Seongbuk District Mayor Promises Promotion and Rewards for Civil Servants' Innovative Ideas...

Reducing Solitary Deaths for 2,200 KRW per Month...
As Single-Person Households and Vulnerable Groups Face Increased Risk
‘Smart Check-in System’ Proposed Through 'Policy Audition'
Seongbuk District Mayor Promises Exceptional Rewards Including Promotion for Outstanding Proposal

At the '2nd Seongbuk Policy Audition' conducted by Seongbuk District Office, Jo Yeon-hee, team leader of the Welfare Policy Division who won the grand prize, said, "I would like to express my gratitude to the department staff who worked together and helped with the tasks, as well as to the employees of other departments related to the work." Provided by Seongbuk District Office.

The proportion of single-person households in Seoul has steadily increased, soaring to 38.2% of all households. The rise in single-person households becomes a social issue particularly among middle-aged and elderly groups. The increase in single-person households in these age groups means that the number of people at risk of dying alone, known as ‘godoksa’ (lonely death), is also rising.

The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs classified 78.8% of single-person households as being at risk of ‘godoksa’ in data released earlier this year. Men, especially those in their 50s and 60s, were found to be at greater risk than women. The recent organizational restructuring by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to establish a ‘Care and Loneliness Policy Officer’ also signifies the growing need to address social problems caused by loneliness and isolation, including the prevention of godoksa.

The most proactive entities addressing this issue are local governments that meet residents on the ground. Jo Yeon-hee, team leader of the Welfare Policy Division in Seongbuk-gu, has been contemplating this problem firsthand. She came up with the idea of building a ‘non-face-to-face welfare check system’ to meticulously and thoroughly verify the well-being of vulnerable groups.

“Seongbuk-gu has about 20,000 welfare target households. Among them, 51% are single-person households. The fact that many welfare recipients are single-person households is a reality we feel directly. So, I thought about a way to effectively prevent godoksa at a reasonable cost without increasing the workload of social welfare officers who already face a lot of stress from complaints.”

There was also a need for a method to monitor welfare recipients who refuse welfare checks without conflict. Team leader Jo said, “When welfare officers call to check on someone’s well-being, sometimes they get harsh responses like ‘Are you calling to check if I’m dead or alive?’ and the call gets cut off. This is the reality.”

Seongbuk-gu decided to implement the ‘Smart Welfare Check System’ proposed by Team leader Jo starting this August. Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro, who heard the proposal, encouraged a swift introduction. Among about 10,000 single-person welfare recipients, 3,000 were selected based on age and circumstances as the target group, and the possibility of expansion will be reviewed through satisfaction monitoring after implementation.

The ‘Smart Welfare Check System’ uses the target’s phone call records, mobile applications, door opening and electricity consumption sensors. If there are no call records or movements for a certain period, an automatic welfare check call is made to confirm the status of the single-person household. If there is still no response, a public official from the local community center visits to directly verify safety.

Since the system is developed and operated by a private company, it costs about 2,200 KRW per household per month. For 3,000 households, the monthly cost is about 6.6 million KRW, but it is expected to be effective in preventing godoksa and responding to emergencies among vulnerable groups such as elderly living alone.

On the 27th of last month, Team leader Jo presented the topic ‘How about checking on vulnerable groups like this?’ at the ‘Seongbuk Policy Audition’ held at the district office, proposing the introduction of the ‘Smart Welfare Check System.’ Among 24 proposals, 8 advanced to the finals and competed, and Team leader Jo won the grand prize.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “We introduced the policy audition system to actively incorporate new ideas suited to local conditions or excellent projects from other districts into local policies. We will provide exceptional rewards that help with work evaluations and promotions so that the valuable experiences and content held by public officials are not wasted but well utilized.”

The Seongbuk Policy Audition is a system where grade 6 public officials, who hold team leader-level duties and are also called ‘midfielders of administration,’ discover projects. They are responsible for carrying out the entire process themselves.

Jo Yeon-hee, team leader of the Welfare Policy Division in Seongbuk-gu, proposed the introduction of the 'Smart Check-in System' to effectively monitor the well-being of vulnerable groups and won the grand prize at the 2nd Seongbuk Policy Audition. On the 27th of last month, Lee Seung-ro, the district mayor (right in the photo), is smiling while awarding Team Leader Jo. Provided by Seongbuk-gu. Photo by Lee Seung-ro

Team Leader Jo Yeon-hee and the Welfare Policy Division staff are shouting "Fighting." Provided by Seongbuk-gu.