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 Seeks Alternative to High Ilsan Bridge Tolls (0217) With controversy over high Ilsan (일산) Bridge tolls mounting, Gyeonggi Province officials visited the bridge management company on February 15 to discuss the matter. During this visit, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) stated that it is absolutely inequitable and unfair that, of all Han River bridges, users have to pay tolls only on Ilsan Bridge. He also asserted that Gyeonggi Province will find alternatives. There have been demands for the adjustment of Ilsan Bridge tolls on numerous occasions from residents as well as from elected national, provincial and local representatives of the surrounding cities. Backed by their support and with proactive efforts, Gyeonggi Province expects to achieve satisfactory results through negotiations. ◇ Gyeonggi to Launch COVID-19 Risk Alert App (0216) In cooperation with Seoul National University, Gyeonggi Province has developed and will launch a COVID-19 risk alert app that warns users if they have been potentially exposed to infection. Alerts are provided based on user movements during the preceding two weeks relative to the movements of confirmed COVID-19 carriers. Released movement data is obtained from the In-depth Tracking Database developed by the province, the first of its kind in Korea. Once this app is installed on a user’s mobile device, related GPS data is stored on the device and used by the app to provide infection risk alerts at user-selected intervals. ◇   Area-wide Assembly Reps Discuss National Negotiating Body Formation (0216) On February 15, the Democratic Party Floor Leaders of the assemblies of Korea’s area-wide autonomies gathered at the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly to discuss the formation of a national negotiation body. This was a preliminary meeting convened to discuss practical matters prior to the actual launch of the National Negotiation Body of Democratic Party Floor Leaders of the Assemblies of Area-wide Autonomies. During the meeting, participants also discussed proposing the enactment of the Regional Assembly Act as well as national negotiation body launching schedules. ◇ Gyeonggi to Relocate 7 Provincial Organizations to Northeastern Regions (0218) Gyeonggi Province recently announced plans to relocate 7 provincial organizations so as to promote balanced development of northern and eastern provincial regions. Including the Gyeonggi Research Institute, the Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation, the Gyeonggi Business & Science Accelerator, the Gyeonggi agroFood Institute, the Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation, the Gyeonggi Urban Innovation Corporation, and the Gyeonggi Women & Family Foundation, over 1,100 personnel would be part of the relocations. This is approximately the same as the number of personnel involved in the 1st and 2nd relocation rounds combined. Relocation sites will be selected on an application basis from among sites in 17 cities and counties excluding those encompassing both border and natural conservation areas. From this month, the province will work to finalize and implement application procedures. It will then review applications in April before announcing the selected relocation sites in May. ◇ Gyeonggi Resettlement Support for the Disabled Increased 50% (0216-3) From this year, Gyeonggi Province will increase the amount of Resettlement Support for the Disabled from KRW 10 million to KRW 15 million, the highest such amount in the nation. This year’s support, which is geared to help with initial resettlement, will be available to 21 individuals who either left residential facilities for the disabled or completed the Experiential Home program. Applications can be submitted to city or county offices of facility locations within 6 months of facility discharge. ◇   Gyeonggi Livestock Farms Donate Products to Gyeonggi Food Bank (0215-1) On February 10, Gyeonggi Province, the Gyeonggi Volunteer Center, and livestock industry organizations in the province held a ceremony for the donation of food items to Gyeonggi residents in need. Present at the ceremony were: Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명), Seoul Milk Cooperative President Mun Jin-seop (문진섭), Korean Beef Association Gyeonggi Branch Director Lee Yeon-muk (이연묵), Korean Pork Association Gyeonggi Branch Director Choi Yeong-gil (최영길), and Gyeonggi Volunteer Center Director Gwon Seok-pil (권석필). During the ceremony, these organizations consigned livestock products valued at approximately KRW 115 million to the Gyeonggi Volunteer Center for final delivery to recipients through Gyeonggi Food Bank locations. ◇ Gyeonggi Introduces Early Employment and Startup Rewards for Women (2017-3) This year, Gyeonggi Province will continue its employment support program for unemployed women. The province will select approximately 3,400 beneficiaries from among jobless women between the ages of 35 and 59 who have resided in the province for more than a year. These beneficiaries will be provided with diverse employment support services. Of particular note, the province will introduce additional Early Employment and Startup Rewards of KRW 300,000 this year, which will be paid to those who succeed in finding employment or starting a new business during the support payment period. Detailed information including application procedures can be found on the Gyeonggi Employment Foundation website. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.