Gwangju City News

Reprinted from the Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall website.

On March 21, Gwangju City held a meeting at City Hall inviting workers and international students from Myanmar living in the Gwangju area. Ten Myanmar residents in Gwangju, including the representative of Myanmar in Gwangju, Myoneja; Yoon Young-dae, executive chairman of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Migrant Workers’ Human Rights Network; and Hwang Jeong-ah, representative of the Gwangju Asian Women’s Network, attended the meeting to exchange information on the country’s situation, in which many casualties have occurred due to the military coup, to listen directly to the opinions of Myanmar residents in the region, and to seek support measures at the level of the city and civil society.

At the meeting, Mayor Lee Yong Sup encouraged the local Myanmar residents to oppose the military coup and support democratization, and identified their difficulties and what they need most at the moment.

The Myanmar citizens who attended the meeting said that they appreciated the efforts and activities of Gwangju City and civic groups supporting the democratization movement in their country. One attendee stated, “In Myanmar, the casualties are increasing every day, the internet and SNS are blocked, and the situation is deteriorating,” and added, “Please support the citizens who are opposing the coup in Myanmar.”

Others in attendance said that there is a need for a structure in which Gwangju City and civil society organizations can communicate with the Myanmar people living here, to share information, and that it costs a lot for gatherings. They said protesters need food and medicine support right now but hope that mid- to longterm support plans in preparation for the end of the Myanmar situation will also be devised.

Mayor Lee stated, “I would like to express my deep consolation for the bloody suppression by the military coup forces in your home country, and for the victims and their families. Gwangju, a city of democracy, human rights, and peace, is strongly condemning the military’s

non-democratic violence and calls for an immediate cessation.” He also said, “We will reflect on the opinions you have given us today, and seek systematic and effective support measures.”

Mayor Lee encouraged the people of Myanmar to move toward the light of hope without losing courage, just as Gwangju took, in May 1980, one step forward toward the light in dark times to achieve democracy. “We hope that Myanmar will restore democracy and peace as soon as possible, and to this end, we will work closely with the international community as well as domestically.”

On March 22, Gwangju City held a meeting with religious organizations, city council members, the City Office of Education, the May 18 Memorial Foundation, and Gwangju Solidarity in Myanmar to discuss ways to oppose the military coup and support democracy in Myanmar.

Gwangju Metropolitan City is promoting a Gwangjutailored standard model pilot project for child protection zones with enhanced visibility so that any driver can easily recognize child protection zones.

The project will be carried out as improvement measures are urgently required due to the fact that child protection zones under the Road Traffic Act, which was revised in March on last year, are highlighted as a social issue, and frequent child traffic accidents occur in the protection areas.

The Gwangju-tailored standard model consists of installing five safety facilities in the protected areas, including dark red (non-slip) pavement, start- and endpoint street markings, yellow traffic lights, diagonal crosswalks, and light-emitting end-point signs, reflecting the site conditions.

The pilot project sites will be constructed in Munheungdong, Buk-gu; and Unnam-dong, Gwangsan-gu. Designing is currently underway and is expected to be completed in April, with construction to begin in June after collecting experts’ and residents’ opinions, and completion is expected soon thereafter. The city of Gwangju plans to consider expanding the Gwangjutailored standard model project in the future through business effect analysis. Park Nam-eon, director of the city’s Transportation and Construction Bureau, said, “We will make it easier for everyone to recognize children with child protection zones through the Gwangju-tailored standard model pilot project, making it possible for drivers to be more alert, and thereby preventing traffic accidents and promoting a safe walking environment for children.”

The Gwangju Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment is conducting surveys on soil pollution in areas where there is concern for soil contamination in the city’s jurisdiction together with its five districts.

From March to October, the surveys are investigating for eight heavy metals, including cadmium, lead, and benzene, in 100 sites that are feared to have contaminated soil, including children’s amusement facilities and transportation-related facilities. Areas that exceed the standards for soil pollution will have the cause of the contamination investigated by the relevant district, and if soil pollution is confirmed, purification orders and restoration projects will be carried out.

Last year, it was found that cadmium exceeded the level for soil contamination at one site in an area related to waste treatment and recycling, for which the district ordered a thorough soil survey and implemented cleanup measures according to the results of the investigation.

Bae Seok-jin, head of the Environmental Research Department, said, “Soil pollution is difficult to remove and restore compared to other types of pollution. … We will continue to conduct surveys on soil pollution so that we can preemptively check whether contamination is present.”