Article1.Bird Flu Hits GyeonggiProvince(0127-2)
[Anchor’s Headline]
The bird fluvirus, or AIvirus, has been spreading along the western regions of the Korean Peninsula from the south. OnJanuary 26th, the virus was detected in the droppings of migrating birds around Shihwa(시화) Lake in Gyeonggi Province.
[Report]
1) Reed Swamp Park around Shihwa Lake
Bird droppingswere collectedfrom the Reed Swamp Park around Shihwa (시화) Lake and found to contain the highly pathogenic AI virus.
2) Access to Park Blocked during Extensive Disinfection Operation
Access to the areas around the lake has already been blocked,andan extensive disinfection operation involving aircraft and vehiclesis now underway.
3) No Ga-wan / Gyeonggi Province Veterinary Service Center Animal Epidemics Prevention Team Leader
“The virus has been detected in the droppings of migrating birds. So the disinfection operation is being carried out in areas with bird droppings.”
4) All Poultry Movements Banned in Gyeonggi Province during Disinfection Operation
All movement of poultry vehicles and equipment wasbanned throughout province during the disinfection operation on January 27th.
Bird flu arrived in Gyeonggi Province ten days after it was first detected in Gochang (고창) County of South Cholla (전라) Province on January 16th.
Fifty-one poultry farms in the vicinity are being monitoredcloselywhile cities and counties in western Gyeonggi Province including Ansan (안산), Hwaseong (화성), Pyeongtaek (평택), and Pocheon (포천) have been placed on full alert.
5) All Poultry Farms in Gyeonggi Province to Receive Disease Prevention Support
Each of the 1,637 poultry farms in Gyeonggi Province will be assigned a provincial official who will provide personal assistance in disease prevention
6) Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Kim Hee-gyeom at Provincial Meeting
“Intensive preventive measures should be taken during and after the Lunar New Year holidays. Also, please keep in mind that such measures should not provoke public anxiety.”
The type of AI virusdetected, H5N8, has so far caused no recorded cases of human infection. Also, it is safe to consume poultry products if they are cooked at a temperature of75℃ or higher for at least five minutes.
 
Article2.Indoor Homeless Meal Center Opens in Suwon City(0128-1)
[Anchor’s Headline]
An indoor meal service center for homeless individuals opened in Suwon (수원) City. This center provides free meals three times a day to homeless individuals who participate in provincial self-support programs. A GTV reporter examined the details.
[Report]
1) Indoor Meal Center for Homeless Individuals Opens / Suwon Station (January 28th)
Unlike previous meal service centers, this is an indoor center located inSuwon (수원) Station Plaza.
2) First All-day Meal Center for Homeless Individuals
It is also the first center to provide free meals three times adayto homeless individuals in Korea.
This center was constructed by remodeling the previous location of the Gyeonggi Employment Center, which relocated to the second floor of the station building.
3) Yoon Ji-hoo(alias) / Homeless
“We used to wait in line and eat meals in the cold. This is wonderful. No more queuing and eating outside.”
4) Three Free Meals a Day
From Monday to Saturday, meals are provided three times a day from 5 a.m. for those who start work early in the morning.
5) Supported by Private and Public Organizations
This indoor free dining facility for homeless individuals was realized through support from private and public organizations including a department store, the Korea Rail Network Authority, a large supermarket chain,theGyeonggi Council on Social Welfare, and local churches.
6) Lee Han-gyeong / Director General, Gyeonggi Province Health and Welfare Bureau
“The purpose is to provide homeless individuals with a place in which they can eat their meals comfortably without exposure to the elements and the stares of other people.”
The Gyeonggi Provincial Governmentalso plans to utilize the surplus spaces of the dining center as an infirmary as well as an employment consultation office for homeless individuals.
 
