Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
New policies, changes for Seoul City in 2022
Gwanghwamun Square is under construction in central Seoul, in this April 27 photo. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul City has introduced some new policies and changes in its programs for 2022.
Below are some of the changes to affect the capital.
New Gwanghwamun Square
The renovation of Gwanghwamun Square will be completed and will officially open in the first half of this year.
The city government is currently proceeding with the facelift project, which includes expanding the size of the square by 3.7 times by reducing lanes and expanding pedestrian paths.
The new square will have more green space with 7,000 trees and 33,400 flowers. A small water channel will be built on the site of an old drainage channel as part of the square, and a Hangeul-themed fountain will be installed around the King Sejong statue.
The construction of another part of the square, themed with history, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023 by changing the road in front of Gwanghwamun.
Free meals for kindergarteners
A meal provided at a daycare center in Seoul / Korea Times file
A decade after the city government began offering free lunches to students at all public elementary schools in Seoul, the free school meal program has been expanded to middle and high schools, and will include kindergartens starting March.
Earlier on Dec. 8, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) and 25 district offices in the capital signed an agreement to share the meal expenses for about 70,000 children at some 790 kindergartens in the city.
An average of 4,642 won ($3.90) per meal will be spent per child, with the education office covering 50 percent of the budget, the city covering 30 percent and the district offices 20 percent.
Joint daycare centers
The city government will expand the joint childcare system binding several daycare centers in neighborhoods.
The new model is one of Mayor Oh Se-hoon's long-term master plans for childcare in the city, which has been implemented at 58 daycare centers in eight districts since August last year.
Public daycare centers will share their resources with nearby private centers enabling them to offer standardized childcare service, so that parents do not have to be in long waiting lists for admissions into public daycare centers.
The Seoul City Hall building / Korea Times file
Second light rail transit
In May, the new Sillim Line, a light rail transit (LRT) route that will run from Yeouido to Seoul National University in just 16 minutes, will be opened.
The 7.8-kilometer line will connect Saetgang Station on Line 9 with Daebang Station on Line 1, Boramae Station on Line 7 and Sillim Station on Line 2.
For this line, the Korean Radio-based Train Control System (KRTCS), a domestically developed next-generation unmanned driving system, will be introduced for the first time in the country.
Self-driving bus along Cheonggye Stream
The city will operate an urban circulation autonomous driving bus made with domestic technology along Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul as early as April.
The operating section is 4.8 kilometers from Cheonggye Square to Cheonggye 5-ga near Dongdaemun Market. The city previously designated the Gangnam area as a pilot zone for self-driving vehicles, and plans to introduce unmanned autonomous driving taxis with a private company.
Senior citizens participate in a digital education class at a community welfare center in Seoul, in this June 1, 2021, photo. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon
Digital education for seniors
The prolonged pandemic has left the elderly, who are not accustomed to using smart devices, to become more vulnerable due to the digital divide.
Their difficulties have become more serious recently because the vaccine pass is mandatory for entry into restaurants, cafes, and senior welfare centers. Paper certification is also available, but a QR code on smartphones for checking the validity period is more widely used here.
Accordingly, the city government is planning to expand digital education for senior citizens more actively this year.
It will expand its digital education center in cooperation with the digital education welfare center operated by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Education for the disabled will also be provided at 25 district offices from the current five.