1. Deposit Lease Properties Information AvailableGyeonggi Province Homepage

[News Script]
The deposit-based lease properties market in Korea has been hard hitstagnation,home searchers aregreat difficulty finding a new home on a deposit lease. Gyeonggi Province announced last month that it would supply unsold apartments on a deposit or rental basis,has now made the information on these apartments available on the provincial homepage.

[Report]
As of December last year, a total of 7,509 apartments builtprivate construction companies remained unsold in Gyeonggi Province.

When a large number of new apartments remain unsold, it exacerbates the problem of housing supplybecomes one of the reasons for increasing deposit leasesrents.

Following the last month’s announcement of the supply of 262 apartments ownedthe Gyeonggi Urban Innovation Corporation, Gyeonggi Province announced an additional provision of 431 apartments ownedprivate companiesApril.

Information on these apartments was made available on the homepage of Gyeonggi Province so as to protect tenantsentering unfair contracts due to lack of information.

Anyone looking for an apartment on a deposit lease or monthly rental basis may visit the homepage of Gyeonggi Provinceview the information on the apartment including location, exclusive area of use, rental or lease deposit statusthe contact information of the company.

Gyeonggi Province also operates the Customized Gyeonggi Real Estate Portal Site that offers a one-stop service to help residents save timemoney in their search for new homes.

2. HopesDreams for Unmarried Moms
[News Script]
To live as an unmarried mother in Korea iseasy because of social prejudicedifficulties in attaining economic independence. Gyeonggi Province began active support for unmarried mothers in collaboration with the World Human Bridge.

[Report]
Kimliving in a small semi-underground room in Uijeongbu (의정부) City. She had been rapedan unknown assailantbecame pregnant. She subsequently gave birth to a daughter just over one year ago,is now living alone with the baby.

Gyeonggi Provincethe World Human Bridge singed an MOU to collaborate in the support of unmarried mothersKim who are enduring the hardships of social prejudiceeconomic difficulties.

Gyeonggi Provincethe World Human Bridge will jointly operate public cafés to provide jobs for unmarried mothers, will use the associated profits to build housing for these women,will undertake a joint public campaign to eradicate social discrimination against unmarried mothers. The Hanaro (하나로) Medical FoundationNamyang (남양) Dairy Products Company also participated in supporting unmarried mothersdonated moneygoods equivalent to KRW 100 million.
There are over 1,300 unmarried mothers under the age of 24 in Gyeonggi Province. The provincial government has been providing them with a monthly payment of KRW 150,000 for child nursing as well as a variety of educational opportunities.

3. 256th Extraordinary General Meeting of Gyeonggi Provincial Council

[News Script]
The 256th extra session of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council began for a 9-day general meeting. This sessiondrawing a particular attention since a number of bills for ordinancesregulations that directly influence the livelihood of residentsthe wellbeing of the underprivilegedthe working classes have been introduced for discussion during the session.

[Report]
The 256th extra session of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council convened at the Provincial Council Hall. The first day of the meeting saw speechesthe representatives of the floor negotiation groups on the general operation of this year’s assembly followedannual reportsthe provincial governmenteducation office.

During this extra session, which will run until the 23rd of this month, a total of 16 bills that will have direct influence on the livelihood of residents, particularly those in lower income brackets, will be considered, including a bill on the establishmentoperation of welfare facilities for people with disabilities, another on educational cost support for studentsfamilies with multiple children,others on mutual cooperation between distribution companieson the protection of small businesses.

The use of the budget for eco-friendly school meals, which was secured with the passage of a bill last year,a re-introduced bill for the home-visitschildcare teachers are expected to be the subjects of hot debate between the rulingopposition parties.

4. Gyeonggi Province Prepares Follow-up Foot-and-mouth Disease Countermeasures to Prevent Environmental Damage

[News Script]
Gyeonggi Province prepared countermeasures to prevent the contamination of groundwaterlivestock animals that had been culledburied due to foot-and-mouth disease.

[Report]
While there are rising concerns over the possible environmental contaminationthe 1.6 million head of livestock that were culledburied due to foot-and-mouth disease, Gyeonggi Province announced follow-up measures for the management of burial sites.

Gyeonggi Province dispatched 540 provincial officials to investigate1,884 burial sitesFebruary 5th until 9th,disclosed that some of the sites needed supplementary work.

Supplementary work will include countermeasures against the sinking of the burial groundsthe additional installationimprovement of ditches, tanks, gas discharge pipesleachate pipes in the burial sites.

Gyeonggi Province will establish mid-to-long-term measures for the follow-up management of the burial sites based on the outcome of the investigation of the sites.

