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 Helps Social Economy Enterprises Do Business with Public Organizations (191204-2) To address marketing difficulties experienced by social economy enterprises, Gyeonggi Province held ‘Public Procurement Matching Day’, a sales promotion event at which such enterprises could pursue business opportunities with the Korea Land & Housing Corporation. ► Gyeonggi Regional Office, Korea Land & Housing Corp. (November 29) ‘Public Procurement Matching Day’ Event At this business matching event, Ryu (류재욱), an operator of a social cooperative in Bucheon (부천) City that supplies equipment to individuals with developmental disorders, looks forward to securing orders from public organizations, normally a difficult challenge for a social economy enterprise. ► Ryu Jae-wook, Chairperson, Social Cooperative Haenaem Promotion “This event organized by Gyeonggi Province serves as a wonderful marketing opportunity through which we can promote our products and increase sales.” ► 35 Selected Social Economy Enterprises Participate Held at the Gyeonggi regional office of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, this event saw participation by 35 social economy enterprises specializing in interior architecture. These enterprises were selected through local community support centers. ► Matching and Consultations between Social Economy Enterprises and Public Organizations During the event, these enterprises met with procurement officials through customized consultation arrangements. ► Seo Nam-gwon, Director General, Gyeonggi Province Communication & Cooperative Governance Bureau “Events like this help increase sales by more than 10 percent on average. We will continue to do our utmost to promote the marketing of social economy enterprises.” Through public procurement consultation events like this, social economy enterprises in Gyeonggi Province were able to ecure 465 public organization orders valued at KRW 1 billion in total this year.   2. Gyeonggi and Jeju Host Inter-Korean Exchange & Cooperation Workshop (191204-3) While the provinces of Gyeonggi and Jeju have been holding joint inter-Korean exchange and cooperation workshops since 2009, autonomous bodies of Korea have become eligible to host North Korean support projects. ► Gyeonggi Province, Seoul and Incheon Designated as North Korea Support Project Operators This eligibility was effectuated on October 22 by the Ministry of Unification through the amendment of the ‘Humanitarian North Korean Support and Cooperation Project Management Regulations’. Initially, Gyeonggi Province, Seoul and Incheon (인천) were designated as possible hosts for independent projects. ► Lee Jong-ju, Director, Ministry of Unification Humanitarian Cooperation Planning Division “We decided that the aspirations and capabilities of local autonomies for inter-Korean exchanges as well as institutional foundation, including related laws and regulations, justify our initiative.” ► Island Castle, Uijeongbu City (November 28-29) 11th Local Autonomy Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Workshop Subsequently, Gyeonggi Province hosted a 2-day workshop on local autonomy inter-Korean exchange and cooperation projects to discuss the current political situation and future outlook following the designation, as well as related project cases. ► Jeon Cheol, Deputy Director, Gyeonggi Province Inter-Korean Exchange & Cooperation Team “We spent approximately KRW 55 million on North Korean forestation support, as well as KRW 500 million on a tuberculosis control support program that has been in operation since 2015.” Gyeonggi Province shared its experiences including those involving malaria control support and international conferences joined by North Korean representatives. ► Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young “While central government inter-Korean dialogue and diplomatic initiatives are important, continuous expansion of local autonomy inter-Korean exchange and cooperation through diverse endeavors also …” Workshop participants unanimously agreed that inter-Korean projects should be acceptable by North Korea while avoiding the violation of international sanctions.   3. Party Secretary of Shandong Province, China, Visits Gyeonggi (191204-4) On December 2, representatives of Shandong Province, China, visited Gyeonggi Province to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the sisterhood relationship between the two provinces. The two provinces agreed to designate the period until 2022 as “Years of Friendship” and to strengthen cooperation in every field including economy, science and technology. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) expressed hopes that the two regions could become an international cooperation model, asserting that the current political tension in Northeast Asia should be replaced by new energy for advancement. Shandong Province Party Secretary Ryu Jai responded by saying that he expects cooperation between the two provinces will lead to numerous positive results.   4. Gyeonggi VR/AR Enterprises Present Provincial Support Results (191204-5) On November 29, SMEs in virtual and augmented reality fields presented reports on results of provincial support at the Gwangyo (광교) Business Center in Suwon (수원) City. Twenty-seven teams introduced new projects they had developed with support from the province since May. This event was followed by consultations with potential investors.   