Songpa-gu Takes Careful Care of Residents’Discomforts of Living

Songpa-gu challenges on making discomforts of living zero this year.


To accomplish this, 2014 Environment Patrol Plan was established, and it will be carried forward from this month.

Last year, Songpa-gu had chosen road, park, air, car park, and cleaning as five areas of discomforts which residents feel uncomfortable in their daily lives.

To resolve these discomforts, catch phrases such as ‘Easily Walkable Roads,’ ‘Parks that Wants to be Revisited,’ ‘Clear Songpa,’ ‘Convenient Car Parking’ and‘Clean Alley’ were put up and ‘No 5 Discomforts of Living in Songa Council’were established.

Songpa-gu office employees were placed in repairing relevant areas and handled 16,328 cases of discomforts of living out of 16,359 cases.

31 cases were exempted because long term reviews were needed.

This year, Songpa-gu is pushing ahead with more detailed in-depth patrol.

Each month, Songpa-gu is patrolling sites such as major investment business sites and vulnerable areas to prevent negligent accidents.

Also, through pre-inspection, not only discomforts of living are solved, but also residents’ opinions are carefully heard.

Songpa-gu women employees also participate in monthly patrol.

By composing ‘Women Employees Meticulous Patrol’ each time, Songpa-gu inspects culture, welfare and safety areas.

Songpa-gu selects areas where resident inconveniences are estimated timely and seasonally to patrol according to the plan.

During March, street environment around school areas, children’s parks and sports facilities are to be inspected.

Aside from this, Songpa-gu is organizing‘Right Away Team’ which responds right away to civil appeals reports to solve problems right away; handling inconvenience such as illegal parking and parking violations which are reported through ‘120 Watchdog for Residents’ Inconvenience’ right away; and organizing patrol to minimize the blank in administration in holidays.  

Songpa-gu Mayor Park Choon Hee was chosen to move the Korean economy!

Songpa-gu Mayor Park Choon Hee was selected as the one who could move the Korean economy!

FortuneKorea chose her as winner in the field of sustainable management.

It's the first time for the Head of City being selected as the winner!

 

2013 Songpa, sharing the 7 colored happiness

①20 minutes a day, 2 books a month. the Book reading Songpa


Books possess unlimited possibilities and holds the key to the future. ▲「Book reading Songpa」project will become the representitive project of Songpa. Since its launch last year, 「Book reading Songpa」project has been sharing books with the community and is planning to spread the culture of sharing wisdom throughout the city. Creative programs such as bookshelves in parks, two-row bookshelf at bus stops and book reading taxi will continue to be promoted to spread the “20 minutes a day, 2 books a month” deep into our citizens’ lives.



②Promoting childbirth project filled with baby babbles

Childcare is also a task the local community must share. As part of the ▲ Promoting childbirth project, the City Maternity Health Promotion Center is the country’s first governmental facility to support childcare. The center will feature 27 maternity rooms, newborn unit, ultrasonic wave unit, blood-collecting unit and program rooms to provide total health care service for pregnant women and newborn children. The center is planning to expand its service to realize equal support service to every citizen.



③The New eco-friendly green management practicing green living

The already world-renowned ▲New eco-friendly green management program also continues to make advancement. By operating the world’s first weather change aware budge system, the city has been saving bills through the project and has been sharing its benefits with its citizens. The solar power plant, Songpa Nanum Power Plant program is scheduled to expand. The program has generated more than 200 million won of energy support funds through its solar power plants, and the Songpa Nanum Power Plant program is currently recognized as a world-class role model in government contribution in energy sharing.



④Visited by the world, Establishing an international city of culture and tourism

Sharing various entertainment with the world is also one of Songpa’s new year goals. Reaching out to its new goal of becoming an ▲ International city of tourism, Songpa will be expanding Hanseong Baekje Festival to those of world-class festivals and will also be reforming its infrastructure to establish a more convenient and enjoyable tour environment for foreigners. The heavy traffic load of Jamsil area will also be improved to provide a more fluid and comfortable transportation network to its citizens and foreigners.



⑤Forming the happiness total care for elders, Songpa Silbeot-tteurak
This year, the city aims to spread a sound senior culture and provide an environment for a more culture activities enjoyed by elders. The establishment of ▲ Senior culture complex, “Songpa Sibeot-tteurak” will be providing the open ground of culture for senior citizens.



⑥Implementing new SNS media for a communicative administration

The status of being the No. 1 Korean administration communicating through the Internet continues in 2013. The city will realize ▲ City policy promotion spreading among its citizens through new media, and will utilize SNS media such as Twitter and Facebook to share various ideas with its citizens about various issues of the city. By raising the participation rate of citizens in city administration, the city will be able to accomplish the value of “sharing makes it bigger” and will contine to advance itself as a mature provincial government.



⑦Together with hope, Creating heartful jobs

The city will also continue to operate the ▲ Creating heartful jobs program. Songpa’s unique facilities of True Living Practice Hall and Venturer Incubator have been offering job training and trial venturing. Such efforts provided support to social companies to help create jobs through the Social Company Hub Center. This year, the city will operate Happiness Sharing Job Center to contribute to the efforts of companies searching for talent and job hunters looking for the right profession.

