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. 1. Gyeonggi COVID-19 Efforts Receive Aid from South Cheolla Province (0413-2) Gyeonggi Province recently received truckloads of aid for medical facilities from Jindo (진도) County of South Cheolla (전라) Province for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Such interregional cooperation exemplifies the solidarity of Koreans in the battle against this contagion, and stands in contrast to the lockdowns of affected regions seen in other nations. ► COVID-19 Treatment Center (April 9) At this center, boxes of aid items are being reloaded on waiting trucks. [Sync] “Thirteen boxes will go to Paju. There are more for Pocheon…” These boxes will be delivered to patients and medical personnel who are fighting to overcome COVID-19. ► Jindo Specialty Products The boxes are filled with local specialty items of Jindo County. ► Donated by Jindo Residents for COVID-19 Patients and Medical Personnel in Gyeonggi These items include marine and agricultural products donated by Jindo (진도) residents. ► Park Il-su, Representative, Jindo Salted Cabbage “We are delivering items donated by farmers in the spirit of solidarity. I hope that this event will have encouraging effects on medical personnel and patients who are fighting COVID-19 in earnest.” Jindo (진도) residents have been sending aid to Daegu City and North Gyeongsang Province. Noting that the number of confirmed cases was increasing in Seoul and Gyeonggi regions, they immediately sent donations valued at KRW 33 million to Gyeonggi. These donations were delivered to COVID-19 treatment facilities in the province. ► Gwon Seok-pil, Director, Gyeonggi Province Volunteer Service Center “We are grateful to the Jindo residents for sending us local specialty products that reflect their compassion and concern. We will deliver the items to those who are currently devoting themselves to the fight against COVID-19.” Each nation employs different strategies in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Koreans are working in solidarity through interregional efforts to help patients recover while caring for medical professionals who help the patients. In the spring of 2020, Korea is emerging as a proud nation with people who are working together to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.   2. Gyeonggi Announces COVID-19 Economic Relief of KRW 2 Trillion (0413-3) On April 9, Gyeonggi Province announced that it will release emergency funds of KRW 2.45 trillion to facilitate economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19. ► Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex (April 9) Announcement of Emergency COVID-19 Economic Programs These funds will be utilized through various ‘economic quarantine programs’ as referred to by the Gyeonggi provincial administration. ► ‘Economic Quarantine Programs’ These programs, which include financial, employment and small business support, will primarily focus on recovering the economic stability of residents. ► Kim Gyu-sik, Director General, Gyeonggi Province Economic Planning Bureau “First of all, we will release Special Management Funds of KRW 920 billion to help SMEs and small businesses overcome the economic difficulties experienced since the outbreak of COVID-19.” ► Credit Guarantee to Be Expanded to KRW 4 Trillion Issued in the form of financial guarantees for SMEs and small businesses, these additional funds will increase total financial guarantee availability to KRW 4 trillion. ► Financial Guarantee Application Processing Expedited from 27 Days to 14 Days Application processing will also be expedited from the average 27 days to 14 days or fewer. ► Those in Employment Blind Spots to Receive Monthly Support of KRW 500,000 for 2 Months Gyeonggi will also pay monthly support of KRW 500,000 for a period of two months to those who fall in employment blind spots, including employees on unpaid leave of absence and freelancers, while increasing local currency discount rates up to 10 percent for local economic promotion until July. ► Kim Gyu-sik, Director General, Gyeonggi Province Economic Planning Bureau “Based on the awareness that communicable diseases can directly cause economic issues, we will implement responses proactively, swiftly and accurately through the preparation of effective policies for personal economic recovery.” Gyeonggi Province also plans to invest KRW 1 billion in COVID-19 treatment development including clinical trial support.   3. Gyeonggi Begins Development of Public Delivery Service App (2020.04.13) To counter the near monopoly of an existing food delivery app, Gyeonggi Province recently signed an agreement with Gunsan (군산) City, which currently operates a public delivery app, for the sharing of that city’s know-how. ► Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex (April 9) Signing of Cooperation Agreement for Public Delivery App Development This agreement covers technical consultations and free utilization of the trademark for Gunsan (군산) City’s public delivery app known as ‘Baedalui Myeongsu (배달의 명수)’ or ‘Master of Delivery’. ► Gunsan’s ‘Baedalui Myeongsu’ Offers No-cost, Ad-free Services with Local Currency Discounts Currently, this app offers no-cost, ad-free services that alleviate the burdens borne by businesses. It also provides discounts for payments made with local currency. Through the adoption of Gunsan City’s app, Gyeonggi Province seeks to restore fair competition among small businesses while also preventing delivery app operators from making unreasonably high profits through monopolization. ► Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung “I believe it’s a good idea to have a delivery service platform available and to enable businesses to compete freely via that platform.” ► Agreement on Technical Consultation Provision and Free Trademark Utilization According to this agreement, Gunsan (군산) City will transfer related knowledge to the 31 cities and counties of Gyeonggi Province and allow them to use the Master of Delivery trademark free of charge. ► Gunsan City Mayor Kang Im-jun “Whichever autonomous bodies adopt this app, they need to be aware that Baedalui Myeongsu should be operated with the aim of protecting small businesses, not for profit-making.” Based on this agreement, Gyeonggi Province will develop its own public app and designate a social enterprise for its operation while providing support for delivery worker mobilization and social safety networks.   4. Gyeonggi to Aid COVID-19-affected Culture, Art and Tourism Industries (0416-1) Gyeonggi Province recently announced plans to provide the culture, art and tourism industries that are suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic with various supports including emergency operation support, vulnerable worker protection and public facility tenant discounts. ► Gyeonggi Sangsang Campus Baek (백현수), a Sangsang Campus startup center resident in sports education, has had almost no business for the past two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ► Baek Hyeon-su, Sangsang Campus Resident Business Operator “It’s painful, and it goes without saying that not just me but everyone is really suffering. I hope that we will be able to endure the hardship together.” ► Public Facility Rent Reductions Announced plans include the reduction of rents for 186 resident businesses at provincial facilities, including museums, art galleries, and the Sangsang Campus as well as tourism facilities, for a period of one to six months, with the total reduction amounting to KRW 330 million. ► Support for 1,000 Artists in Distress In addition, 1,000 artists in distress will be provided with support of KRW 1 million per person. ► Diverse Support Plans for Tourism, Culture and Art Businesses There will also be a discount-for-prepayment campaign for tourist lodgings, special financial guarantee support for ceramic manufacturers, and online broadcast support for performance businesses. ► Online Educational Content Production and Participation Support for Artists More than 900 freelance artists and 500 artistic groups will receive support for online educational content production and participation. ► Delivery Cost Support for Bookshops The province will also provide Gyeonggi-certified bookshops with delivery cost support of more than KRW 100 million. ► Jang Yeong-geun, Director General, Gyeonggi Province Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau “The objectives of the plans we announced today are to help culture, art and tourism businesses maintain competitiveness and sustainable environments through emergency support programs instead of through support payments and to enable residents to enjoy artistic and cultural contents through diverse channels including online performances while maintaining social distance.” More than 2,400 artists and 1,700 related groups facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to benefit from these new provincial support plans. Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.