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. Visiting Book-reading Program for Individuals Facing Library Challenges (0621) Gyeonggi Province has announced plans to launch the ‘Visiting Book-reading Culture Program’ for those who may have difficulties using libraries including members of multicultural and low-income families. This year, more than 630 individuals from 50 institutes in the province will participate in the operation of this program through to November. Depending on the institutes, diverse contents will be offered including customized book-reading classes and visiting instruction by writers, while multicultural institutes will focus on the improvement of multicultural understanding, unity and literacy. ◇ Provincial Funeral for Fire Official Kim Dong-sik Held on June 21 (0621) On June 21, a farewell ceremony for assistant fire chief Kim Dong-sik (김동식), a Gwangju (광주) Fire Station Rescue Team Leader who died in the line of duty during a rescue operation at a distribution center fire in Icheon (이천) City, took place as a provincial funeral. Present at the funeral were more than ninety individuals including surviving family members, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jaemyung (이재명), National Assembly members, local assembly members and fellow fire officials. Assistant fire chief Kim was posthumously awarded a special promotion of one rank as well as a medal for distinguished service. He was interred at the Daejeon National Cemetery. ◇ Gyeonggi to Redirect Garbage Truck Tailpipes to Protect Sanitation Workers (0621) Gyeonggi Province is pursuing the redirection of garbage truck tailpipes to the sides of the vehicles. Responding to continuous complaints from sanitation workers regarding their exposure to exhaust while working behind such vehicles, the province began seeking ways in which to redirect tailpipes. Primary consideration is being given to encouraging local government participation through partial subsidization of the required costs. ◇ Gyeonggi Hosts National Assembly Forum on Animal Protection (0623) Gyeonggi Province recently hosted a National Assembly forum on the issue of Animal Protection Law violations. During the forum, which also featured representatives of animal protection and animal breeder organizations, discussions focused on dog breeding operations along with illegal dog slaughtering and trading practices in the province. The Gyeonggi provincial administration takes such matters seriously and is striving to improve the situation while promoting necessary legislation. ◇ Gyeonggi Hosts ‘Academic Forum on Gyeonggi Ocean Tourism Promotion’ (0622) On June 18, Gyeonggi Province held the ‘Academic Forum on Gyeonggi Ocean Tourism Promotion’ on a Hyundai cruise ship at the Ara Gimpo (아라김포) Passenger Terminal in Gimpo City. The objective of this, the first academic forum on the subject, was the promotion of Gyeonggi coastal areas and identification of effective ways in which to promote Gyeonggi ocean tourism. The forum began with a presentation by Academy of Korea Hospitality and Tourism Vice President Lee Jeong-cheol (이정철) on the ‘Definition of and Promotion Strategies for Gyeonggi Oceans,’ which was followed by presentations and discussions on experiential ocean tourism program development, marine leisure promotion, and Gyeonggi ocean tourist inducement strategies. ◇   2nd Round of Gyeonggi Local Currency Support Completed Early (Video from Archive) The second round of support for Gyeonggi local currency usage, which the current Gyeonggi provincial administration offered earlier this month to address the economic impact of COVID-19, ended early when available funds were exhausted in only 20 days thanks to positive consumer responses. Of those who charged their local currency accounts with KRW 200 thousand or more during this period, first-time users numbered approximately 490 thousand and accounted for 40 percent, while the remaining 60 percent – or approximately 740 thousand individuals – were existing users. This round of consumption support was provided at differentiated rates for existing users and first-time users, with the latter receiving an automatic local currency incentive of KRW 50 thousand. ◇ Large Number of Animal-related Business Violations Uncovered in Gyeonggi (0622) The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced that 65 animal law-related violations were identified at 53 locations in the province following a one-year intensive crackdown that began in April last year on animal businesses including dog-breeding facilities. Violations included illegal slaughtering methods, diseased animal abuse, and unlicensed operations. The violation types included 7 cases of animal abuse, 4 cases of unlicensed animal breeding, one case of unlicensed animal dealing, 24 cases of unlicensed pet salon operation, 10 cases of unlicensed animal display and management agent subcontracting, 5 violations of the Livestock Waste Act, 3 violations of the Water Environment Conservation Act, 9 violations of the Waste Management Act, and 2 other violations. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.