Greetings, everyone, and thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. I’m Don Valiant and this is the news from Gyeonggi Province this week. Metaverse Investment Briefing Held in Gyeonggi (1206) On December 2, the Gyeonggi Province Employment Foundation hosted the ‘Show Me the Startup IR Pitching Day,’ an investment briefing joined by fledgling women and youth enterprises as well as social enterprises. This event saw presentations made by the representatives of 14 enterprises through metaverse technologies including 3D virtual reality. Among these enterprises, those selected at the event will receive investor-connection support from the foundation. ◇ Gyeonggi to Launch Labor Health Right Education Program for Youths (1206) Gyeonggi Province announced plans to launch a labor health right education program for youths next year in cooperation with the Association of Occupational & Environmental Physicians and the Gyeonggi Provincial Institute for Lifelong Learning. Geared to help 3rd-year specialized high school students and out-of-school youths maintain their health, this education program covers subjects that career starters must know, such as safety and special worker health as well as industrial accident insurance. According to the agreement, Gyeonggi Province will undertake education promotion as well as demand surveys, the Gyeonggi Provincial Institute for Lifelong Learning will oversee education facility linkage and operations, and the Association of Occupational & Environmental Physicians will provide education contents through affiliated doctors serving as instructors. ◇ Gyeonggi’s Agricultural Institute Develops Winter-blooming Cactus (1207) The Gyeonggi Agricultural Research and Extension Services recently developed a new crab leg cactus breed named ‘Cancan Dress’. The crab leg cactus is also known as a Christmas cactus since it blooms during the winter. Offering excellent visual and reproduction values while also being easy to grow and distribute, the Cancan Dress breed is popular among horticultural farmers. ◇   Restoration Information Boards Installed at Cultural Heritage Sites in Gyeonggi (1207) Gyeonggi Province has installed graphic cultural heritage restoration information boards that convey deions of original structure appearances at 8 cultural heritage sites in the province. Introduced as part of the province’s cultural heritage promotion efforts, these information boards will help visitors better understand Gyeonggi’s cultural assets. The locations that feature these new information boards include Hoeamsa (회암사) Temple in Yangju (양주) City, the Byeokjegwan (벽제관) local office site in Goyang (고양) City, Pasaseong (파사성) Fortress in Yeoju (여주) City, and the UN Forces Cremation Facility in Yeoncheon (연천) County. ◇ Gyeonggi Selects 13 ‘Good Enterprises’ (1207) Gyeonggi Province recently granted ‘Good Enterprise’ certification to 13 enterprises that contributed to the realization of social values. Introduced in 2015 to promote a culture of social responsibility and sound corporate practices among enterprises, Gyeonggi Province Good Enterprise Certification is granted annually based on enterprise contributions to society and the local economy. This year, 10 SMEs and 3 social economy enterprises were selected to receive this certification. Certified enterprises will be provided with marketing support of KRW 18 million in total in addition to the right to use the certification insignia and trademark for three years. ◇ Gyeonggi Secures Historic National Subsidy Amount for Next Year (1208) Gyeonggi Province has secured national subsidies totaling KRW 16.56 trillion for its budgets in the year 2022. This is the largest national subsidy amount in provincial history and marks a 1.1 percent increase over last year including a local currency budget increase of KRW 140 billion. The province plans to utilize the national subsidies swiftly so as to maximize implementation effects for related policies. ◇   Gyeonggi to Crackdown on Excessive Vehicle Exhaust and Idling (1209) Gyeonggi Province plans to conduct a special crackdown on the exhaust emissions and idling of large diesel vehicles during the 3rd seasonal microdust control period. During this period, regulatory efforts will focus on vehicles that emit significant amounts of microdust – including trucks and buses – at locations with large concentrations of such vehicles including bus terminals and distribution centers. Those vehicles that exceed emission standards will be ordered to undergo corrective actions including servicing and inspection. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.