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 Launches Home-visiting Library Service for Young Children (0420-2) Gyeonggi Province recently launched a home-visiting library service for families with young children. Initially offered in 6 cities and counties in northeastern areas of Gyeonggi that are far from libraries, this book-reading program will see instructors visit the homes of more than 3,500 children between 3 and 5 years of age on a monthly basis. The children will receive 4 to 8 books on loan and can receive reading assistance during each half-hour visit. This program is currently operating in the cities of Pocheon (포천), Yeoju (여주), and Dongducheon (동두천) as well as in the counties of Yangpyeong (양평), Gapyeong (가평) and Yeoncheon (연천). ◇ Gyeonggi Provides Free Boat Repair Services in Remote Regions (0422-2) The Gyeonggi Maritime and Fisheries Research Institute has been operating free fishing boat and equipment repair services on a rotational basis in remote areas of Gyeonggi Province, including islands and inland fishing communities, so as to provide fishermen in these areas with essential-but-often-inaccessible services. These services are especially helpful to fishing communities with older fishermen. This year, the institute plans to service 180 fishing boats in 7 regions including Gapyeong (가평) County, Gukhwa (국화) Island and Pung (풍) Island. ◇ Northern Offices of Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Open (0419-1) On April 19, the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly opened its northern offices at the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex, complete with individual assembly member offices and standing committee meeting rooms as well as rest areas. With the opening of this northern branch, the first of its kind among the local autonomies of Korea, the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly is now more accessible by northern provincial residents, a step which is expected to generate significant positive effects. ◇ 2021 ‘Let’s DMZ’ Peace & Art Festival to Begin on May 20 (0422-1) The 2021 ‘Let’s DMZ’ Peace and Art Festival, which showcases the Korean Demilitarized Zone, will begin on May 20 at a number of venues including the DMZ itself. Gyeonggi Province plans to develop this festival as an integrated academic, cultural and artistic event that globally conveys the value of the DMZ as a place of peace, life and coexistence. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the province will organize the festival in accordance with precautionary measures including the utilization of contactless online methods. ◇ Gyeonggi Hosts Policy Forum on Rest Facilities for Custodians and Guards (0420-1) Gyeonggi Province has been pursuing the establishment and improvement of rest facilities for custodial and security workers. To this end, the province recently hosted a related policy forum. During this forum, which was joined by more than 50 participants including government officials, National Assembly members, and related specialists, discussions took place on a number of associated topics including rest facility improvement projects in the public and private sectors as well as the amendment of related legislation including housing construction standards. ◇   Gyeonggi to Open Korea’s First 24-Hour Helpline for Seniors (0419-2) At a press conference held on April 19, Gyeonggi Province Welfare Bureau Director General Lee Byeong-woo (이병우) announced the launch of a 24-hour helpline for seniors to alleviate social isolation and depression. The first of its kind in Korea, this one-stop, around-the-clock counselling service, which also connects seniors to welfare programs as required, will be available throughout the province from May 1. ◇   Gyeonggi to Support Selected Local Commerce Organizations (0423-1) Gyeonggi Province has been operating the Backstreet Commerce Organization Support Program so as to help small local businesses overcome difficulties through collective efforts. The province now plans to select 33 such organizations out of more than 300 so as to enable their further growth and development. Selection will be based on application reviews as well as on-site evaluations, with actual support provision slated to begin in June. Organizations wishing to benefit from provincial support can submit applications to local government offices by May 13. Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.