Starting in 2022, Selected for 3 Consecutive Years in Seoul 1-Person Household Social Dining Contest
Cooking Classes, Unique Dietary Experiences, Social Network Formation... Focusing on Health Improvement and Communication Activation
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) announced that the ‘Happy Table for Middle-aged Single-person Households’ has been selected for the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Single-person Household Social Dining Contest for three consecutive years.
‘Happy Table’ was created to provide opportunities for sharing healthy food and expanding social interactions by cooking and dining together, targeting middle-aged single-person households with a high incidence of chronic diseases.
Since its inception in 2022, over 90% of participants each year have reported that the program helped improve their dietary habits. This project has attracted significant attention from other local governments, being shared as a best practice at the Seoul Integrated Health Promotion Project Performance Report Meeting.
The district operates a ‘Cooking Class’ program over five sessions starting in April, allowing middle-aged single-person households to easily try seasonal foods to maintain their health.
The education, conducted in four sessions per course, covers themes such as ▲‘Health’: low-sodium, low-sugar cooking practice ▲‘Vitality’: nutritious rice using seasonal ingredients ▲‘Joy’: making weekly homemade side dishes using one ingredient ▲‘Happiness’: introducing favorite dishes.
Additionally, a ‘Unique Food Experience to Enjoy Together’ program is held once quarterly. It includes ▲healthy snacks made from Korean agricultural products ▲a neighboring country’s taste tour linked to the Chinese food culture street ▲traditional food jang (fermented sauce) making connected to the Gwangjin jangdokdae (fermentation pots) ▲food sharing events to strengthen participant interaction and engagement.
For middle-aged single-person households who lack social networks and whose daily activities are limited to their residential area, the program fosters communication and sharing. Open chat rooms are operated for each course, providing dietary information more than twice a month and encouraging health-related challenges.
Furthermore, to build bonds, opportunities are provided for participants to communicate while tasting the food they have cooked together in the cooking classes.
Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “We have prepared a customized program to improve the dietary habits of middle-aged single-person households who need to take care of their own health,” adding, “We hope to expand opportunities for exchange through health improvement and food, enabling individuals to have a healthy day for themselves.”
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