[Throughout the world!]

On March 25th, the delegation from Gyeonggi province made their first official trip abroad to strengthen international collaboration.

The delegates visited Kazakhstan and China on their five day tour. This tour was focused on strengtheninginternational exchanges and collaborations.During the visit, Gyeonggi concluded a treaty of amity with Almaty, Kazakhstan and Tianjin, China.

Especially in Kazakhstan, the Province delivered over 1500 books and Korean traditional musical instruments and arranged for the Gyeonggi provincial dance company to perform a traditional Korean dance for local ethnic Koreans.

Moreover, in Beijing, the delegates showed that they intend to join the Communist Young men\’s association for desert forestation and, at Tianjin, proposed the construction of a\’6 + 6 Yellow Sea Forum,\’or an economic cooperation with six coastal cities inChina.

Gyeonggi province is planning to keep up this cooperative relationship through trust built on constant cultural exchanges, skill training, and scholarshipaid in these areas.

[City gas in All Areas]

Gyeonggi is expanding its facilities to supply gas to where it is currently not available.

Here, the piping work for city gas is underway. The workers are working cautiously to prevent any accidents.

This area did not previously subscribe to city gas supply. We are now under construction and willexpand the work throughout the outskirts.

According to last year\’s record, the rate of city gas in use in Gyeonggi province stands at 78.6%.
Gyeonggi province, which is currently in fourth place in diffusion rates in Korea, announced it would increase that rate to 84.3% by 2009. Accordingly, new pipe lines are currently under construction around the province.
According to the plan, Gyeonggi province will start from Yangpyeong and Gapyeong, both places which were not served with gas last March, and expand the city gas supply to 31 cities and districts around the province.

the expanded supply will benefit residents who could not use city gas supplies and ease the burden ofsky rocketing fuel costs.

Gyeonggi province will invest 154 million dollars to install 425km of city gas pipes to more than 178000 households.

[Short Vacations Introduced]

Starting this year, all schools will have short vacations. It seems that various vacation activities are more feasible during a short break.

From 2008, one short vacation will take place each semester. Most schools will have a 5 to 7 day long vacation around the Chuseok holiday. To keep up with mandatory school days, schools will shorten their summer and winter vacations.

GyeonggiProvincial Office of Education announced that 94% of elementary schools, 77% of the middle schools, and 41% of the high schools will have short vacations. Accordingly, it is expected that more families will plan trips or visit educational sites which offers various experiences.

However, those students who will be home alone are not happy with this decision. Programs that canprovide care for such children should be considered so that they are not neglected.

[A Pot that Grows Rice]

Rice that grows in the paddy field now also grows in a pot. It is not only popular among children, but could also be educational. Rice that wouldnormally grow in a field is growing in a small pot.

Gyeonggi province Agricultural Research and Extension services developed pot-growing rice using the features of rice which grows anywhere with abundant water and sunshine.

Rice originally grows only in paddy fields so it is hard to nurse them elsewhere, but we developed it so that it can be grown at homes and schools.

The planting procedure is quite simple. First fill the pot with alimented soil and sows the rice seeds. Then place the main pot in to a bigger pot that is filled with water.

In order to diffuse these pots for educational use, the Agricultural Research and Extension Institute held aconvention ceremony with the Korean Counsel For School-based Enterprise on March 31.

Though these kids eat rice every day, they do not know where it comes from and how it is raised. We developed it to let children experience the rice growing procedure.

We hope that these pots could tell the children who are more familiar with bread and fast food about the trouble and labor farmers go through to grow rice.

[Better After Treatment]

Gyeonggi province\’s rehabilitation centers for persons with disabilities are assisting disabled children with ways to overcome their discomfort.

Taehun is receiving language guidance here at a rehabilitation center for persons with disabilities. Although now he understands what the teacher is telling him and follows along, when he first came he was only babbling.

Taehun did not know how to request something himself, now he is expressing himself somewhat, listens to commands and understands them.

About 80 disabled children per day are treated at each rehabilitation center. Parents are satisfied with the results.

The cure was effective. He now hangs out with his friends a little.

There are now 16 such centers in the province. But, Gyeonggi is going to build more to eventually total one in each of the 31 cities and districts by 2010.

These services are much needed because for children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities initial treatment is very important.

It is a shame that so manychildren require rehabilitative treatment, but in reality because of limited budgets and other problems they do not receive the care.

There should be more government help and medical support to allow more children receive professional treatment.

[Watch out for Super Yellow Sand!]

Everyone must be distressed about the yellow sand that blows from the northwestern direction every spring. But, one thing to note is that this condition will worsen every year. Precautions should be taken.
An unwelcome guest once again visitsKorea.

Yellow sand phase this year is calculated to be worse compared to last year. Especially, great amount of dusts will stream in to our peninsula all at once.

The super sand storm is a phenomenon that is caused by yellow sand blown from the middle of the Asian continent and is twice as intense.The province is providing live monitors investigating the phenomenon and is trying to reduce residents\’ inconvenience as much as possible.

The province even provides a service that notifies residents of a sand storm through their cell phones. This service is free for anyone who registers for the air pollution text message service at the Gyeonggi province research institute of public health and environment website.

[Green-parking Village Almost Here]

In residential streets in cities occasionally trouble arises due to fighting for parking spaces. The province is getting positive responses from the green parking project which is the idea that wipes out fences to create spaces for parking.

Thisis a narrow residential street. Because of the cars parked on the side it seems dangerous even to have one person pass by when a car is passing through.

After I get back from work I have hard time finding a place to park. I even drive three to four laps around the village just to find a place to park. Sometimes arguments happen when some people park to close to our gate.

This place is changing from not long ago. The excavators are demolishing gates and fences. Parking places are to be procured this way and a green parking village is soon to be constructed.

From now on the cars which were occupying the narrow road here will be moved to an inner part of the yard, and the road which is now about 1.5 meters wider, will allow children toplay around safely and allow cars to pass by easily.

First, it is good for children to play, and now it is easier to face one\’s neighbors.

Suwon will invest, two million dollars for 180 household\’s parking problems on the experimental Green Parking Project.

We will fund full expenses to procure parking spaces. Not only that,we will constitute green areas so that the neighbors can be more closer.

This project seems to havethe answers to solving the parking problems of all residential streets.