The province will also collaborate with the Gyeonggi Province Institute of HealthEnvironmentthe Paldang (팔당) Water Quality Improvement Headquarters to prevent water supply contaminationensure the provision of clean water to contaminated areas.

Gyeonggi Province will cooperate with other public institutes as well as citiescounties in the province in dealing with the contamination problemwill continue to seek supportthe central governmental based on the urgency of the issuethe limitation of local budgets.

5. Superior Science Infrastructure in Gyeonggi Province
[News Script]
The importance of investmentinterest in the development of sciencetechnology cannot be overemphasized. The members of a national advisory council for the development of sciencetechnology visited Gyeonggi Province to view the provincial infrastructure for sciencetechnology.

[Report]
Members of the National Education, ScienceTechnology Advisory Council visited Gyeonggi Province.

The council members visited Gwanggyo (광교) Techno Valley. This visit was arranged as part of the 3rd council workshop, one of a series of workshops that were organized for inaugural members of the council.

The council members visited the Korea Advanced Nano Fab Centerthe Gyeonggi Bio Center in Gwanggyo (광교) Techno Valley,experienced the science infrastructure of the province firsthand.

Gyeonggi Provinceleading national sciencetechnology with the establishment of: Gwanggyo (광교) Techno Valley, an advanced industrial researchdevelopment center; Pangyo (판교) Techno Valley, a complex of international businesses, knowledge industriesglobal R&Dinnovation institutes;Ansan (안산) Techno Valley, whichthe core of the West Coast industrial belt with industrialacademic R&D clusters.
Gyeonggi Province possesses the largest researchdevelopment infrastructure in Korea, spending KRW 15 trillion on researchdevelopmentaccommodating more than 100,000 R&D personnel5,000 R&D organizations.

Gyeonggi Provincepublishing the Gyeonggi Province Science & Technology Guide Map to provide comprehensive information on the scientifictechnological resources of the 31 citiescounties of the province.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government plans to develop the province into a Mecca of national scientifictechnological industries on the foundation of the established infrastructure so as to prepare for the future.

6. Gyeonggi Province Business Inauguration Support for Small Businesses
[News Script]
Gyeonggi Province began to operate the Management Improvement Fundthis year to support small businesses with five or fewer employees.

[Report]
There are more than 520,000 small businesses with no more than five employees. Gyeonggi Province will provide up to KRW 50 million to support the launch of small businesses.

The number of small businesses that received business inauguration support grew341 in 2007 to a staggering 2,317 last year. Gyeonggi Province plans to provide a total of KRW 120 billion for business inauguration support this year.

Support for small businesses will continue after the inauguration of the business. Beginningthis year, the recipient businesses of Small Business Inauguration Support can apply for a Management Improvement Fund of up to KRW 20 million.

Applications for the Management Improvement Fund are received at the Small Business Development Centers,the support will be granted to business operators in Gyeonggi Province who have completed more than 10 hours of the Business Improvement Education course after a review of business feasibility.

There are approximately 6,000 small businesses in Gyeonggi Province that have received business inauguration support. An efficient follow-up program to ensure the success of these new businessesthe beginning of operations also seems very important.

7. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)Child Depression
[News Script]
Itknown that the probability of the neglected children of divorced or working parents to develop a mental illnesshigher than that of children in normal families. Gyeonggi Province decided to launch the Children’s Mental Health Improvement Project to provide these ailing children with treatment

[Report]

According to the results of the ADHD Survey on 90,000 primary school students in Gyeonggi Province that was conducted last year, no less than 11% of the students were found to have a manifestation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to some degree.

Nine public institutes including Gyeonggi Province, the Gyeonggi Education Officethe Korean Neuropsychiatric Association joined togethersigned an MOU to implement the Children’s Mental Health Improvement Project.

The Children’s Mental Health Improvement Project consists of tematic activities including the identification of schoolchildren who potentially have a mental condition, soliciting local mental health centers for the screening of the children who require treatmenthelping these children receive necessary treatment at appropriate medical institutes.

In addition to the arrangement of treatment, children with ADHD will be provided with support of KRW 300,000 per child for treatment.

Children with ADHD will be requested to visit the Mental Health Center once a week to participate in attention improvement programs. The Mental Health Centers also provide regular education programs for parents.

Our reporter met the parent of one child who overcame ADHD through 6 months of continuous treatment at the center.

Pedestrian psychiatric illness, iftreated in time, may develop into adult depression or an anti-social personality disorder. Once a childsuspected ofa mental problem, immediateappropriate treatment must be provided.