime care centers ▲11 facilities and organizations providing mobility support for people with disabilities ▲18 regional children’s centers operating vehicles ▲76 daycare centers operating school buses in urban areas. Approximately 4,000 users are expected to benefit from this program.

The city plans to allocate and urgently execute the entire budget of 75 million won from its reserve funds to ensure swift implementation.

Eunsook Kim, Director of Welfare Policy, stated, "This emergency support is not simply about offsetting fuel costs; it is a measure to protect the actual mobility rights of vulnerable groups," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure that citizen-centered welfare administration remains steadfast even in emergency economic situations."

Paju City Hall view. Provided by Paju City

Road Transportation: Paju City to Increase City Bus Operations as Part of Emergency Transportation Measures

The city expects that rising fuel costs and the implementation of the five-day alternate driving system for private vehicles will further worsen traffic congestion during commuting hours. Accordingly, the city has decided to urgently increase the number of buses on certain city routes. This measure is part of the Paju City Emergency Economic Headquarters’ emergency transportation plan, designed to secure citizens’ mobility rights and minimize the social and economic burdens caused by traffic congestion.

The four routes receiving additional buses are all under the Gyeonggi-do Public Management System. Paju City, in consultation with Gyeonggi Province, has decided to provide financial support for the deployment of reserve buses until the resource security crisis alert is lifted, utilizing public management reserve buses to increase operations.

Starting April 17, the following routes will see increased operations: ▲Route 80, three additional buses ▲Route 150, one additional bus ▲Route 900, one additional bus ▲Route 10, one additional bus—a total of four routes.

Route 80 is a key line connecting GTX Unjeong Central Station and Line 3 Daehwa Station, while Routes 150 and 900 serve high-demand long-distance commuters. Route 10 also connects major local hubs. The additional buses are expected to reduce intervals between buses and ease traffic congestion.

Chun-Dong Cho, Director of Road Transportation, said, "This increase in bus operations is a preemptive measure at the level of the Paju City Emergency Economic Headquarters to minimize inconvenience for citizens and maintain stable public transportation services," adding, "With close cooperation with Gyeonggi Province and financial support for reserve buses, we will thoroughly manage the situation to prevent any transportation gaps until the resource security crisis is resolved."

Paju City Activates Health and Medical Stability Response Team... Full Effort to Prevent Medical Service Gaps. Provided by Paju City

Healthcare Stability: Launch of Health and Medical Stability Response Team... Full Effort to Prevent Medical Service Gaps

As the prolonged conflict in the Middle East has caused instability in the supply of naphtha, concerns are mounting about possible disruptions in the supply of essential medical consumables made from this raw material. In response, Paju City is officially operating a 'Health and Medical Stability Response Team' to minimize confusion at medical sites and protect citizens' health.

This is part of the healthcare sector measures of the Paju City Emergency Economic Headquarters. The city explained that it has established a field-oriented response system to ensure a smooth supply of medical consumables, not only to hospitals but also to small clinics and pharmacies.

The city has worked with four organizations in the medical sector to monitor supply trends and conducted on-site inspections at medical institutions and pharmacies. Inspections found that some medical institutions had insufficient stocks of items such as syringes, leading to emergency online purchases, while most pharmacies had secured about two to three weeks' worth of inventory. Although there have been no significant disruptions to medical treatment or dispensing so far, the city is working to prevent any service gaps by facilitating cooperation among medical institutions and prioritizing supply from local medical equipment vendors for institutions with low stock.

Centered around the 'Health and Medical Stability Response Team,' Paju City is pursuing a multi-faceted response, including ▲strengthening cooperation with local medical device manufacturers and vendors ▲mutual support among medical institutions ▲expanding on-site inspections. In particular, the city has arranged for local medical device manufacturers to prioritize the supply of key medical consumables such as surgical drapes and gowns to local medical institutions, while also strengthening a close management system by frequently checking for on-site difficulties and responding swiftly.

Hansang Lee, Director of Paju Public Health Center, stated, "Medical consumables are essential for patient care, so we will manage supplies closely, even for small clinics and pharmacies," adding, "We will strengthen field-based supply and distribution links to ensure that citizens can use medical services with peace of mind."

Kim Kyung-il, Mayor of Paju, recently visited Eden House (195-30 Soraji-ro) of the Eden Welfare Foundation to directly inspect the production site of volume-based waste bags. Provided by Paju City

Volume-Based Waste Bag Supply Stability: Mayor of Paju City Vows to Ensure Uninterrupted Supply for Citizens

Recently, the mayor of Paju City visited Eden House (195-47-30 Soraji-ro), operated by the Eden Welfare Foundation, to directly inspect the production site of volume-based waste bags and check production and delivery conditions, as well as on-site challenges.

This inspection was arranged to assess on-site responses and ensure that volume-based waste bags can be supplied stably without causing inconvenience to citizens, despite increased demand and rising raw material prices following the situation in the Middle East.

During the visit, the mayor of Paju City carefully checked the production process, the operation status of production facilities, raw material supply conditions, and delivery schedules. The mayor also held a meeting with representatives of the manufacturing companies to hear about on-site challenges caused by a roughly 1.5-fold increase in raw material prices and discussed ways to support and cooperate to ensure that contract items are delivered without delay.

Since March 23, following the Middle East crisis, the manufacturer has been supplying an average of 108,000 volume-based waste bags per day to Paju City. In addition, the city has secured supplies from two other companies to expand supply, currently maintaining a daily supply system of approximately 180,000 bags.

Based on this production and delivery system, the city is making every effort to stabilize the supply of volume-based waste bags. Furthermore, the company is not only responsible for the stable production and delivery of these bags but is also contributing to local job creation by employing people with disabilities. The city plans to continue monitoring on-site operations and working conditions.

Kyungil Kim, Mayor of Paju City, stated, "Volume-based waste bags are essential for citizens' daily lives, so there must be no supply disruptions under any circumstances," adding, "We will thoroughly review on-site difficulties and promptly address any issues so that citizens can purchase volume-based waste bags without interruption."

He continued, "Since this site is responsible for stable production of volume-based waste bags and also contributes to the employment of people with disabilities, we will continue to ensure that on-site workers, including those with disabilities, can work in a stable environment by maintaining close attention and oversight."

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