Seongdong-gu to Open 'Essential and Platform Workers' Shelter' on Saturdays During Heatwave Period

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Yoo Bohwa), announced on July 8 that it will extend the operating days of the 'Seongdong Essential and Platform Workers' Shelter' to include Saturdays during July and August, in order to protect essential and mobile workers from the summer heatwave.

Shelter exterior view. Courtesy of Seongdong-gu.

The 'Seongdong Essential and Platform Workers' Shelter' (Room 212, 111 Seongsuil-ro) is a space established to improve the working conditions and provide rest for essential and platform workers whose workplaces are not fixed and who travel for work. Previously, the shelter only operated on weekdays. However, in July and August of this year, it will also open every Saturday (except public holidays) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The district explained that the Saturday operating hours have been set based on the time when approximately 70% of regular shelter users visit. Last year, a trial Saturday operation was conducted for one month in August, which resulted in high user satisfaction and requests to extend the operating period. Accordingly, this year, the weekend operations have been extended to two months, July and August.

The shelter maintains appropriate temperature and humidity levels and provides ice-cold bottled water. Amenities also include massage chairs in personal rest rooms and mobile phone charging stations. In a user satisfaction survey conducted by the district in the first half of this year, the shelter received an overall satisfaction rate of 96%, and 55% of users reported using the shelter at least three times a week.

Counseling programs are also available at the shelter on the second and fourth Thursday of every month from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The second Thursday offers labor counseling, and the fourth Thursday provides psychological counseling, both delivered by experts in each field. Appointments can be made either in person or through the Seongdong-gu Office's online quick reservation system.

District Mayor Yoo Bohwa stated, "We decided to extend the shelter's operation to Saturdays in order to protect the health of essential and platform workers from the summer heatwave," adding, "We will continue to actively listen to feedback from the field to ensure the shelter remains a safe and comfortable place for workers to use."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.