[Interview] Owen Seok, Dobong District Mayor: "The Issues of Isolated and Reclusive Youth Are Complex, Central Government, Local Authorities, and Private Organizations Must Collaborate Organically"

Longstanding Support and Interest in Isolated and Reclusive Residents... Presented Case Studies as a Seoul District Representative Last Year
Focusing on Isolated and Reclusive Youth This Year, Launching the 'Hope Project' and Revenue-Generating 'Become an Emoticon Artist' Program

"Bringing reclusive young people out into society is not only a tremendous task for families but also for society as a whole."

Oh Eon-seok, the mayor of Dobong-gu, explained this as the reason why he is actively addressing the issues of isolated and reclusive youth.

According to a 2023 survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the number of isolated and reclusive youth in Korea is estimated to be around 540,000. In the same year, research by the Youth Foundation estimated that the economic loss caused by their withdrawal from economic activities amounts to approximately 6.7 trillion KRW annually. Additionally, individual welfare costs related to mental health and other issues are estimated at around 20 million KRW per year.

In response, the government has begun preparing support measures for isolated and reclusive youth. In April of this year, a pilot project for isolated and reclusive youth was launched. It is just taking its first steps. The fact that this is a government-level initiative makes it particularly meaningful. If local governments with established networks for isolated and reclusive youth provide support, even greater synergy effects are expected.

Dobong-gu has long been systematically managing and supporting isolated and reclusive residents, not only youth but also children, adolescents, and middle-aged adults. Last year, at the Seoul Metropolitan Government district council meeting on 'abnormal motivation crimes,' Dobong-gu presented on the topic of 'Proactive Intensive Management and Support System for Reclusive Case Management Targets.' At that time, Mayor Oh Eon-seok introduced the district's representative policies and projects and proposed solutions at the district level.

In an interview, Mayor Oh said, "Dobong-gu has taken a leading role by implementing support projects since social interest in isolated and reclusive residents was low," adding, "Based on accumulated data, this year we aim to promote projects focused on fundamental prevention and establishing a detailed management system for isolation and reclusion." He continued, "In particular, we want to focus on and support isolated and reclusive youth." When asked why isolated and reclusive youth, he explained, "According to research by the Youth Foundation, social economic losses amount to about 7 trillion KRW annually. Since these losses occur, it is better to invest more manpower and budget in supporting isolated and reclusive youth, even if initial costs are incurred."

In June of this year, Dobong-gu launched a new hope project to support isolated and reclusive youth. Named "Dobong-gu Youth, EX-i-t!", this hope project aims to discover socially isolated and reclusive youth and support their social participation and activities. First, the district identifies socially isolated and reclusive youth based on the cooperation network established with local community centers and related organizations, and trains peer activists who are interested in youth issues and willing to help. Next, socially isolated and reclusive youth are matched one-on-one with activists to help stabilize their emotions and recovery, followed by various social participation programs including outdoor experiences such as luge and hiking.

Mayor Oh also mentioned plans to support the economic independence of isolated and reclusive youth alongside the hope project. He said, "Although it is still in the early stages, we are operating a program called 'Becoming an Emoticon Artist for Isolated and Reclusive Youth.' We provide education on emoticon creation and register the created emoticons on online sales platforms to generate income. This boosts the vitality of life and confidence in social independence among isolated and reclusive youth, resulting in high satisfaction among participating youth." He added, "In the future, we plan to design and implement education and income-generating programs reflecting the needs of isolated and reclusive youth beyond just emoticons."

When asked how to solve the issue of isolated and reclusive youth going forward, Mayor Oh said, "We do not want to be merely focused on increasing the number of successful cases of discovering and supporting isolated and reclusive youth immediately. The issue requires close cooperation with related ministries based on a public-private cooperation network. Recently, the government and Seoul Metropolitan Government have been preparing and implementing support measures for isolated and reclusive youth. If there is any part that the district can assist with, we will actively step in at any time." He continued, "Looking at Finland’s case, the central government responds to isolated and reclusive youth policy-wise. Through local governments and private organizations like youth workshops, related projects are promoted, providing integrated services and training. Like this, rather than responding with short-term or one-off measures, a comprehensive and long-term approach is necessary, with central, local, and private sectors organically cooperating to jointly address the issue of isolated and reclusive youth."