Article3.Book of Local Legendsof Gyeonggi Province Published(0129-1)
[Anchor’s Headline]
A book of local legends associated with natural objects in Gyeonggi Province was recentlypublished. As the political, economic and cultural center of Korea, Gyeonggi Province abounds with interesting local legends… of which even locals are often unaware.
[Report]
1) Elm Tree atDano Children’s Park, Suwon City
This seven-hundred-year–old elm tree in a city center is known to have warned villagers of upcoming events such as wars by generating a resounding alarm like thecry of a giant serpent.
More than twenty meters high and still prospering, this tree has been revered by locals for a long time.
2) Kim Tae-won / Yongtong-dong, Suwon City
“I passed by this tree many times, but I wasn’t aware of the story behind it until I stopped and read about it. I feel proud to have a local legend near us that we can tell our children about.”
3) Seven Treasure Mountain, Chilbosan/ Dangsoo-dong, Suwon City
Chilbosan (칠보산), or Seven Treasure Mountain, was so named since it is said to have lost one of its eight treasures. This mountain also features a rock with an interesting story.
4) GTV Reporter, Choi Chang-soon
“This rock is called GajinBawiandwas believed to hidetreasure within it. It has an incomplete horizontal cut in the middle.”
5) GajinBawi(“Rich Rock”)
Legend has it that long ago a mason attemptedto cut the rock to remove the treasure. He didn’t see the treasure because he wasstruck by lightning while cutting the rock.
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The book of natural legends features 234 objects and places in Gyeonggi Province with detailed information about their locations and the stories associated with them. These bookshave been distributed to all libraries in the province.
Information boardsthat describe the legendswere installed at each of these locations as well.
6) YooBeom-gyu / Director, Gyeonggi Province Forestry Division
“We plan to utilize these locations as tourism resources in cooperation with the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization.”
Through these hidden legends and folklorethat survived millennia, viewers can glimpse the ancient lives of people who once lived in Gyeonggi Province.
 
Article4.Gyeonggi Province to Utilize Big Data for Better Services(140128-2)
[Anchor’s Headline]
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government announced that it will develop advanced information systems using big data. Thesenew systems will generateuseful information for the everyday lives of residents in areas such as shopping and transportation as well as administration.
[Report]
1) Advanced Administrative Services Using Big Data
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government plans to utilize big datainitially in five administrative activities including the optimization of CCTV locations as well as the effect analysis of festivals and tourism events.
2) Utilization of Big Data for Effective Administration
Big data is the term for data sets too large to process using on-hand database management tools.
Once the new data processing systemsaremade available, big data can be utilized for scientific analysis to generate useful information.
For example, the economic effect of a festival can be calculated accurately using data about traffic, floating population and sales for different age groups, genders and businesses.
3) Applications Primarily Include Areas Closely Related to Lives of Residents
Utilization of big data for public services will primarily include areas that have immediate effects on the quality of the everyday lives of residents.
4) [INTERVIEW]Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo
“We will have the means by which to collect as much information as possible, analyze it, and utilize it to improve our lives.”
As a sample case, atask force has performed an effect analysis of theGapyeong (가평) Jazz Festival and was able to calculate daily sales increasedby KRW 240 million in the area.
5) Big Data Campaign at Suwon Station (January 27th)
During thepublic relations campaign for big data utilization that was held at Suwon (수원) Station,citizens showed positive responses.
6) [INTERVIEW] Kim Hye-ok / Gogand-dong, Bucheon City
“Information from public offices is considered to be fair and most accurate. If information is open to public, it will be very useful for us…”
To maximize the use of big data, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government will continue to identify areas for its application so as to realize better administrative services.
 
Article5.201st Public Library Opens in Gyeonggi Province (140127-1)
[Anchor’s Headline]
The 201st public library of Gyeonggi Province opened recently in Pyeongtaek (평택) City. It is also an eco-friendly library with outdoor reading spaces in a natural environment. Over the past decade, the paradigm of libraries in Gyeonggi Province has changed from conventional book libraries to local cultural centers.
[Report]
1)Jandang Library, Pyeongtaek City
Built with the concept of eco-friendliness, this Jangdang (장당) Library in Pyeongtaek (평택) City provides comfortable reading spaces in a natural setting.
2)Lee Jeong-in / Yichoong-dong, Pyeongtaek City
“I am pleased to have a library within walking distance. It is also nice to be able to read books outdoors while enjoying the fresh air.”
The first floor of this library is exclusively for children. The facilities includea children’s reference room, a story room where mothers can read books to their children as they do in their own living rooms, and an exhibition corner where illustrations drawn by illustrated story book writer Anthony Brown are currently being displayed.
3)GTV Reporter, Park, Ha-na
“Complete with spaces for exhibitions and movie theaters, libraries in Gyeonggi Province are being transformed into spaces for comprehensive cultural experiences.”
4)Kim Jeong-Eun / Librarian, Jangdang Library, Pyeongtaek City
“The objectives of our library are to provide local residents with spaces for reading and borrowing books as well as for cultural activities and adult education. We will develop a variety of programs to promote healthy reading habits.”
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With the opening of the Jangdang (장당) Library, there are now 201 public libraries in Gyeonggi Province including 15 in Suwon (수원) City, 14 in Goyang (고양) City and 12 each in the cities of Paju (파주) and Yongin (용인).
As a wider variety of programs are being introduced at libraries these days, a broader range of age groups have become regular users of libraries, and user satisfaction levels have also increased.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government plans to open ten more public libraries this year.
 
