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 Encourages Enterprises to Cover Job Applicant Interview Costs (1007) From next year, Gyeonggi Province will provide enterprises that cover the interview costs of job applicants, such as transportation costs, with various incentives. The province expects that this will promote interview cost support among enterprises, which will in turn promote job searches among residents. Participating enterprises will be provided with priority treatment when they apply for any of six provincial SME support programs. These enterprises will also be granted use of the Gyeonggi Province Governor’s certification mark for brand image enhancement. In addition, Gyeonggi Province is considering the provision of extra points to such enterprises when assessing their loan guarantee applications via the Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation as well as the expansion of this program to small SMEs with growth potential.   2. Pyeongtaek’s Hyeondeok District Development to be Pursued as Joint Private-Public Project (1008) After an 11-year delay, the Hyeondoek (현덕) District Development Project in Pyeongtaek (평택) City will finally proceed through joint public and private participation. The primary reason for the prolonged delay was the vast financial burden faced by private developers. ► Hyeondeok District, Pyeongtaek City Planned in 2008, this development project includes commercial, residential and public facilities on a 2.3 million square-meter site. The subsequent 11-year delay has been a source of inconvenience for local residents. ► Kim Yeong-il, Local Resident “We were unable to start any businesses here since the land is subject to forced procurement for development. That prompted young residents to leave the area and caused the area to lose vitality…” ► Hyeondeok District to Be Developed Jointly by Private and Public Developers Instead of the sole participation of private developers as specified in the original plan, development will now be realized through joint public-private efforts. ► Public Developers to Undertake 50% of Construction According to the revised plan, the Gyeonggi Urban Innovation Corporation and the Pyeongtaek Urban Corporation will undertake 50 percent of construction, alleviating the burden faced by private developers. ► Development Profits to Be Returned to Residents As pledged by the current administration, the province also plans to return development profits from public segments of the project to residents in the form of infrastructure expansion. The province will complete an investment feasibility study through commissioned specialists by March next year before pursuing urban corporation and local approvals. Joint public and private development will also help relieve inconveniences being experienced by local residents.   3. 4,000+ Real Estate Transaction Offenses Uncovered in Gyeonggi (1010-3) Gyeonggi Province recently announced that it had uncovered 4,466 offenses and imposed fines totaling KRW 505 million during a recent investigation of real estate agency-promoted transactions. Offenses include violations of related laws, primarily those pertaining to the reporting of real estate transactions. All offenses will be subject to fines with 2,025 offenses having already been charged.   4. Gyeonggi Establishes Transportation Headquarters (1010-1) On October 10, Gyeonggi Province established the new Gyeonggi Transportation Headquarters, a forerunner to the planned Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation, to oversee the implementation of bus route tenders and semi-public bus management. ► Shintanri Station, Yeoncheon County From next year, the travel time by bus between Seoul and Shintanri (신탄리) Station in Yeoncheon (연천) County will be reduced from the current three hours to two hours via the opening of a new route. This is being made possible through the semi-public bus management system of Gyeonggi Province. ► Kim Hyeon-sun, Yeongcheon City Resident “Travel from here to Seoul by bus is extremely inconvenient, especially for seniors who face difficulties walking, since it is necessary to transfer at Soyosan or Dongducheon Station. It would be much better if we have a direct route.” ► Gyeonggi Transportation Headquarters Inauguration Ceremony, Uijeongbu City (October 10) The Gyeonggi Transportation Headquarters will undertake the implementation of bus route tenders and semi-public bus management until the Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation is established. Through the bus route tender system, buses on certain routes are operated by contractors for prescribed periods. ► Semi-public Bus Management System to be Implemented on 16 Intercity Bus Routes from Next Year This month, the Gyeonggi Transportation Headquarters will invite bids on 12 intercity bus routes for semi-public bus operation trials that will begin next year. ► Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Hwa-soon “With tender-based semi-public bus management, instead of private operators, bus route operation rights will be publicly owned to ensure better services.” ► Cooperation Agreement for Route Bid-based Semi-public Bus Management In addition to the opening of the Gyeonggi Transportation Headquarters, the province also signed cooperation agreements with 19 local governments for tender-based semi-public bus management. ► Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation for Provincial Bus and Rail Transportation Administration From next year, the Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation will undertake the administration of bus and rail transportation as well as the development of related infrastructure and environment-friendly initiatives throughout the province.   5. Sharing Economy International Forum Held in Gyeonggi (191010-2) On October 10, an international forum on sharing economy was held in Gyeonggi Province. During the forum, related cases including those involving vehicle sharing were presented and sharing methods were discussed. ► Suwon Convention Center (October 10) 2019 Sharing Economy International Forum This forum focused on studying the present and future of sharing economy. ► Economic Activities through Sharing and Borrowing Organized jointly by Gyeonggi Province and the daily newspaper Seoul Shinmun, this forum saw presentations on various sharing economy cases and discussions on related issues. ► Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-yung “I hope that, through constructive discussions, this forum will help open new horizons through which sharing economy will enhance social values that Gyeonggi residents can appreciate.” With advancements in information and communication technologies, sharing economy has emerged as a new economic model. During the forum, which featured more than 500 participants, the sharing of transportation means, such as cars and bicycles, was discussed in depth as well as other sharing economy cases including international trends. ► Saif Benjaafar, Professor, University of Minnesota “…to reduce this friction caused by inconvenience of exchanges between many small suppliers and many individual buyers, there’s a business opportunity for a platform…” ► Cho Jong-un, CEO of Car Pool Service Enterprise (Share&Share) “(According to law,) it is against the law to use car pools for purposes other than commuting. We ask users to carry employment certificates as a means to confirm their identities…” Case presentations were followed by discussions on policies necessary for the application of sharing economy technologies in Korea; these were chaired by the director of the Gyeonggi Research Institute. Forum participants also included social economy enterprise representatives.   6. Talk Show on Gyeonggi Regional Currency held for Goyang City Youths (1011-2) On October 8, a talk show on Gyeonggi Regional Currency and Youth Basic Income was held at the ‘Communication Space’ in Goyang (고양) City. During this event, related cases were shared with youths who also expressed their opinions. This event featured a Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member, a popular singer and YouTubers as panel members.   7. Gyeonggi Supports Employment of Baby Boomers (1011-1) Gyeonggi Province will launch a new employment support program that matches SMEs with early retirees who are seeking employment opportunities. This program will provide job searchers with vocational training and consultation services while providing employing enterprises with wage payment support for up to 6 months. Support will be available to 200 selected job searchers who are 50 to 65 years of age and SMEs with fewer than 300 employees. Inquiries can be directed to Gyeonggi Province’s Employment Policy Division. Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.