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. On-site Consultations for Small Businesses Provided by Gyeonggi Agency (0216-2) In a commercial district of Hwaseong (화성) City on February 15, the Gyeonggi-do Market Revitalization Agency set up an ‘SOS On-site Consultation Center’ and provided local small businesses with on-site financial consultation services in cooperation with the Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation and the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency. Services also included the provision of guidance on COVID-19-related support programs for small businesses. This on-site consultation center operated again at a public library in the city on February 22. The center will operate on a circulating basis throughout the 31 cities and counties of the province. ◇ Gyeonggi Launches Artificial Intelligence Policy Consultant Team (0219-1) As part of its efforts to support development of the artificial intelligence industry, Gyeonggi Province established the Artificial Intelligence Policy Consultant Team at an inauguration ceremony on February 19. The ceremony was followed by a team meeting. Consisting of 10 specialists in the fields of law, R&D, personnel development and public administration, this team will undertake artificial intelligence policy advancement and related project planning for a period of two years. This team will also undertake project coordination and consultation for related provincial offices. ◇ Gyeonggi Plans to Prevent Bird Strikes on Transparent Roadside Walls (0223-1) Gyeonggi Province announced plans to prevent birds from crashing into transparent noise-reduction walls along roadsides. These plans include trial operation of related projects such as adding graphics to walls to ward off birds as well as the recruitment of more than 100 volunteer monitors during February for participation in related measures. The province will also introduce related ordinances for the implementation and institutionalization of such measures. ◇   ‘Gyeonggi Province Basic Housing Conference’ (0225-1) On February 25, Gyeonggi Province held an international conference on ‘basic housing’. In his opening address, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명) stated that current housing issues can only be resolved by eliminating speculative and panic-driven demand. He then offered the basic housing concept as a key to resolving such issues. Held online in a non-contact format and featuring a large number of local and international experts, this conference featured presentations on international public housing policy cases including those of the Netherlands, Denmark and Singapore, as well as Gyeonggi Province’s basic housing policy philosophy. This conference also coincided with the opening of a basic housing promotion hall. ◇ Gyeonggi Increases This Year’s Local Currency Issuance to KRW 2.8 Trillion (0224-1) Gyeonggi Province will increase this year’s local currency issuance to KRW 2.8 trillion so as to better help backstreet commerce and small businesses. Gyeonggi’s local currency programs will primarily focus on restoring public consumption, which has been negatively affected by COVID-19, with an annual discount rate increase to 10 percent. The province also plans to establish efficient local currency management systems through various initiatives including the introduction of a quick payment platform for mobile users and the establishment of a common local currency management organization. ◇ 350th Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Extraordinary Session Ends on February 24 (0223-2) On February 24, the 350th Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Extraordinary Session ended an 8-day run after reviewing more than 80 items. Items passed during this session include basic income ordinance amendments, provincial reorganization plans and a proposal regarding basic loans. All the items embody core policies of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (이재명). The passage of these items will help facilitate the administration’s pursuit of these policies. ◇   COVID-19 Risk Alert App Developed in Gyeonggi (0222-1) A COVID-19 risk alert app that warns users if they have been potentially exposed to infection was developed in Gyeonggi Province. This app alerts users if their movements have coincided with those of confirmed COVID-19 carriers for more than 10 minutes. Those who receive alerts can then either seek testing or engage in self-quarantine, thereby reducing infection risks for others This app can be downloaded free of charge from the AppStore or Google Play. While the coverage of this app is currently limited to Gyeonggi Province, the province plans to expand coverage to include Seoul and Incheon. ◇ Thank you for joining us for this week’s edition of GTV. We look forward to seeing you again next week.