Seongbuk-gu Single-Person Household Policy & Gwanak-gu Single-Person Household Life Tips YouTube Content Production: Why Did It Receive 'Positive Reviews'?

Seongbuk-gu 'One-Person Household Hospital Safe Companion Service' and Middle-Aged One-Person Household Dietary Improvement and Social Activity Promotion Program 'Honseuking' Receive Positive Responses...

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seongbuk-gu, Gwanak-gu, and Yangcheon-gu have received favorable reviews for introducing support measures for single-person households and youth monthly rent.

These autonomous districts have prepared and implemented various measures to support the increasingly difficult single-person and youth households, receiving positive evaluations from residents.

◆ Seongbuk-gu’s ‘Single-Person Household Hospital Safe Companion Service’ and the popular ‘Hon Cooking’ program promoting dietary improvement and social activities for middle-aged single-person households

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) is receiving praise for its various meticulous projects for single-person households.

First, there is the distribution project of the eye-level road name address kit ‘Juso-ya~ Nolja’ for elderly living alone. The ‘Juso-ya~ Nolja’ kit consists of road name address stickers and daily necessities. Seongbuk-gu has a high proportion of elderly living alone in low-rise residential areas. However, since the elderly are not familiar with road name addresses, they often fail to provide accurate addresses to rescue agencies in emergencies, missing the golden time.

Accordingly, the district produced 17,000 ‘Juso-ya~ Nolja’ kits tailored to the elderly’s perspective and distributes them through cooperation among welfare planners at community service centers, neighborhood care groups, welfare block leaders, and private comprehensive welfare centers. This allows the elderly to routinely encounter road name addresses and quickly call for help from rescue agencies in emergencies, securing the golden time. Additionally, during the kit distribution process, the elderly’s well-being is checked, and those in blind spots are identified, achieving multiple benefits.

Distribution project of road name address kits 'Juso-ya~ Nolja' tailored for elderly living alone, program 'HonCooking' to improve dietary habits and promote social activities for middle-aged single-person households, 'Comma Project' providing customized physical education and cooking classes for low-income severely disabled individuals isolated due to economic and health issues, and 'Jeonwolse Ansimgyeyak Help Service' supporting stable housing settlement and secure lease contracts in the rental housing sector for single-person households.

For single-person households needing assistance with hospital visits, there is the ‘Single-Person Household Hospital Safe Companion Service.’ Any single-person household resident can use it comfortably at a low cost (5,000 KRW per hour) anytime. Applications can be made by calling the call center.

The ‘Hon Cooking’ program, which improves the diet and promotes social activities for middle-aged single-person households in Seongbuk-gu, is also receiving enthusiastic responses. In collaboration with the Return-to-Farming and Rural Migration Center, the classes utilize local specialties and offer rural experiences for participants. After class, ingredients are provided in meal kit form. Participants are very pleased as they can review cooking at home and reduce food waste. All sessions are so popular that they close early upon application.

The ‘Comma Project’ is a program for severely disabled single-person households. It visits low-income severely disabled households isolated due to economic and health issues and provides customized exercise and cooking classes. Since the Seongbuk-gu Disabled Persons Association runs the program, exercises and cooking are selected tailored to the participants. Above all, providing exercise equipment kits worth about 100,000 KRW has received very enthusiastic responses. Seongbuk-gu expects this project to greatly contribute to improving the health and healthy eating habits of severely disabled persons.

The ‘Jeonwolse Safe Contract Assistance Service’ supports stable housing settlement and safe contracts in the housing lease sector for single-person households. During lease contracts, safe consultation managers commissioned by the district provide counseling and accompany residents to inspect the house. Despite starting in July, over 50 consultations and inquiries have been received, showing a good response. A Seongbuk-gu official said, “Due to the district’s characteristic of having the highest number of universities nationwide, many inquiries come from university students and young workers, and the student council actively promotes this project.” Seongbuk-gu has set up a housing safety consultation desk on the third floor. Applications and consultations can be made via the Seoul Single-Person Household Portal website or by phone. One-on-one consultation services are also provided through the KakaoTalk channel ‘Seongbuk-gu Single-Person Household Jeonwolse Safe Contract Assistance Room.’

For single-person households vulnerable to various crimes such as home intrusion, there is also a crime prevention project. The ‘Safe Village Security Guards’ conduct patrol activities to alleviate safety concerns in areas densely populated by single-person households. Four security guards patrol in pairs on foot from 9 PM to 2:30 AM five days a week around Dongseon-dong to prevent crimes and respond to various safety issues.

Safety services are also provided through the ‘Ansim-i App.’ This app offers services such as emergency reporting, return home monitoring, safe return taxi, and safe return scout, which can be used when exposed to danger or feeling anxious while returning home. However, this service is available only after installing the ‘Seoul Ansim-i App.’