Contact: Planning & Budget Division, 2147-2420

Remove Snow in Front of My Door for Convenience of Your Neighbors

It is forecast that this winter will be exceptionally snowy and cold. Under the circumstances, Songpa-gu has launched a campaign for Snow Removal in Front of My Door so that more people participate in snow removal in the alleys and sidewalks of residential areas. The campaign’s legal ground is the Building Management Ordinance of Seoul City established in 2006. According to the ordinance, snow that fell by day should be removed within four hours from when the snow stopped and snow that fell at night should be removed by 11:00am on the following day. When more than 10cm of snow falls a day, it should be removed within 24 hours. A person in charge of snow removal includes the owner, occupier and manager of a building. When the owner does not reside in the building, it is in the order of the occupier, manger and owner.

The snow in the entire section adjoining the site of the building should be removed. When it comes to the side streets and pedestrian walkways, the snow should be removed from the entrance or the boundary of the site to one meter away from there.

The borough office is making all efforts to remove the snow by providing related equipment and running an emergency system. However, it has its own limit in clearing the snow in the narrow streets and pedestrian walkways in residential areas. Therefore, all of the residents’cooperation is necessary to remove the snow in front of their own doors so that the other people can come and go out of harm’s way.

Who should clear the snow

▶When the owner of a building resides in the building: Owner first and occupier or manager second

▶When the owner of a building does not reside in the building: Occupier or manager first and owner second

  When to clear the snow

▶Snow that fell by day: within four hours from when the snow stopped

▶Snow that fell at night: by 11:00am on the following day

  Where to clear the snow

▶Sidewalk: the entire section adjoining the site of a building

▶Side street and pedestrian walkway: one meter from the section adjoining the site of a building or entrance



For further information: Road Division, Songpa-gu Office (2147-3300)

The Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival

The 12th Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival 9.22-23, 2012

New Songpa, 4G Era

Park Choon-hee, mayor of Songpa City, announces the “New Songpa, 4G Era”, 

to spur new development in Songpa City for the three years of her term.

Growing Songpa

A city that will pursue productive change through growth.

Gracious & Great Songpa

A city of charity and great care, sharing with love local residents as well as global village residents

Green Songpa

A city playing a role as South Korea’s model city by taking action against climate change 

and pursuing green growth

Global Songpa

A city competing with world-class cities through global business 

Songpa has been named a winner of the Globe Award

Songpa, showered with a variety of accolades in recent years--UNEP Liveable City, WHO Safe City and WHO Healthy City designation--has attained yet another stellar

 achievement by receiving the Globe Sustainable City Award, organized by the multinational nonprofit Globe Forum.  

The result was announced on March 28, 2011; the award ceremony took place at the Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre, Sweden on May 11, 2011.

Since 2007, the Globe Award has honored the exemplary commitment that individuals and groups have made for sustainable development.  

The Globe Award consists of four categories: Research, Innovation, Reporting and City.  In 2011, a total of 35 cities around the world, including Songpa, the Republic of Korea, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Murcia, Spain and Tampere, Finland, competed to become the most sustainable city.  Jan Sturesson (Sweden), Member of the World Economic Forum, C. S. Kiang (China), Professor at Peking University, Marilyn Hamilton (Canada), Founder of Integral City Meshworks and TDG Global Learning Connections, and four other reputable experts participated in judging.

Songpa, Korea’s first entry for the Globe Award, has been accredited and recognized for its leading role in the Low Carbon Green Growth initiative through the operation of Solar Energy-Sharing Plants, the formation of Green Villages, the enhancement of bike-friendliness, the cultivation of eco-leaders, the implementation of Eco-mileage and the administration of the Urban Agriculture Institute and citizen-managed farms. 

Jan Sturesson, Jury Chairman, highly valued the enthusiasm and collaboration that Songpa has shown to bring creative ideas to life.  He also mentioned that he felt deeply impressed by the Solar Power Plant project that aims to offer cheap electricity to the needy and was fulfilled through the combined efforts of non-governmental organizations and private and public sectors.

“It is our great privilege to have been chosen as a recipient of the Globe Award, following the win of the 2009 International Awards for Liveable Communities.  

These will help us move toward improved sustainability,” said Park Chun-hee, Mayor of Songpa, “I am extremely delighted that we have seized the opportunity to enhance the image of Songpa as Korea’s representative environmentally-friendly venue, while we are poised to host the 2011 International Awards for Liveable Communities in October.  We will do our best to ensure the success of this event.”  

The Embassy of Sweden in Seoul (Ambassador: Lars Vargo) posts news featuring the 2011 Globe Award Laureate Songpa on its website (www.swedenabroad.com/seoul).

Established in 2003, under partnership among Audi (Germany), Teito (Finland), Cisco (the United States), the European Regional Development Fund, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and many other corporations and associations, the Globe Forum has provided viable and supportive solutions for sustainable progress and promoted the Globe Award.  

The Globe Sustainable City Award commenced in 2009.  Cardiff, the United Kingdom and Curitiba, Brazil were crowned in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Ecology Pavilion - Eco Preservation Area

There are 'the Eco Preservation Area' which is the wetland with 129 kinds of plants, 50 kinds of birds, insects, spiders, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, etc., in Bangi-dong of Songpa-gu. And it has 'the Ecology Pavilion' which commands panoramic view of the flora and fauna. And also we can study the vegetations to keep the sample of ecological data.