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 Operates Food Bank for Individuals Impacted by Pandemic (0105-1) On December 4, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) visited a Gyeonggi food bank opened by the province for individuals who are unable to support themselves due to economic difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the visit, Governor Lee inspected facility operations and stated that no one should be left in a situation in which they have to steal food to survive. There are three such Gyeonggi food banks currently in operation at food markets in the cities of Gwangmyeong (광명), Seongnam (성남) and Pyeongtaek (평택). ◇ Gyeonggi Call Center Launches SNS Channel (0106-3) The 120 Gyeonggi Call Center recently opened an SNS channel via KakaoTalk. Through this channel, all enquiries including those regarding policies, administrative procedures and welfare matters will receive responses from specialists via chatrooms. The province now plans to use images in addition to text-based dialogues so as to provide more effective responses. This service channel extension is expected to improve the speed and accuracy of responses as well as resident satisfaction. ◇   Gyeonggi to Open More ‘365 Shelters for the Disabled’ This Year (0105-4) This year, Gyeonggi Province will increase the number of 365 Shelters for the Disabled to 13 by utilizing unused residential facilities for individuals with disabilities. These facilities provide individuals with severe disabilities with emergency care services. Services are available 24/7 for up to 30 days for a daily fee of KRW 20,000. ◇ Gyeonggi Launches Apartment Remodeling Consultation Services (0106-4) Gyeonggi Province has launched a trial project for apartment remodeling consultation services and begun receiving applications. These services are applicable to aging apartment complexes that received approval for usage more than 15 years ago but not yet for remodeling cooperatives, and of which more than 10 percent of residents have agreed to apply for the services. Through consultations, residents will be assisted in decision-making regarding relevant matters including the formulation of initial remodeling plans and feasibility studies. ◇ Gyeonggi Finalizes New Provincial Symbols (0106-1) Gyeonggi Province has introduced representative symbols and English slogans that reflect the status and future vision of the province as Korea’s largest local autonomy. The new Gyeonggi image symbolically represents the initial Korean consonants in the name of Gyeonggi Province. The top green strokes of the symbol represent provincial advancement along a straight road while the lower blue strokes convey the flexibility and strength of the province through the harmony of straight and curved lines. ◇   Gyeonggi-style Green Deal Policy to Be Launched This Year (0104) At the end of last year, Gyeonggi Province announced plans to invest KRW 420.4 billion in 18 projects in line with the Green New Deal Policy of the central government. One of the key projects is the supply of green mobility as part of efforts to establish eco-friendly, low-carbon transportation. Other projects include the ‘green’ remodeling of aging public buildings constructed more than 15 years ago with energy-efficiency improvements via support for high-performance insulation, doors and windows, and other facility and air-quality improvements through support for eco-friendly ventilation system installations. ◇ Gyeonggi Governor Visits COVID-19 Screening Site (0105-3) On December 4, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) visited a COVID-19 screening site that has been established temporarily at Gwangmyeong (광명) Stadium. During the visit, Governor Lee received a briefing on operations, encouraged site personnel, and offered assurances that the province will provide full support to secure beds for severe cases. Governor Lee then visited the intensive care unit of the Seoul National University Bundang (분당) Hospital and expressed gratitude to the hospital for offering beds for severe COVID-19 cases. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.