The ‘Safe Equipment Support’ project provides safe home sets to female single-person households with monthly rent deposits under 200 million KRW or male single-person households who have experienced crime. The safe home set consists of a smart door sensor, portable emergency bell, and window safety lock. Seongbuk-gu supports 50 households after review and currently the application is closed.

In addition, Seongbuk-gu has established a ‘Single-Person Household Safety Checklist’ for crime prevention and is focusing on promotion. It informs residents of easy-to-check and inspect items such as receiving various notices via text or email, disposing of delivery boxes after removing personal information, and checking CCTV locations.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “Due to the district’s characteristics of having the highest number of universities nationwide, proximity to downtown, and densely populated low-rise residential areas awaiting redevelopment and reconstruction, the proportion of single-person households such as university students, young workers, and elderly living alone is high. We will do our best to proactively discover and promote various policies for them to create a happy and safe city for single-person households in Seongbuk.”

◆ Gwanak-gu produces YouTube content ‘I Do It Alone’ with life tips for single-person households

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) has the highest proportion of single-person households among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts, accounting for 61% of all households.

As the district with the highest rate of single-person households, it is producing customized life tip YouTube content called ‘I Do It Alone’ for the happy single life of women, youth, and the elderly.

‘I Do It Alone’ features Gwanak-gu’s mascot, General Gang Gam-chan, performing entertaining skits to help viewers easily understand and provides various policies and life information helpful to single-person households.

Viewers can find safety content for single women such as the ‘Safe Home Set Support Project’ for female single-person households to create a ‘Women-Friendly City Gwanak’ where everyone is happy, and the ‘Women Safe Return Home Scout’ that protects women returning home alone late at night.

To ease the economic burden on youth, it covers the nation’s first ‘Youth Tenant Brokerage Fee Reduction Service’ and practical services for youth single-person households such as ‘Single-Person Household Housing Consultation and Jeonwolse Safe Contract Assistance Service’ for stable housing settlement.

It also introduces various policies for different types of single-person households, including the ‘Retirement Asset Management Coaching Program’ for middle-aged people, ‘AI Companion Robot Support’ for disabled persons living alone, and ‘Gwanak-gu Cherry Blossom Spots’ ideal for walking alone.

Gwanak-gu’s official YouTube channel ‘Live Gwanak’ launched the under-one-minute program ‘I Do It Alone’ in January this year, featuring various policies and life information for single-person households, garnering thousands of views per episode and attracting much attention.

Especially, the Gwanak-gu YouTube channel ‘Live Gwanak’ delivers practical resident participation content more easily and entertainingly, including ‘On-Site Sketch’ showing vivid scenes of various events, ‘Pocket in Gwanak’ introducing daily information needed by residents, and ‘Gwanak News’ gathering and delivering various issues in Gwanak.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “We do not simply see single-person households as one object but analyze household characteristics to prepare various policies that are well communicated and accessible. We will continue to strive to create a more inclusive and happy community where all age groups in Gwanak-gu can be happy.”

◆ Yangcheon-gu opens applications for ‘Youth Monthly Rent Temporary Special Support Project’ providing up to 200,000 KRW per month for 12 months

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Ki-jae) announced that from the 22nd, it will accept applications for the ‘Youth Monthly Rent Temporary Special Support Project’ providing up to 200,000 KRW per month for 12 months to alleviate the housing cost burden of youth suffering economic difficulties due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The Youth Monthly Rent Temporary Special Support Project is a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport initiative that supports housing rent up to 200,000 KRW per month for a maximum of 12 times.

The support target is youth (aged 19 to 34) under the Youth Basic Act who live separately from their parents, are non-homeowners, and reside in rented housing with a deposit of 50 million KRW or less and monthly rent of 600,000 KRW or less. Those paying monthly rent exceeding 600,000 KRW can apply if the sum of the converted deposit rent and monthly rent is 700,000 KRW or less.

Income criteria require both the original household’s median income to be 100% or less and the youth household’s median income to be 60% or less. Asset criteria require both the original household’s assets to be 380 million KRW or less and the youth household’s assets to be 107 million KRW or less. However, those living with parents, homeowners (including pre-sale rights and occupancy rights), residents of owned or jeonse housing, residents of public rental housing, and those who have already benefited from cash-type monthly rent support projects for youth such as the ‘Youth Monthly Rent Support Project’ are excluded.

The final beneficiaries will be selected and announced between October and November after reviewing income and assets, and payments will be made on the 25th of each month for 12 months during the payment period (Nov 2022 to Dec 2024). Housing benefit recipients will have their housing benefit amount deducted from the 200,000 KRW monthly rent support limit.

The application period is one year from the 22nd to August 21, 2023. Applicants should prepare documents such as income and asset declaration forms, lease contract proof, family relation certificates, and bankbook copies and apply online via the Bokjiro website or visit the local community service center.

Yangcheon-gu Mayor Lee Ki-jae said, “We hope this project will be like a refreshing rain for youth who feel a heavy burden of housing costs due to difficult economic conditions. We will continue to discover and promote various support policies that can provide practical help to youth, the future of the region.”