Greetings, everyone, and thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. I’m Don Valiant and this is the news from Gyeonggi Province this week. 1- Stairless Promenade Opens in Gyeonggi Forest Park (1005-2) In the Mulhyanggi (물향기) Forest Park, Gyeonggi Province constructed as stairless boardwalk without steep inclines for visitors with reduced mobility. Easily accessible by wheelchairs and strollers as well as by seniors on foot, this scenic promenade with winding boardwalks and intermittent resting areas runs 757 meters through a popular ecological marsh. From this walkway, visitors can enjoy beautiful scenes of nature including five ponds and various rare plant species as well as primeval metasequoia trees. ◇ 2- Gyeonggi Special Loan Program for Individuals with Low Credit Ratings On October 15, Gyeonggi Province will begin receiving applications for the 3rd Gyeonggi Low Credit Loan Program. This program is geared to provide livelihood support to those who have very low credit ratings and are experiencing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the application period, new loan services customized for those who are high-interest loan users as well as for those applying through youth financial counseling services will be introduced. Anyone over 19 years of age with a low credit rating and residing in the province as of October 1 can qualify for loans through this program, which are available for amounts up to KRW 3 million at 1% annual interest. Applications will be received at local government offices. Loan amounts will be determined through application evaluation. ◇ 3- Preliminary Gyeonggi Public Delivery App Affiliation Applications Exceed Targeted Number (1007-2) Gyeonggi Province has developed the ‘Delivery Express’ public delivery app to counter delivery service monopolies and recently accepted preliminary affiliation applications from businesses in regions selected for trial operation – the cities of Hwaseong (화성), Osan (오산) and Paju (파주). Over the 6-week application period, the number of applications amounted to almost 3,700, exceeding the targeted number by 20 percent. Such results indicate the interest of small businesses regarding the need for a public delivery app. Trial operation of the Delivery Express app begins in November. Applications for app affiliation are being received via the Korea-Gyeonggido Company website. ◇ 4- Gyeonggi Releases 3 Million Young Manila Clams to Tidal Mudflats (1006-1) The Gyeonggi Maritime & Fisheries Research Institute recently bred and released 3 million young Manila clams to tidal mudflats. This year, the institute launched a seed cultivation project for fishery species such as the Manila clam and webfoot octopus as part of its efforts to stock provincial waters. This is the second release of species by the institute following the release of 150,000 webfoot octopus fry in June. ◇ 5- Artificial Surf Park Opens on Geobuk Island in Siheung (1008-1) On October 7, the world’s largest artificial surf park opened on Geobuk (거북) Island in Siheung (시흥) City of Gyeonggi Province. Developed on 325,300-square-meter site at a cost KRW 563 billion, this park – the first of its kind in Korea – was developed by Daewon Plus in collaboration with Spain Wave Park, the owner of the artificial surf technology. Other water recreation facilities including a wave pool will also open early next year. ◇ 6- Gyeonggi Establishes ‘Gyeonggi Bus Lounge’ in Seoul (1007-1) Gyeonggi recently established a resting facility for bus users in Seoul’s Sadang (사당) Subway Station area, which is visited by more than 30,000 Seoul-Gyeonggi bus commuters daily. This facility, known as the ‘Gyeonggi Bus Lounge’, is the first of its kind in Korea. It is equipped with automatic body temperature sensors, heating and cooling systems and an air purifying system. This bus lounge also features real-time information about bus schedules and micro-dust levels as well as free amenities including a nursing room and water purifiers. ◇ 7- Gyeonggi Fair Business Support Center (1005-1) The Fair Business Support Center of Gyeonggi Province resolves commercial issues involving franchises, business agencies and subcontractors. Any small or medium-sized business or individual in Gyeonggi Province can receive free legal counseling and arbitration services regarding fair business issues. These services can be requested via the center’s website or by calling its consultation desk. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.