Gwangju City News

From the Gwangju Metropolitan City website (http://gwangju.go.kr)

Photo courtesy of Gwangju Tourism website

Gwangju to Create Clean and Safe Public Toilets

To provide safe and comfortable toilets to citizens, Gwangju Metropolitan City will invest a total of 3.1 billion won in improvement projects such as the expansion of public toilet safety facilities, other communal toilet support projects, and toilet supplies support.

First is a project to expand and improve public toilets through an annual needs survey of autonomous districts. This year, a total project budget of 2.07 billion won is set to build eight public toilets in high pedestrian traffic areas, including parks and river trails. In addition, safety and convenience facilities such as designated cars for the disabled, CCTV cameras, and safety emergency alarms will be provided to further enhance the satisfaction of citizens.

In particular, as citizens’ anxiety about hidden-camera crimes is increasing, the city plans to install safety screens in 163 public toilets, as well as install safety screens in all public toilets by next year. A safety screen is an insert for the open space at the bottom of toilet stalls, and the safety screen will prevent hidden-camera crimes by blocking filming by mobile phones and other cameras, and they will make it possible for citizens to use public toilets without worries. alarms, and toilet stall safety screens in buildings or commercial areas with large populations, and to renovate damaged urinals, flush toilets, washbasins, and tiles.

Gwangju City is making every effort to create safe and comfortable public toilets by forming a joint inspection team with the Gwangju Police Agency to check whether illegal cameras are installed and whether safety alarms are operating.

Gwangju Again Ranked “High” in Gender Equality Index

Gwangju City announced on February 10 that it received a ranking of “high” in the regional gender equality index for the second consecutive year by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. According to inspections conducted in 17 cities and provinces, five cities and provinces received this highest ranking: Gwangju, Seoul, Daejeon, Busan, and Jeju.

Since 2010, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has identified the level of gender equality nationally and by province every year to establish policy implementation directions from the perspective of gender equality. The gender equality index consists of evaluations in three areas – gender-equal social participation, women’s rights/welfare, and gender equality awareness – totaling 100 points.

Gwangju has been steadily managing gender-equal social participation, such as the ratio of civil servants and managers above Level 5, and since 2019, it

has been striving to increase the social consensus on work–life balance and familyfriendly management, including support for employment maintenance for pregnant women and maternity leave through the “'Make Gwangju a Good Place to Have and Raise Children” policy.

Gwangju Conducts Bicycle Road Management Audit

From February 14 to March 15, Gwangju City is conducting a specific audit on the overall management of bicycle paths for the safety and convenience of cyclists. In this audit, the city audit committee, relevant autonomous districts, and citizen auditors plan to jointly inspect the entire 661.39 kms of bicycle paths in Gwangju.

The main inspection items are 1. bike path safety, path markings, and pavement status; 2. air injector operational status; 3. whether illegal obstacles are left unattended; 4. whether vehicle entry-prevention facilities are properly installed; 5. bicycle storage and bicycle base terminal management status; 6. shared bike use status; and 7. appropriate use of budget.

Translated by Karina Prananto.

Gwangju Dong-gu (East District) Office News

Dong-gu Publishes Books of Neighborhood Stories

The Dong-gu District Office has recently published Walking Through Time in Chungjang and Walking Through Time in Gyerim, which contain the stories of the neighborhoods of Chungjang-dong and Gyerim-dong. These books are part of a series of publications following Walking Through Time in Hak-dong, which was published in 2019. Walking Through Time in Chungjang contains stories about the ups and downs of theaters, department stores, bookstores, coffee shops, and old shops on Chungjang Street, which once boasted of being the best commercial district in the entire Honam area, as well as the history of the democratization movement.

Walking Through Time in Gyerim contains topical stories of “Gyeongyang-bangjuk” (경양방죽, an artificial lake located in the old city hall area of Gyerim-dong); the railroads, schools, and markets that have protected the lives of the residents; the old stores and Literature Club of Gwangju High School; and the secondhand-book street. The newly published books have been distributed to small libraries in Dong-gu (including the GIC Library), and you can also get your own copy by contacting the Dong-gu Humanities Urban Policy Division by phone at 062-608-2173.