Dobong-gu Holds 'ChinChin Neighbor Care' Workshop to Prevent Solitary Deaths

August 7 'ChinChin Neighbor Caretaker' Appointment Ceremony Held... Ssangmun 1-dong, Chang 3-dong Neighbor Caretaker Appointment Ceremony and Resident Workshop Held

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dobong-gu (Mayor Dongjin Lee) has been selected for the ‘Seoul 2020 Resident Network Formation Project’ with three neighborhoods (Ssangmun 1-dong, Chang 3-dong, Chang 5-dong) and is operating the ‘ChinChin Neighbor Care Project.’

The Ssangmun 1-dong and Chang 3-dong community centers held an appointment ceremony for the Resident Network Formation Project ‘ChinChin Neighbor Care’ on August 7 to support activities preventing solitary deaths of single-person households, followed by a resident workshop for the appointed members. The Chang 5-dong community center held its appointment ceremony on July 30.

The ChinChin Neighbor Care Project is part of Seoul’s measures to prevent solitary deaths. It aims to restore relationships and enable socially isolated households at risk of solitary death to live together within the community by fostering neighbors’ interest and connections. Seoul started this project as a pilot in three locations in 2017, and as of 2020, 120 neighborhoods are participating. The district is promoting the project in partnership with two public-private welfare organizations: Dobong Seowon Comprehensive Social Welfare Center and Changdong Comprehensive Social Welfare Center.

At the appointment ceremony held that day, seven residents from Ssangmun 1-dong and six residents from Chang 3-dong who participated in the Neighbor Care activities received appointment certificates and took part in a resident capacity-building workshop hosted by the Changdong Comprehensive Social Welfare Center.

ChinChin Neighbor Care participants will engage in activities to discover and prevent blind spots of solitary deaths after completing three sessions of resident-led planning workshops and capacity-building education organized by the public-private welfare organizations (Dobong Seowon Comprehensive Social Welfare Center and Changdong Comprehensive Social Welfare Center).

A resident participating in ‘Neighbor Care’ said, “I am glad to have a small opportunity to reach out to neighbors who have been economically and socially marginalized due to COVID-19 and to help identify blind spots.”

The head of Ssangmun 1-dong stated, “Recently, with the increase of single-person households, social disconnection, and family breakdown, solitary deaths and socially isolated solitary deaths have emerged as social issues. I hope this will be an opportunity to prevent social isolation through residents’ interest and participation and to create a community culture that does not push people toward lonely deaths.”