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 to Supply Low-cost Industrial Lots to SMEs (0517-1) Gyeonggi Province plans to supply land lots to small- and medium-sized enterprises through public lease at one-third of market rates. For this program, the province will utilize on a trial basis an industrial complex in Yeoncheon (연천) County that is currently being developed and another in Pyeongtaek (평택) City that opened this past December. These areas will be divided into small lots and leased at 1 percent of their development costs. Occupants can lease the lots for up to 50 years and become eligible to purchase the lots after 5 years of occupation. Geared to alleviate the burden of lease costs, this program targets small businesses, U-turn enterprises and other SMEs with annual sales less than KRW 150 billion. The province plans to begin receiving applications for lot occupation from as early as August. ◇ Gyeonggi Governor Meets with Gwangju Members of Local Government Council on Basic Income (0520) On May 18, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jaemyung (이재명) visited Gwangju Metropolitan City and met with the heads of five city districts that are members of the Local Government Council on Basic Income. During the meeting, Governor Lee recognized the democratic and orderly conduct of Gwangju residents during the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement that took place 41 years ago and stressed the importance of basic income in creating an egalitarian society. The Local Government Council on Basic Income, first proposed by Governor Lee in 2018, is a body currently comprised of 77 local governments that recognize the necessity for basic income and agree to work together in related pursuits. ◇   Gyeonggi Province Policy Meeting on Essential Workers (0520-2) Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly recently held a joint policy forum on issues relating to ‘essential workers.’ Essential workers are those who are constantly on duty to protect the property and lives of the public on a daily basis and not just during disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. During the meeting, the provincial administration and assembly discussed support policies for these workers. Based on the opinions gathered during the forum, the ‘Essential Worker Support Committee’ is expected to be established during the first half of the year. ◇ Gyeonggi to Pay Support to Gwangju Democratization Movement Individuals of Merit and Surviving Family Members (0518-5) Individuals of merit who participated in the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement of 1980 and their surviving family members who reside in Gyeonggi Province will receive monthly livelihood support of KRW 100 thousand from July if they earn less than 100 percent of standard middle-class income. There are an estimated 135 such individuals currently residing in the province. These individuals can apply for this support at local public offices from July 1. ◇ Gyeonggi Holds Public Meeting on Utilization of ‘Delivery Express’ App (0518) On May 18, a public meeting on the utilization of the Delivery Express app took place at the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex. This meeting was organized by the province to identify ways in which to expand the platform services of the public delivery app and promote local community usage of the app. It also sought to gather public opinions and suggestions regarding the future role and improvement of the app. Attended by local community members and small business representatives, this meeting was deemed helpful in contributing to the improvement of public delivery app services. ◇   Gyeonggi Province and North Cheolla Province to Promote Use of Certified Alternative Motor Parts (0518-1) The provinces of Gyeonggi and North Cheolla (전라) recently signed a cooperation agreement to promote certified alternative auto parts so as to help auto part SMEs increase their competitiveness while also protecting consumer rights in terms of parts selection. Under this agreement, the two provinces will work together to support the production, distribution and consumption of certified alternative parts while improving consumer recognition of such parts through regulatory reformation and public promotion. Additionally, Gyeonggi Province will use certified alternative parts for the more than 800 vehicles operated by the province and provincial organizations, promoting consumption by encouraging the participation of related businesses in this initiative. ◇ Gyeonggi Website Lists 889 Restaurants with Amenities for the Disabled (0521-4) Gyeonggi Province recently published a list of 889 Good Restaurants that offer amenities for the convenience of individuals with disabilities, such as those in wheelchairs. Selected from among 2,800 certified Good Restaurants in the province, these restaurants feature related facilities such as accessible tables, ramps, elevators, and washrooms. Information on Good Restaurants with facilities for the disabled can be found on the Gyeonggi Province website. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.