‘The Safest Bathhouse in the World, Iljuk Bathhouse’ Opens in Anseong

Social Economy Organizations Collaborate with Companies, Nonprofits, and Local Governments to Establish a Bathhouse in Iljuk-myeon, Anseong-si, a Region at Risk of Population Decline

‘The Safest Bathhouse in the World - Iljuk Bathhouse,’ created through a collaboration between social economy organizations in Gyeonggi Province, large corporations, non-profit institutions, and local governments, opened newly in Anseong on the 22nd.

‘The Safest Bathhouse in the World - Iljuk Bathhouse’ After Renovation. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

‘The Safest Bathhouse in the World’ is one of the projects under the ‘2024 Social and Environmental Problem Solving Support Project’ promoted by the Gyeonggi Social Economy Center. It is a project where social economy organizations, large corporations, and public institutions establish a cooperative system to solve social and environmental issues.

Iljuk-myeon, Anseong-si, a region at risk of population extinction, was selected as the project site due to difficulties in health management for local residents caused by a lack of medical services and outdated bathhouse facilities.

The Anseong Medical Welfare Social Cooperative, a social economy organization in Gyeonggi Province, global advertising company Innocean, social welfare corporation World Vision, and Anseong City remodeled the existing Iljuk Bathhouse to improve the bathing facilities so that anyone can use them safely and established a health care program led by local residents.

Considering the characteristics of the area where many elderly people reside, Iljuk Bathhouse significantly enlarged the number on the locker rooms to enhance readability. Before bathing, a facial recognition kiosk was installed to recommend safe bathing methods tailored to the user’s health condition. The facial scanning, which takes 30 seconds, collects biometric information such as body temperature, respiratory rate, and stress level, and suggests bathing methods like resting or half-body bathing every 10 minutes in connection with the day’s weather information.

Inside the bathhouse, sharp edges of structures were removed to reduce bruises and fractures, and SOS call buttons were installed throughout the facility to maintain the golden time in case of accidents.

Additionally, the Gyeonggi Social Economy Center and Anseong Medical Welfare Social Cooperative supported ▲training health leaders and organizing health care education ▲bathhouse renovation and safety white paper medical consultation ▲cardiovascular health checkups for local residents to prevent safety accidents common among the elderly such as heat syncope (a heat-related illness caused by sudden blood pressure changes due to rapid body temperature fluctuations), burns, and drowning, and to create a health care ecosystem within the community.

Yoo Hoon, President of the Gyeonggi Social Economy Center, said, “This project is a good example demonstrating the role of social economy organizations striving to solve local problems,” and added, “We will continue to realize social value and create a sustainable society through cooperation between social economy organizations and various stakeholders.”

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Social Economy Center is promoting the ‘Social Value Linkage Project,’ which supports building cooperative systems and commercialization so that social economy organizations and various stakeholders in Gyeonggi Province can solve problems together. Related information and how to participate in the project can be found on the Gyeonggi Social Economy Center website, and for further details, inquiries can be made to the Social Value Linkage Team of the Gyeonggi Social Economy Center.