Gyeonggi Province Implements 'Comprehensive Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday Plan for 2024'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 5th that it will implement a 'Comprehensive Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday Plan' to ensure a generous-spirited and safe holiday season.

The province plans to operate a 'Comprehensive Mid-Autumn Holiday Situation Room' for five days from the 14th to the 18th and establish an emergency duty system to minimize inconvenience for residents.

Residents can receive assistance for various inconveniences and inquiries that occur during the holiday period through the Gyeonggi Province Call Center (031-120) operating 24 hours a day, and can receive guidance to nearby medical institutions in case of emergency medical care needs through the Emergency Medical Care Situation Room (031-8008-4775).

The province's 2024 Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday Comprehensive Plan consists of a total of four areas: △livelihood recovery △safety and health △culture and welfare △traffic and convenience. Details for each area are as follows.

■ Livelihood Recovery

To ease residents' shopping burden, the province is expanding purchase limits and incentives for Gyeonggi Regional Currency and implementing livelihood recovery projects such as providing 10% cash back on purchases of 50,000 won or more at traditional markets and alleyway commercial areas. Gyeonggi Regional Currency can be purchased up to a maximum of 1 million won until the 30th, with a 10% incentive benefit provided.

There are also customized funding support projects for small business owners facing difficulties due to prolonged economic downturn. The province will provide operational expense-exclusive fund cards to approximately 20,000 small business owners and implement special guarantee provisions extending debt repayment periods for approximately 15,000 small business owners with mid-to-low credit ratings. In particular, the operational expense-exclusive fund card offers benefits such as up to 500,000 won in cash back without annual fees or guarantee fees, and interest-free for six months, which is expected to be a significant help for small business owners facing cash flow difficulties.

At special sales events for Mid-Autumn Festival agricultural products, benefits such as product discounts and free shipping are provided through six Nonghyup Hanaro Mart locations in Goyang, Samsong, Seongnam, Suwon, Yangju, and Dongtan, as well as through Market Gyeonggi's Chuseok planning event. Social economy organization products such as Chuseok gift sets can also be found at discounted prices at online and offline 031# (Shop 031) and Starfield locations in Hanam, Suwon, Goyang, and Anseong.

The province also strengthens food safety management for Mid-Autumn Festival products to provide residents with safe food. Approximately 1,200 distributors, including Sungsu Food distribution stores, restaurants, and livestock processing facilities, will be inspected for illegal activities, country of origin labeling, and consumption dates, and safety inspections of agricultural, aquatic, and livestock products at large logistics centers, distribution outlets, and department stores will be conducted. Additionally, the province plans to operate livestock infectious disease prevention countermeasure headquarters with cities and counties and strengthen quarantine prevention by supporting farm disinfection.

Meanwhile, the Wage Nonpayment Report Center (031-8030-4541) will provide consultation on wage nonpayment and guide dispute resolution procedures for residents' labor rights during the holiday period, and will also conduct 'visiting consultation' at crowded locations such as subway stations. Location and time information by district can be checked on the Gyeonggi Province Labor Rights Center website (labor.gg.go.kr).

■ Safety and Health

The province establishes an emergency medical care system to ease residents' concerns about prolonged medical service gaps. Emergency medical institutions such as Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Centers (Suwon, Icheon, Anseong, Uijeongbu, Paju, Pocheon) will operate 24 hours continuously, and will respond to emergency medical care inquiries including guidance on open clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies through the Emergency Medical Care Situation Room (031-8008-4775).

The province also strengthens fire safety management at 961 facilities vulnerable to fire, including traditional markets and multi-use facilities. In particular, it will conduct joint inspections of electric vehicle charging facilities to protect residents' safety from fire.

Additionally, the province plans to monitor families with concerns of domestic violence recurrence, high-risk child abuse cases, and ongoing investigations to minimize protection gaps by implementing emergency measures and immediate separation measures.

■ Culture and Welfare

The province prepares a Mid-Autumn Festival for all to enjoy culture and welfare with no vulnerable groups left behind.

For families in welfare blind spots in crisis situations, the province operates hotlines (010-4419-7722), dedicated call centers (031-120-0), and Kakao Talk channels (Gyeonggi Bok G-talk) on a 24/7 basis to strengthen consultation accessibility.

The province also cares for the safety of vulnerable groups including vulnerable elderly, vulnerable people with disabilities, and homeless individuals. Through visits before and after the holiday period, phone calls, and IoT equipment, the province will confirm the well-being of approximately 160,000 vulnerable elderly and disabled people and establish a protection and support system for 833 street and facility homeless individuals. Street homeless individuals can receive meal boxes through free meal centers during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday period, while facility homeless individuals can receive holiday meals and meal services. For safe homeless facility use, health checks for residents will be conducted and facility inspections and occupational safety training for staff will also be implemented.

Adolescents needing counseling can receive 24-hour assistance through the 1388 Youth Counseling Hotline, and youth without family in need of protection can visit any of 32 youth shelters throughout the province that remain open at all times.

The province also cares for the holidays of independent-preparation youth spending Mid-Autumn Festival alone and children in need of meals. Independent-preparation youth throughout the province will receive holiday meals and necessities of up to 100,000 won, and for children in food insecurity, the province plans to provide guidance on meal card acceptance locations to ensure they do not skip meals due to food service providers' closures, and will provide refrigerable meal boxes in advance before the holiday period.

Additionally, during the holiday period excluding the 17th, the day of the festival, public museums and art galleries in the province including Gyeonggi Provincial Museum, Yongin Municipal Museum, Nam June Paik Art Center, Gyeonggi Museum of Art, Practical Learning Museum, Jeonggok Prehistoric Museum, Hwaseong City History Museum, and Anyang Museum will operate free-of-charge planned exhibition programs. Exhibition details can be checked on each institution's website.

Furthermore, admission fee support will be provided for adults aged 70 and over and people with disabilities to purchase tickets for professional sports teams within the province at 1,000 won for events such as soccer and baseball. Opportunity sports viewing tickets can be purchased at the venue by presenting identification or disability registration certificates, or can be applied for through each team's website.

■ Traffic and Convenience

For residents' convenience, the province operates holiday public transportation flexibly. For intercity buses, 42 routes and 89 additional buses will be added in five regions according to demand for returning home travelers, and city and village buses and railways will operate extended late-night service if necessary.

By providing real-time information on congested sections and alternative routes of major roads through road electronic display boards (VMS), the province plans to disperse traffic, and in coordination with the traffic situation room and fire and disaster situation room, will promptly address traffic situations and respond to civil complaints.

Traffic and bus information for major roads in the province can be obtained through the Gyeonggi Province Traffic Information Center website (gits.gg.go.kr), mobile app (Gyeonggi Traffic Information), phone or text (1688-9090).

Jung Gu-won, Director of the Provincial Autonomous Administration Bureau, said, "We will make every effort to establish a comprehensive healthcare system with no gaps and recover people's livelihoods so that all residents can spend a safe and abundant Mid-Autumn Festival holiday."