Seongdong-gu Provides 32.3 Billion Won Support for Single-Person Households Over 5 Years... Why?

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu (center), is taking a group photo at the Single-Person Household Support Center.

Seongdong-gu Operates Single-Person Household Support Center, Supports 45 Projects with 32.3 Billion KRW over 5 Years Including Single-Person Household Public Projects

Focus on Health and Medical Specialized Projects to Promote Customized Initiatives in Health, Safety, Relationships, and Housing Stability

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has established and is implementing a ‘5-Year Comprehensive Plan for Supporting Single-Person Households’ to alleviate and prevent social dysfunctions arising from changes in family structures due to the increase in single-person households.

As of February, there are approximately 58,000 single-person households in Seongdong-gu, accounting for 43.7% of all households, an increase of 23.3% compared to 10 years ago. To proactively respond to this social phenomenon, Seongdong-gu opened the Single-Person Household Support Center in Majang-dong last July and newly established the ‘Single-Person Household Policy Team’ through an organizational restructuring in January this year.

This comprehensive plan, under the vision of ‘Happy coexistence, healthy and confident Seongdong single-person households,’ will invest a total of 32.3 billion KRW in 45 projects over five years across four areas: health and care, safety and convenience, relationships and independence, and housing stability.

First, the Seongdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center will focus on health and medical specialized projects. Targeting single-person households needing health management, it will actively operate programs such as ‘Health Maru,’ a physical health promotion project; ‘Drawing Maru,’ a mental health recovery project using accessible art as a medium; and ‘Seongdong Dangdang,’ a relationship health enhancement project.

Additionally, to reflect the diverse needs and demands of single-person households and provide practical assistance, an annual public project worth 200 million KRW will be conducted for non-profit corporations and organizations within the region.

To alleviate safety concerns, the plan includes the implementation of safe delivery lockers, safe return scouts, and safe item support projects. Convenience for single-person households will also be promoted through services such as the Thumb-Up Laundry Service, the Mobile Civil Complaint Unit, and the operation of the Seongdong Sharing Center.

For customized care to support healthy living, the smart care check-in service and the Hyo Sarang health doctor project for seniors aged 65 and older will continue. Furthermore, housing stability for university students and young adults will be supported through half-price brokerage fees, safe lease contract services, and the operation of the Seongdong Hanyang Win-Win Dormitory (a cooperative dormitory-type studio).

The district will actively promote these initiatives by diversifying channels such as the website, SNS channels, and the production of informational booklets to prevent blind spots caused by social prejudice against single-person households and lack of awareness of the projects.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “Seongdong-gu is actively identifying and supporting blind spots to solve social problems arising from the increasing trend of single-person households. We will gather the happiness of single-person households and all residents to lead Seongdong as an inclusive city.”

Members of the Meditation Playground, a customized program at the Single-Person Household Support Center, are holding up "Desire Talk Cards" during class.

Gangbuk-gu Single-Person Household Support Center Operates Customized Programs for Single-Person Household Support

Various Programs by Life Cycle of Single-Person Households Promoted and Supported

Continuous Increase in Single-Person Households... Year-Round Implementation of Customized Support Policies

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) announced that the Single-Person Household Support Center will operate customized programs by life cycle to support single-person households.

The Single-Person Household Support Center provides Seoul metropolitan area single-person households (with priority support for Gangbuk-gu residents) with individual counseling, group counseling psychological and emotional support programs, education and leisure cultural programs to strengthen healthy hobbies and life skills, and social network (self-help group) support projects to prevent isolation of single-person households.

Individual counseling, a professional counseling service to alleviate emotional difficulties such as depression and isolation commonly experienced by single-person households, will be conducted year-round until December.

The ‘123 Project,’ a daily life competency enhancement program for single-person households, held its first session on February 20, and the cultural program ‘Ppukku Art Theater’ for all generations of single-person households completed its first session on February 22. The ‘123 Project’ consists of a meditation playground (desire talk cards, meditation experience), organizing and storage education, and cooking activities, and will run until March 11. The cultural program ‘Ppukku Art Theater’ will be held on the last Wednesday of every month from February to November.

Additionally, ‘Financial Education’ for healthy financial management formation and the ‘145 Project’ for middle-aged single-person households will be held from April 17 to May 15. Middle-aged single-person households interested in relationship building and various leisure cultural activities can apply and participate.

Other programs include social network support projects to prevent isolation of single-person households, and a specialized program ‘Saeroyi, Bom’ (Newly, Spring) to support positive self-awareness and leisure cultural activities for middle-aged single-person households experiencing employment instability in the district, with applications starting in April. Physical activity programs for young and middle-aged single-person households, ‘Real Mountain Child’ and ‘Seasonal Body Movements,’ will be conducted sequentially from May to August.

Lee Soon-hee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “I hope the programs conducted by the Gangbuk-gu Single-Person Household Support Center will help solve various problems faced by single-person households. As the number of single-person households continues to increase, we will continue to promote customized support policies for them.”