Is There a Reason Why Seongdong-gu Village Communities Last Long?

Isolation and Care for Marginalized Neighbors: Seongdong-gu Village Community Spotlighted for 'Together Longer' Initiative... 'Sageun-dong Village Vitality Center' as a Local Hub Providing Community Space, Services, and Generation-Specific Adaptation Methods for the Contactless Era

Senior Digital Volunteer Group's Digital Education for the Elderly

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) is drawing renewed attention as a community that supports the local society during difficult times by practicing care for isolated and marginalized neighbors amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

In the changed daily life due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, Seongdong-gu residents are finding answers together through village communities to "endure longer together."

Last year, the appearance of Seongdong-gu’s village communities was quite different from usual. During the early COVID-19 mask shortage, 442 residents from 41 village community groups came together to make masks and mask straps themselves and shared them with neighbors, pooling their efforts to overcome the difficult times together.

Additionally, through the residents’ group “Hope Rainbow” for the elderly who are vulnerable to isolation and marginalization, continuous exchange activities were held along with programs caring for dementia patients. The “Visiting Volunteer School Community Childcare Activities” empathized with feelings of isolation and depression caused by COVID-19 and provided opportunities for children and parents to confirm their social connections, demonstrating a communal efficacy that overcomes difficult times through voluntary cooperation.

Along with this, the district established a regional hub facility providing community spaces and services called “Sageun-dong Village Vitality Center.” After remodeling completed last April, the “Seongdong Resident Studio” was opened inside, supporting various village community activities and leading the way in “Going Together with the Community.”

Among these, the “Senior Digital Volunteer Group,” composed of local residents, has been conducting smartphone usage education for seniors in the area every Friday since early this year, receiving great responses from the elderly community.

Furthermore, digital education programs such as “Social Media Video Editor Training” to help young people find employment have been prepared. Sageun-dong Village Vitality Center has now become a new hub for local community projects capable of education and content production suited to the non-face-to-face era, alongside village volunteer activities based on mutual help and sharing.

The district plans to actively promote village community projects by supporting 58 resident group projects this year, the largest scale ever, starting with five online and offline village community project briefing sessions held in January.

An elderly participant in the “Senior Digital Volunteer Group” education said, “I had never really used a smartphone much and thought it was vaguely unfamiliar and difficult, but now I use it so well that my children are surprised. It’s really nice to be able to learn this in the neighborhood.”

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, emphasized, “The community is a precious social asset that is difficult to restore once broken, and social values are even more necessary in difficult times. We will continue to support and develop village communities so that the value of the community does not disappear but continues.”