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 Initiates Air Purifier Installation at Primary Schools (0324-2) On days when atmospheric fine dust levels are especially high, primary schools avoid outdoor classes. During such periods, COVID-19 infection risks may also increase indoors if air quality is not properly managed. To help address this problem, Gyeonggi Province has installed 10 air purifying units that can reduce fine dust and airborne virus levels at 5 primary schools on a trial basis. Based on the performance results, the province will install air purifying units at more schools in cooperation with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. ◇ Gyeonggi Hosts Meeting with Private Sector on Pet Trade Improvement (0323-2) On March 22, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) met with pet specialists including representatives of animal protection organizations and pet associations to discuss ways in which to improve pet trade practices. During the meeting, Governor Lee stated that a cultural consensus must be established in which pets are not regarded as possessions but instead respected as companions with lives of their own. He then offered assurances that the province will develop measures that will be beneficial for both animal protection and the pet industry. ◇ Gyeonggi to Replace Semi-public Bus Operations with Public Operations (0325) With implementation of the Korean government’s semi-public intercity bus operation plans being delayed due to the failure of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance to observe the cost-sharing agreement, Gyeonggi Province has announced special alternative plans. According to these plans, all bus routes within the semi-public operation system, which encompasses more than 600 buses on 71 routes, will be transferred to a public operation system when the current semi-public operation system ends in August. Gyeonggi Province plans to subsequently transfer operations to the central government from next year. ◇   Gyeonggi Surveys Online Delivery Business Areal Coverage Overlapping (0323-3) On March 23, Gyeonggi Province announced the results of its survey on the overlap of online delivery business areas. Results indicated that, among the 5,700 chicken and pizza franchise shops that are promoted via delivery apps, overlapping exposure of the same franchise brand occurred with as many as 18 shops. In addition, business coverage areas set by individual franchise shops are 2.5 times larger than actual delivery areas on average. This means there is high potential for disputes over coverage areas among businesses. Gyeonggi Province will address this issue through diverse measures such as holding forums on online business coverage and operating an unfair case report center. ◇ Gyeonggi Uncovers Large Number of Unregistered Retaining Walls (0323-1) In cooperation with 25 public volunteers, Gyeonggi Province recently conducted investigations of large retaining walls in the province and found a number that had not been registered with the related facility information system and thus neglected during safety inspections. Among these structures, more than 50 were found to be unsafe due to cracking and subsidence issues. Such unsafe retaining walls can be life-threatening if located within residential or commercial areas. During the investigations, a total of more than 250 unregistered retaining wall were identified. Gyeonggi Province is urging the responsible parties to immediately register such walls while arranging administrative punishments including penalties as deemed appropriate. ◇ Gyeonggi Provides New Farmers with Customized On-site Consultation Services (0324-1) The Gyeonggi Agricultural Research and Extension Services is providing farming startups with customized on-site consultation services. These services are provided at farms by specialists who examine each farm in detail and then offer tailored solutions on a wide range of issues ranging from taxation to product processing. Each consultation will be used by the institute in the publication of a case compilation. The institute will continue its education and support activities for new farmers. ◇   National Assembly Forum on Privately Invested Expressway Operation (0325-1) On March 24, a public forum on privately invested expressway operation was held at the Korean National Assembly. Organized jointly by more than 30 National Assembly members and hosted by Gyeonggi Province, the Gyeonggi Research Institute and Gangwon (강원) Province, this forum featured a panel that also included 10 National Assembly members. During the discussion, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) asserted that people must be guaranteed the basic right of passage since roads are public assets. Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province has formed a special task force to undertake toll readjustments through active negotiations with private expressway operators. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.