Seoul City Invests 450 Billion Won for Comprehensive Support of Reclusive Households... Oh Se-hoon: "We Will Create a Seoul Without Loneliness"

Comprehensive Plan for a "Seoul Without Loneliness"... Preventing Re-isolation and Reclusion
Early Detection of Citizens in Isolation and Reclusion... "Reconnect Them with Society"
Expanding Services Linked with Isolation Prevention Centers Beyond Counseling Platforms

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will invest 450 billion KRW to provide various supports for citizens who are isolated or reclusive. It plans to implement systematic support ranging from loneliness prevention to preventing re-isolation and reclusion, including a system for early detection of these individuals as well as a 24-hour counseling platform.

On the 21st, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the 'Loneliness-Free Seoul' measures centered on this support system. This comprehensive support plan goes beyond existing measures to prevent solitary deaths, embodying the will to create a city where "no Seoul citizen is lonely." Mayor Oh added, "We expect this to be the first of its kind in Korea and a global leading example."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the "Seoul Without Loneliness" plan, focusing on a support system for solitary and reclusive households, at Seoul City Hall on the 21st.
[Photo by Seoul City]

451.3 Billion KRW Invested in Counseling Platforms and Isolation Prevention Centers... Seoul City’s 'Care and Loneliness Policy Officer' Oversees

The 'Loneliness-Free Seoul' measures consist of three major strategies?Connecting Together, Connecting Links, and Connecting Communication?and seven core tasks. A total of 451.3 billion KRW will be invested over five years to build the system, with the newly established Care and Loneliness Policy Officer, created in July, overseeing the overall planning. Notably, this initiative represents a "barrier-free administration" where all departments, bureaus, and offices of Seoul City collaborate to address the deepened loneliness, isolation, and reclusion issues among Seoul citizens following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The core of this plan is to establish a step-by-step support system that identifies citizens in isolation or reclusion early and reconnects them with society. By linking crisis information (46 types) such as gas and electricity usage with various administrative data, isolated and reclusive households will be proactively identified. Convenience stores, laundromats, and other daily life businesses frequently used by isolated households will be utilized as contact points for support applications.

First, a 24-hour platform will be established where citizens can request help whenever they feel lonely. The online and offline platform 'Ddokddok 24' will provide telephone, online, and comfortable visiting spaces. The core platform, 'Loneliness Goodbye 120,' is a dedicated loneliness call center operating 24/7, scheduled to launch in April next year. After calling the 120 Dasan Call Center, pressing a specific number will connect callers directly to a loneliness counselor.

In connection with isolation prevention centers, follow-up measures such as on-site visits, emergency interventions, in-depth counseling, and service linkage will be implemented. A system will also be established to assign citizens who have overcome isolation and reclusion as counselors to provide additional counseling. The 'Social Isolation Household Support Center,' established by Seoul City in October 2022 as the first nationwide center to identify and support vulnerable isolated households and prevent solitary deaths, will be expanded and reorganized into the 'Isolation Prevention Center.'

Detailed Measures Including Inducing Outdoor Activities Using Delivery Apps... Oh Se-hoon: "Systematic Management from Prevention to Healing"

The target of mental health counseling services, previously focused on high-risk groups, will be expanded to all citizens. To this end, the Seoul Metropolitan Psychological Support Center has been operating since August, and the 'All Citizens Mind Investment Project,' which utilizes private psychological counseling centers to ensure easy access for all citizens in daily life, has been in operation since July. The 'All Citizens Mind Investment Project' provides one-on-one services once a week for a total of eight sessions, starting with 20,000 people this year and gradually increasing the number of participants from next year.

Events that invigorate participants will be held continuously. Called the '365 Seoul Challenge,' it will be conducted in the form of challenges linked to Seoul’s representative events such as nature healing outings, sports and lifestyle programs, outdoor libraries for reading, and the Ttubak Ttubak Festival at Jamsu Bridge. This process will not only connect with projects from all departments, bureaus, and offices of Seoul City but also collaborate with private companies and challenge platforms in various fields such as leisure and culture.

Considering the characteristics of single-person households who mainly order food delivery, a pop-up window to check isolation risk will be created within delivery app platforms. In cooperation with delivery app companies, discount coupons for restaurant visits instead of delivery will be provided to actively encourage outdoor activities.

Measures have also been prepared for reclusive households that refuse support and have no intention to apply for assistance. Various channels such as phone, apps, and websites will be created so that family members, neighbors, and others around them can also apply for support. The outreach system for discovering crisis households will be revitalized through cooperation with private organizations.

The 'Seoul Youth Stretch Center' for isolated and reclusive youth will also engage in various activities. The 'Middle-aged Information Channel,' which provides various information such as jobs and welfare for middle-aged and older adults, will open in the first half of next year. A pilot program for a 'Silver Car Rental Service,' an assistive walking device to help vulnerable elderly with mobility difficulties go outside, is also under consideration. Additionally, for citizens who most strongly refuse support due to reclusion, a '15-minute outing prescription' will help them step outside their homes and recover their daily lives. Citizens who have experienced and overcome isolation will conduct counseling directly or reduce resistance through non-face-to-face video counseling, approaching step by step. Incentives will also be provided for initial counseling and contact to encourage participation.

Mayor Oh said, "Loneliness and isolation are not just individual problems but challenges that society must solve together. We will mobilize all administrative capabilities to create a happy city where no citizen is isolated, managing prevention, healing, social reintegration, and prevention of re-isolation meticulously."