5. Gyeonggi to Expand Number of Happy Town Management Offices (191203-1) Gyeonggi Province recently announced its plan to significantly increase the number of Gyeonggi Happy Town Management Offices, which provide diverse services for local non-apartment residents, from the current 18 to 110 by the year 2022. ► Wolsong-dong, Yeoju City At this time of year, Happy Town guards are busy preparing the homes of solitary seniors for winter. After cleaning, they neatly stow away electric cords and replace plastic sheets to shield windows from cold winds. ► Ju Su-gwang, Happy Town Guard “I feel most rewarded when they earnestly express their gratitude with a hot cup of coffee after I fix things like lights and electric sockets.” ► Lotus Childcare Center, Jeoju City At this childcare center, a Happy Town guard serves as a day teacher, playing with children who have difficulties engaging in outdoor activities. The guard helps children learn about insects and develop a sense of cooperation by using various educational tools. ► Lee Sayena, Director, Lotus Childcare Center “They help children explore and enjoy various subjects using natural items. They also help them develop thinking and creative skills in cooperation through play. I am very satisfied with the program.” ► Gyeonggi Began Operation of Happy Town Management Offices in 2018 Introduced in urban communities with high proportions of seniors and working-class residents last year, the Happy Town Management Offices provide community services including environment improvement and patrols, immediately resolve issues such as delivery reception and home repairs, and also undertake other specialized services. ► Yang Jong-gil, Deputy Director, Gyeonggi Province Private Cooperation Team “We expect that the Gyeonggi Happy Town Management Offices will play a major role in promoting the livelihood of local communities by providing diverse public services from the residents’ point of view, connecting these services with local community members, and creating public jobs.” ► Gyeonggi to Increase Number of Happy Town Management Centers to 110 by 2022 Currently, Happy Town Management Offices are operating at 18 locations in the province. The province plans to increase the number of offices to 43 by the end of next year and to 110 by the year 2022 on application basis. The province intends to firmly establish the program as a self-sustaining, resident-run public service model.   6. Gyeonggi to Pursue Restrictions on Backstreet Establishments of Large Retailers (191204-1) Gyeonggi Province and eleven cities of the province recently agreed to jointly pursue the exclusion of large retail structures from backstreet commercial areas during urban planning stages. ► Current Laws Require Local Government Reviews Only after Issuance of Construction Permits Large retail structures such as malls, supermarkets and shopping centers frequently enter backstreet commercial areas, negatively affecting local small businesses. According to related law, a retail business with an area of more than 3,000 square meters is subject to local government review only after construction permits have been issued, making it impossible to protect small businesses in that area. ► Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex (December 3) Signing of Agreement for Improvement of Large Retailer Location Regulations The purpose of this agreement is to protect backstreet commerce from the incursion of large retailers through administrative measures. ► New Policy Pursues Restrictions Imposed Early in Urban Planning Stages Through this agreement, local autonomies will pursue related restrictions proactively during urban planning stages. ► Regulation Improvement to Limit Location Criteria for Large Retailer Permit According to this agreement, the autonomous bodies involved will jointly pursue alternatives based on local conditions and undertake the amendment of related local ordinances so as to restrict the establishment of large retail structures based on district zoning while also establishing legal criteria for such restrictions. ► Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung “We currently have eleven local governments participating in this pursuit. However, if initial efforts result in positive responses from a majority of the local residents, I believe that the other Gyeonggi localities will join. I think today is an important starting point.” This agreement marks the first case in Korea in which an area-wide autonomy and its local autonomies have joined together to protect backstreet commerce.   7. Backstreet Businesses Respond Positively to Gyeonggi’s Large Retailer Location Regulation Improvement Policy (191204-2) Small business organizations in Gyeonggi Province welcomed the provincial administration’s new policy to restrict the entry of large retailers into backstreet commercial areas and expressed their desire to see the province-wide expansion of the policy. ► Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (December 4) Small Business Owners and Market Merchants Express Approval for Gyeonggi Policy On December 3, more than 20 small business owners and market merchants in Gyeonggi Province gathered in front of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex to express their views on this policy. ► Lee Sang-baek, Chairperson, Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise Gyeonggi Office “The Gyeonggi Regional Office of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise and the Gyeonggi Province Merchant Association welcome the provincial administration’s policy to proactively protect backstreet commerce. We declare that we will actively support the policy.” The representatives of these small business organizations argued that current large retailer registration regulations do not effectively protect backstreet commerce since such regulations apply only after construction permits are issued. They agreed that Gyeonggi’s new policy is positive for protection. ► “Safety Net and New Hopes for Backstreet Commerce” They also asserted that, with this policy acting as a safety net, backstreet commerce will gain confidence, and that this policy should lead to final legislation. ► Lee Chung-hwan, Chairperson, Gyeonggi Province Merchant Association “Policy and legislation will help small businesses and traditional markets improve business and boost local economies…” These small business organization representatives also offered assurances of their support for the province-wide expansion of the policy. Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.