[Interview] Lee Soo-hee, Gangdong District Mayor, "Creating a Gangdong Where Living Alone Is Not a Worry"

Gangdong-gu Creates Safe Environment for Single-Person Households with Emergency Bells for Elderly Living Alone, Women’s Safe Parcel Lockers... Single-Person Household Support Center Offers Various Programs and Projects Popular Among Local Residents

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] “‘Increasing population’ ‘Highest birth rate in Seoul.’ These are the reasons to pay attention to Gangdong-gu these days, as warnings of local extinction crises are heard everywhere due to the nationwide population decline.”

Lee Soo-hee, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, stated, “The 8th elected term will be a period to lay the foundation for the development of Gangdong-gu, which will grow into a major city in Seoul with a population exceeding 500,000.”

Currently, Gangdong-gu is undergoing large-scale development projects rarely seen in autonomous districts, such as Godeok Biz Valley and Gangdong General Industrial Complex, along with housing maintenance projects like the reconstruction of Dunchon Jugong Apartments.

The mayor said, “We are subdividing policies to prepare for the increasing population in areas such as transportation, housing, care, and education. Among them, it is time to carefully prepare policies for the growing number of single-person households to strengthen the social safety net.”

As of November this year, the number of single-person households in Gangdong-gu accounted for 37% of the total households, surpassing the 36.8% average for single-person households in Seoul in 2021 according to Statistics Korea data. This means one out of every three households lives alone.

The mayor explained, “According to the ‘Seoul Area Single-Person Household Survey Academic Research’ (Seoul Metropolitan Government & Seoul Institute, 2021), the proportion of those aged 60 and over and young people is increasing, and the ratio of women is relatively higher than that of men. While the freedom of living alone increases life satisfaction and thus the desire to continue living alone is high, the most difficult part of living alone is dealing with illness or emergencies.”

Mayor Lee is reflecting these characteristics of single-person households in policies, focusing on creating a safer residential environment where single-person households can live better.

He said, “From November, we started the ‘AI Check-in Call’ project, which contacts single-person households in need of care weekly to check on their well-being and informs the welfare planner at the local community center. Along with this, we plan to launch the ‘Emergency Bell for Elderly Living Alone’ project within the year.”

This project provides a service where elderly living alone can press a call button in emergencies to immediately send an alert to their guardian. Even during normal times, guardians can check real-time information about the elderly’s activity levels, living environment, and overall lifestyle.

Additionally, women’s safety policies such as installing secure parcel lockers and operating a Safe Return Scout service for female single-person households are attracting attention. To prevent crimes in dark and gloomy alleyways, additional Safe Return Path sections will be installed. Currently, Safe Return Paths are installed in two locations, including the area around 338 Cheonho-dong.

Gangdong-gu has opened the ‘Gangdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center’ to improve the life satisfaction of single-person households and operates various programs that have received great responses from local residents.

The mayor said, “The ‘Gangdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center,’ which opened on January 1 this year, is located on the second floor of Cheonho Aurum Center (297-5 Gucheonmyeon-ro). Reflecting the needs and preferences of single-person households by household type, it operates various programs and small groups, provides psychological counseling services, and offers convenience facilities. So far, about 800 members have joined, and it is operating successfully.”

The center features a ‘Smart Shared Kitchen’ to help improve the eating habits of single-person households who often eat instant and delivery food. Equipped with a tablet PC, users can search for cooking videos to follow along, and various cooking utensils such as pots and ovens are freely available, so users only need to bring ingredients. Various cooking programs such as the ‘Solo Meal Making Project’ for beginners and cooking classes with popular chefs teaching baking and pastry are also offered, allowing participants to cook and eat together.

To foster social networks, the center supports small groups and self-development programs such as Pilates, home caf?, and personal color analysis, complementing internal factors. It also provides various convenience facilities considering the living conditions of single-person households, including a tool library where tools can be borrowed and a coin laundry service (for low-income groups).

▲How to use tools that are difficult to handle alone ▲Bedding and clothing organization and storage methods ▲DIY furniture making ▲‘Using Studio Apartments More Efficiently Project,’ where professional organizers visit homes to provide space utilization and tidying consulting?these useful life education programs attract much attention from solo dwellers and are especially popular among single-person households wanting to enhance their independence.

Moreover, the center provides services for the social safety net of single-person households. For those at risk of lonely death, customized case management and psychological counseling services are offered. The Women Guardian Project supports safety devices for women living alone, and various services such as accompanying them to hospitals help ensure the safety of single-person households.

Lee Soo-hee, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “We plan to pay close attention and care so that single-person households, who are easily marginalized, are not overlooked in welfare blind spots. We will continue to do our best so that they can live healthy and happy lives in harmony with the local community.”