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. Gyeonggi Offers Legal Aid to Digital Sex Crime Victims (0616-6) Pursuing the eradication of digital sex crimes, Gyeonggi Province recently secured cooperation from the Korean Women Lawyers Association and the Gyeonggido Women and Family Foundation in the provision of legal aid to the victims of such crimes. These organizations will work together to prevent digital sex crimes while aiding victims through administrative and policy-making initiatives. ◇ US Gas Company Linde to Invest USD 1.5 Billion in Gyeonggi Province (0617-2) Linde, a global industrial gas and energy enterprise in the United States, recently announced plans to establish and expand industrial gas production and hydrogen recharging facilities in Gyeonggi Province. To this end, the company and the province signed an MOU for an investment amounting to USD 1.5 billion, the largest foreign investment realized by the province so far this year. ◇ Gyeonggi to Expand Small Businesses Support Program to Alleviate COVID-19 Impact (0619) Gyeonggi Province will expand the scope and subjects of its ‘Small Business COVID-19 Bank Account’ program to help businesses overcome difficulties stemming from the prolonged pandemic. The total budget for the program has been increased from KRW 200 billion to 400 billion while application criteria have been eased significantly. For example, the upper limit for individual credit points for those with low credit ratings was increased from 744 to 839. Applications are being received at NH Bank branches in the province, with the eased criteria entering into effect from June 21. ◇   Hanam Rail Line User Survey Reveals Satisfaction Rating of 97% In a recent user satisfaction survey on the Hanam (하남) Rail Line, an extension of Subway Line 5 and the first Gyeonggi-initiated metropolitan rail project, 97% of respondents expressed ‘overall satisfaction.’ Positive ratings were especially high for cleanliness and comfort factors. ◇ Applications for Gyeonggi’s Nanotech SME Support Accepted until June 20 (0618) Up to June 20, Gyeonggi Province will receive applications from system semiconductor and nanotech enterprises seeking to participate in its Nanotech SME Support Program. Qualifying enterprises will receive support of KRW 24 million, or KRW 27 million for startups, as well as diverse additional support for technical development, prototype testing, analysis and certification, and technical exchanges among participating enterprises. Accepted startups can enter the 1-person Creative Support Center at the Korea Advanced Nano Fab Center and also participate in customized startup capacity-building programs including mentoring services for individual enterprises. ◇ Gyeonggi Organizations to Promote Public Procurement from Social Enterprises (0616) On June 11, twenty-six Gyeonggi provincial organizations jointly engaged in the Social Economy Public Procurement Promotion Declaration to promote the public procurement of products and services from social economy enterprises, which pursue both economic and social values. Manifesting the intention of the participating organizations to become active clients of social economy enterprises, this joint declaration also includes the commitment of each participant to disclose annual procurement targets and results and to observe priority procurement ratios for social economy enterprises. ◇   3rd Plenary of 352nd Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Regular Session (0614) On June 10, the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly had the 3rd plenary of its 352nd Regular Session. During the administrative inquiry session, opinions and proposals were presented including those regarding basic income payments to artists directly impacted by the pandemic, the provision of provincial support to special households such as single-parent families, and the balanced development of southern and northern provincial regions. The plenary also saw 5-minute free speeches by assembly members regarding local issues including the transit rights of individuals with disabilities and repair support for older urban homes. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.