
GUNSAN, South Korea -- In downtown Gunsan, amid the dusty machine shops, vacant storefronts and empty restaurants that make up much of the city's core, sits a gleaming, three-story operation. A sign at its entrance promises those who enter "one-stop support" on their way to a "happy new beginning."
The building is an ad-hoc, government-funded job placement center that was set up nearly two years ago to help the city's working people navigate a protracted economic crisis. Inside, 30 staff provide job placement and psychological counseling services. One program is called "I Am in Control of My Future." Another is art time for adults.