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- Gyeonggi Tightens Social Distancing from December 23 (1221) Gyeonggi Province, together with Seoul and Incheon, has banned both indoor and outdoor gatherings of 5 or more persons. This ban runs from 12:01 a.m. of December 23 to 11:59 p.m. of January 3. This social quarantine measure is stricter than standard Level 3 social distancing, which prohibits gatherings of 10 or more persons. Announcing this emergency measure during a press conference on December 21, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) described the current COVID-19 situation as a paramount crisis not only for Gyeonggi Province but also for the entire nation, with the daily number of confirmed cases exceeding 1,000 and the continual occurrence of group infections in local communities. ◇ 2- Gyeonggi Moves to Protect Deposit-based Leasing Tenants (1221-1) In cooperation with the national associations for property appraisers and realtors, Gyeonggi Province is taking action to protect deposit-based leasing tenants from fraudulent contracts known as ‘empty can’ leases. An ‘empty can’ deposit-based lease is one for which the amount of the lease deposit or deposit repayment loan already used by the landlord is greater than the market value of the property, which can result in the landlord being reluctant to return the lease deposit after contract termination. Provincial actions to be taken in this regard include the opening of a real estate consultation service website, the promotion of tenant protection provisions, and the strengthening of realtor education. ◇   3- Large Number of Real Estate Fraud Cases Uncovered in Gyeonggi (1223) The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police recently apprehended 232 individuals for real estate transaction crimes. Among these, fraudulent apartment applications and transactions were the most common, followed by unlicensed practices and price collusion. The special judicial police announced that they will investigate illegal real estate transactions more intensely, focusing primarily on fraud in the acquisition of transaction permits in relevant zones as well as in apartment applications in highly competitive areas. ◇ 4- Gyeonggi’s Disaster Basic Income Payments Proven Effective as Economic Relief During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gyeonggi Province has paid disaster basic income to provincial residents as a primary economic relief measure. The province recently assessed the effects of this initiative – one that had also triggered social controversy – using related big data analysis. It was found that each resident spent KRW 185,000 after receiving a disaster basic income payment of KRW 100,000. This indicates that this payment actually promoted consumption and benefited economic minorities including small businesses and backstreet merchants. ◇ 5- National Marine Safety Experience Center to Open in Gyeonggi in H1 2021 (1223-3) The Marine Safety Experience Center, a national project pursued under the Sewol Ferry Special Act, will open in Bangameori (방아머리) Park of Gyeonggi Province during the first half of next year. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) visited the project site to view progress and inspect facilities firsthand. This center will feature diverse experiential marine safety facilities as well as a special hall that documents notable marine accidents including the Sewol Ferry disaster that occurred in 2014. ◇   6- Gyeonggi Raises Youth Transportation Cost Support Limit for H2 2020 (1223-5) Gyeonggi Province has announced that applications for Youth Transportation Cost Support for the second half of this year will be received from January 4. Compared to support of KRW 60,000 provided in the first half of the year, the support amount limit for the second half of the year will be doubled to KRW 120,000 with payments being based on actual use of public transportation by youths. ◇ 7- Marine Trash Removal Vessel Launched by Gyeonggi Province (1223-1) On December 22, Gyeonggi Province launched the Cheongjeongho (청정호) marine trash removal vessel. The first such vessel designed specifically for this purpose, the Cheongjeongho will begin removing floating and submerged trash from coastal waters from January. Equipped with 3D sonar and drones, this vessel will locate and remove 100 to 200 tons of marine trash annually and also transport trash from islands. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.