'Mapo Check-in Call' Mobile Safety Care Saving Lives of Elderly Living Alone Better Than a Caregiver

[Seoul Autonomous District News] Mapo-gu, New Monitoring Methods for Increasing Elderly Living Alone and Socially Isolated Households & 2022 Testbed Seoul Demonstration Project Participation, Dense Care with Smart Technology ... Dongdaemun-gu, Signs Business Agreement with SKT on April 4 for AI Check-in Service to Prevent Solitary Deaths & Service Starts for 550-600 People from the 17th with AI Automated Phone Check-ins ... Dongdaemun-gu, Hosts 'Mongolian Specialty Products Promotion Expo' from the 7th to 9th in Celebration of the 32nd Anniversary of Korea-Mongolia Diplomatic Relations &am

Mapo Check-in Call! Mobile Safety Care System. The previously scattered check-in systems have been integrated into one, allowing for more advanced monitoring and increased accuracy. Additionally, an emergency call feature has been introduced to prevent urgent situations. When an emergency call is made through the mobile app, it is linked to the Mapo-gu CCTV Control Center, enabling location tracking and sending location information to the guardian.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mr. Kim, an elderly resident of Mapo-gu, lives alone with no family except for an occasionally visiting nephew. Mr. Kim, who had a chronic illness, suddenly collapsed in his home bathroom due to a sudden worsening of symptoms and was unable to move or call for help. As time passed, thinking he might die like this, he suddenly heard a knock on the front door, and soon rescue workers arrived, safely rescuing Mr. Kim and transferring him to the hospital.

What was it that saved the elderly man during that critical moment when even a slight delay could have endangered his life?

It was the “Mapo Anbu Call” that protected the elderly man’s golden hour.

Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Kang-su) announced on the 6th that it operates the “Mapo Anbu Call! Mobile Safety Care Service” to safely protect residents from risks such as solitary deaths amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and increasing social isolation.

The “Mapo Anbu Call! Mobile Safety Care Service” is a service that checks on socially isolated vulnerable households in real-time by linking personal mobile phones or home landlines with telecommunications companies.

The system automatically monitors the call history of the target individuals’ mobile phones, and if there is no call record for a certain period, it automatically makes a welfare check call. If the call is not answered, an automatic notification is sent to the responsible staff at the local community center. Upon receiving the notification, the staff confirms the welfare status by phone or visit and inputs the results into the monitoring system for continuous management.

With the increase in single-person households and ongoing issues such as solitary deaths, the district felt the need to establish a new form of monitoring system and launched the “Mapo Anbu Call” service in 2020 as an alternative. So far, 4,560 people have used the system, and cases like Mr. Kim’s continue to be discovered, verifying the effectiveness of the project, according to the district.

The district is not stopping there and will implement an upgraded version of the mobile safety care service. This standard welfare check service integrates three functions: monitoring, welfare check, and emergency reporting. It combines the existing Mapo Anbu Call service with IoT devices such as a mobile app, door opening sensors, and smart plugs to create an integrated platform for welfare checks. Earlier this year, the district, together with the system developer Rookies, was selected through a public contest for the “2022 Testbed Seoul Demonstration Project.”

This integration allows the previously scattered welfare check systems to be unified and managed, enabling more advanced monitoring and improved accuracy. Additionally, an emergency call function was introduced to prevent urgent situations. When an emergency call is made via the mobile app, it is linked to the Mapo-gu CCTV control center, allowing location tracking and sending location information to the guardian.

The district expects that this advanced project will further strengthen the care system for vulnerable households using smart technology. Furthermore, the local social safety nets such as Neighbors Caring, Honorary Social Welfare Officers, and Our Neighborhood Care Teams will be newly organized to combine smart technology with human safety nets for more detailed monitoring and enhanced management of socially isolated households.

The Mapo Anbu Call service is available for application anytime through the district office website and the local community centers. Eligible individuals can use the service free of charge.

Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “As the number of socially isolated households such as elderly living alone continues to increase due to aging, it is an urgent task to establish measures to protect them. We will develop systems using smart technology and strengthen community networks to create a more robust safety net for vulnerable groups.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) is managing households at risk of solitary death by utilizing the 'AI Welfare Check Service (NUGU Biz Call Service)'.

The district has signed a business agreement with SKT to regularly check on the welfare of vulnerable single-person households using artificial intelligence technology to prevent solitary deaths.

The NUGU Biz Call Service, as part of care services, automatically calls households at risk of solitary death once a week to check on the recipient’s welfare and automatically analyzes the call content, delivering the results to the local community center.

The AI can conduct natural conversations like a human based on a set scenario and independently analyze the conversation to check on meals, exercise, health, and any inconveniences. If there is no response or if answers like “Help me” or “I’m sick” are detected, a counselor at the SK Happiness Connect Control Center immediately calls the individual to assess the emergency and connects to 119 if necessary. All information generated during the service is accessible in real-time by the local community center officials.

The district plans to provide the service to 550 to 600 people recommended by 14 local community centers starting from the 17th.

A district official stated, “With the NUGU Biz Call Service, we will be able to systematically manage the welfare and safety of households at risk of solitary death. We plan to expand the system to enable proactive responses to solitary deaths through continuous monitoring.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) will hold the “Mongolian Specialty Products Promotion Expo” for three days from the 7th to the 9th at Cheongnyangni Station Plaza to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of Korea-Mongolia diplomatic relations.

The “Mongolian Specialty Products Promotion Expo” is organized by the Mongolian Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Agency and the Korean Mongolian Association, and was arranged following a meeting between Erdenesaihan, head of the Mongolian SME Promotion Agency, and Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, on August 26.

The event aims to promote exchanges with Mongolian SMEs and strengthen friendly relations between Korea and Mongolia. It will run from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM from the 7th to the 9th. During the event, about 10 sales booths will showcase and promote specialty products from 19 Mongolian SMEs, including wool, yak oil, leather products, and food items.

On the opening day, the ceremony will begin at 2:10 PM, followed by congratulatory performances starting at 2:40 PM. The performances will feature traditional Mongolian instruments such as the morin khuur and Mongolian choral songs, fully capturing the spirit of Mongolia.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “It is especially meaningful to hold the ‘Mongolian Expo’ at Cheongnyangni Station Plaza, the heart of our district, to mark the 32nd anniversary of Korea-Mongolia diplomatic relations. About 1,000 Mongolian nationals reside in our district, and I ask for your great interest so that we can become closer to Mongolia through this expo.”