Article6.Gyeonggi Province Supports Organic Farming(140128-3)
[Anchor’s Headline]
The application procedure for Eco-friendly Agricultural Product Certificationis very complex and costly since it involves a series of tests performed by related testing authorities. To address this problem, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government decided to provide certification applicants with support of up to sixty percent of the application cost.
[Report]
Everyday, Yoon (윤) works at his strawberry farm in Namyangju (남양주) City.
Since he insists on organic farming, his strawberry plants need constant care to prevent diseases and to ensure good taste, which is not as easy as it sounds.
For officialorganic farmingrecognition, one has to undergo a complex procedure entailingthe entire farming process. However, Yoon feels rewarded at the end of the day.
1) Yoon Han-gyu / Organic Strawberry Farmer, Paldang Eco-friendly Farming Corp.
“(For certified organic products), market prices are relatively stable throughout the year, which allows us to produce on a continual basis. Also, there are stable markets such as cooperatives and department stores, so…”
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In Gyeonggi Province, eco-friendly agricultural products account for three to four percent of all agricultural products. This is far below the demand for organic products, which is increasing due to growing public interest in healthy food.
2) Gyeonggi Province to Support Eco-friendly Agricultural Product Certification Cost
Provincial support for up to sixty percent of the organic product certification cost will effectively promote production of eco-friendly agricultural products.
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An eco-friendly agricultural product certificate is issued after submission of an application, which is filed at the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, and evaluations of soil quality, chemical usage, chemical residues, and farm water quality.Sixty percent of the cost is now supported byGyeonggi Province.
Such provincial support will alleviate a large portion of the burdenon organic farmers.
3) Moon Jae-yeol / Chief Official, Gyeonggi Province Eco-friendly Policy Team
“We will promote sales of eco-friendly agricultural products and expand their local sales points so that consumers can purchase safe agricultural products close to their homes.”
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government plans to develop various sales channels for eco-friendly agricultural products for the benefit of both farmers and consumers.
 
Article7.Gyeonggi Officials Meet Foreign Workers(114****-*)
[Anchor’s Headline]
Officials of Gyeonggi Province had dinner with foreign workers a day before the Lunar New Year holidays began. During thisevent, overseas workers voicedtheir difficulties with life in Korea. While Koreans celebrate Lunar New Year’s Day, many workers from foreign countries were dejected as they had to spend the holidays away from home.
[Report]
At this auto part manufacturing company in Ansan (안산) City of Gyeonggi Province, many workers are from foreign countries. They operate machines with utmost care, although they miss their families more than ever during the holiday season.
1)Emmanuel from Philippines
“My boss… Koreans… They are nice. (But) I miss Philippines a lot.”
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There are approximately 520,000 foreign workers in Korea; 187,000 of them live in Gyeonggi Province, accounting for 36 percent of the national total. There are more foreign workers in Gyeonggi Province than in any other jurisdiction in Korea.
2)Informal Meeting with Foreign Workers
To comfort foreign workers who had to spend the holidays away from home, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government invited a number of them to a dinner and listened to them talk about what they experienced and what problems they currently have.
3)Elena from Uzbekistan
“It is very difficult and lonely to live in Korea far from home. But I feel warm and pleased to be invited to such nice event.”
Officials of Gyeonggi Province had a valuable time learning about the problems faced by foreign workers first hand.
4)Han Yeon-hui / Director, Gyeonggi Province Employment Policy Division
“All 31 cities and counties will endeavor to help overseas workers adapt well to life in Korea by providing Korean language programs, medical support, nursing support…”
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will continue to develop and implement substantial support programs for foreign workers so as to help them realize their dreams in Korea.