The third session of 2024 CityNet Korean Members Gathering featured two presentations on best practices from the Seoul Metropolitan Government: Seoul’s Climate Card initiative and Seoul’s Kids Care Center. Mr. Jongmin Kim, Head of the Transportation Policy Division, emphasized that the Climate Card promotes public transportation with reduced carbon emission and aligns with global climate change efforts. He noted that the Seoul Climate Card initiative aims to tackle climate change and high inflation, with nearly 20,000 commuters reducing their carbon footprint daily by replacing about 11,000 private cars.
Following the presentation of the Climate Card, Mr. Sung-hoon Kim, Head of the Child Care Division, presented Seoul’s Kids Care Center. He explained that the Kids Care Center offers parents affordable and clean play spaces for their children, addressing the lack of public play facilities and high usage fees. Each center operates through a triangular cooperation between the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Autonomous Districts, and the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family. The usage costs only 5,000 KRW (about $3.50), compared to $13.70 at private care centers.
The final session was a meet-and-greet and free discussion time for all participants. Each member briefly explained their affiliated city/organization and their goals and needs from the CityNet network. Following the greetings, participants were requested to fill out surveys to gather opinions and feedback on CityNet programs. The survey questions covered topics such as preferred city-to-city cooperation projects, potential countries/cities for future cooperation, preferred capacity-building programs for Korean members, and current programs of interest.
Survey results from members will be considered in next year’s program planning. CityNet Secretariat looks forward to future meetings and hopes for more active engagement of Korean members in CityNet programs aimed at building sustainable cities.
This article has been written by Jihyun Baek, who can be reached at programs3@citynet-ap.org.
Jihyun Baek is a Program Assistant in the operations team at CityNet. She has a strong interest in international relations and urban planning. Prior to joining CityNet, she worked as an assistant in Eastern European of Balkan Institute in Korea. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Ukrainian studies with a double major in International Studies. She can be reached at op.assistant2@citynet-ap.org.
