Seongdong-gu Seongsu 1-ga Je 1-dong, Haengdang Je 1-dong, Wangsimni Je 2-dong 'Kiosk Experience Zone' Operation

Seongsu 1-ga Je 1-dong, Haengdang Je 1-dong, Wangsimni Je 2-dong: First Nationwide Installation of Program Registration Kiosks in Three Community Centers to Enhance Course Enrollment Convenience... Educational Kiosks for Practice Installed Like Ordering at Restaurants and Cafes to Reduce Digital Device Usage Burden
In Collaboration with Korea Electronic Finance Co., Ltd., Pilot Operation for One Year Followed by Expansion to All Districts; Dedicated Course Registration System for Community Centers to Be Established by Next Year to Bridge Information Gap

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced that it will pilot the operation of the ‘Seongdong-type AI Kiosk Experience Zone’ at three community center autonomous halls within the district.

With the rapid digitalization across society recently, the introduction of kiosks has become common in various cultural and transportation facilities, including restaurants. However, digitally vulnerable groups such as the elderly often feel burdened and find it difficult to use digital devices.

In response, the district established the ‘Smart 2024 Seongdong-type Resident Autonomy Association Operation Comprehensive Plan’ in March to create a smart inclusive city without digital information gaps and began implementing the ‘Seongdong-type AI Kiosk.’ The goal is to enable all residents to use digital devices routinely, not just through one-time education and experiences.

A representative project is the creation of a digital environment in community center autonomous halls, which have a high usage rate among the elderly. In collaboration with Korea Electronic Finance Co., Ltd., a specialist in unmanned solutions, the district set up kiosk experience zones in three community centers (Seongsu 1-ga 1-dong, Haengdang 1-dong, Wangsimni 2-dong) in September.

Accordingly, one kiosk for program registration at the autonomous halls was installed in each of these neighborhoods for the first time nationwide. Unlike the previous method where registration was done through a staff member, the kiosk allows program registration and payment of tuition fees, greatly improving convenience for learners.

Additionally, one educational kiosk was installed in each location where residents can experience various content such as ordering menus in the same way as cafes and restaurants. It is expected that anyone, including the elderly, can freely use and practice on the devices, reducing the burden of using digital equipment. After a one-year pilot operation, the district plans to expand the installation of kiosk experience zones to all neighborhoods.

The district plans to jointly develop a standard kiosk user interface (UI, User Interface) with Korea Electronic Finance by 2025 to build a dedicated system for community center course registration that is easy to use for all age groups.

This initiative, combined with the opinions of the resident autonomy associations hoping to create an environment that supports digitally marginalized groups through Korea Electronic Finance’s public interest support project, is expected to achieve significant results in closing the digital information gap among residents.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “I hope the kiosk experience zones will be of great help to digitally vulnerable groups such as the elderly who find it difficult to use digital devices,” and added, “We will continue to make meticulous efforts to build a foundation that can close the information gap among residents.”