Gwanak-gu launches comprehensive winter safety campaign

Gwanak-gu has launched a comprehensive winter preparedness plan to get ahead of sudden cold snaps, heavy snowfall and other extreme weather events, mobilizing its full administrative capacity to keep residents safe and warm through the season.

Built around four core pillars — cold-snap response, snow removal, safety and lifestyle support — the plan runs from Sunday through March 15, 2027, with proactive management of winter hazards throughout. This year the district is placing particular emphasis on strengthening cold-shelter inspections and subdividing snow-clearing routes to sharpen on-the-ground response to sudden weather changes.

A 24-hour integrated operations center will be kept running to ensure rapid information sharing and response. A daily inspection team will monitor cold-snap shelters, checking facility conditions and addressing any inconveniences to minimize cold-weather harm to residents.

Alongside this, the district will increase routine inspections of cold-reduction facilities from twice a year to once a month, and will expand the operation of warming tents at bus stops and windbreak screens in parks to 24 locations, reducing the chill felt by residents.

The district will also focus on managing vulnerable households at risk from cold weather and strengthening integrated care services. Through the "Huimang Ondol Warm Winter" welfare project — run jointly by residents and district staff — it will provide living expenses and other support to neighbors in need, while using care volunteers and smart devices to regularly check on isolated households.

To close gaps in the welfare safety net, the district will provide targeted support for each vulnerable group: operating senior centers as cold-snap shelters, expanding free meal support for low-income elderly residents to more than 200 people, providing meal support for children at risk of going hungry, and conducting patrols and counseling for homeless people.

To prepare for winter snowfall, the district will operate a disaster safety response headquarters and activate a phased snow-removal system. This year, it will subdivide major arterial snow-clearing routes from six to nine and reinforce equipment, cutting the target clearance time per route to one hour.

Reflecting the district's many steep roads, the district has also newly installed smart road-heating systems at 14 locations covering 3,030 meters, bringing the total network to 15,749 meters. Additional spreaders and self-propelled snow-removal equipment have been secured to boost clearance capacity on side streets and pedestrian paths, and resident participation events such as a "clear the snow in front of your home" campaign will also be held.

To prevent winter accidents and protect public health, the district will strengthen its 24-hour integrated CCTV monitoring system, conduct intensive inspections of construction sites and high-traffic facilities such as social welfare and cultural venues, carry out winter disinfection and sterilization, and offer influenza vaccinations.

On the lifestyle support side, the district will issue energy vouchers to ease heating costs for vulnerable residents and take thorough precautions against power outages in apartment complexes. It will also implement phased measures to reduce high-concentration fine dust, monitor prices during the kimchi-making season and the Lunar New Year holiday, and step up winter waste collection and road cleaning to maintain a pleasant urban environment.

"Even a small lapse in attention during winter can lead to a serious accident, so we have taken preemptive steps against the various hazards posed by cold snaps and heavy snow," District Mayor Park Jun-hee said. "We will mobilize every administrative resource for on-site inspections and response so that all residents can enjoy a safer and warmer winter."