From 'Remote Island' Nursing Homes to 'Neighborhood Closed Schools' as Senior Residences [My Home as a Senior House]

When Seniors Become Dependent on Diapers 24 Hours a Day,
Admission to Facilities Becomes Inevitable
Separation from Family Leads to Isolation for the Elderly
A Total of 1,317 Schools in Seoul Are Eligible for Closure
Seoul Metropolitan Council Opens the Way for Senior Facilities at Closed Schools
Closed School Sites to Be Leased Long-Term to Operators

An elderly person is walking for exercise at Hwayang Elementary School in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, which was closed last February as the fourth school closure in Seoul. The school is located an 8-minute walk from Konkuk University Station, a transfer station between Seoul Subway Line 2 and Line 7. It is currently open as a resident-only parking lot and a community sports space. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Ms. Bang Misook (64), who lives in Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, recently placed her mother, whom she had cared for at home for five years, in a nursing home in Gyeonggi Province. "My mother has dementia. They say she often cries and refuses to eat, asking to be sent home even at the nursing home," Ms. Bang said, wiping away tears. "It breaks my heart, but since it's a 40-minute drive, I can only visit occasionally. Our neighborhood Hwayang Elementary School recently closed, and I heard that in Japan, it is common to build nursing homes on closed school sites."

When elderly people living at home become so frail that they require diapers 24 hours a day, admission to a facility becomes inevitable. Moreover, if the nursing facility is located far away like a remote island from where they used to live, family visits decrease, and the loneliness of the elderly grows. The idea of building senior facilities by utilizing closed schools within the city?known as the 'Aging in Place' approach?is gaining attention for these reasons.

Long-term Lease Opportunities Open for Closed School Sites in Seoul

Fortunately, the Seoul Metropolitan Council, anticipating a rapid increase in closed schools in Seoul due to low birth rates, has paved the way for senior welfare housing to be built on closed school sites. The 'Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Closed School Asset Management and Utilization Ordinance Amendment,' proposed by Seoul Councilor Kim Gyu-nam, was passed last year.

Councilor Kim said, "Land prices in Seoul are so high that building senior welfare housing in the city is not easy. If the Office of Education leases closed school sites on a long-term basis, senior welfare housing for middle-class elderly people can be established in downtown Seoul." He plans to expand the use of closed schools to include nursing facilities.

Most elementary, middle, and high schools are located in areas with good accessibility, allowing seniors to maintain interactions with neighbors and family. Staying in their familiar neighborhoods also helps reduce the burden of environmental changes for the elderly.

Assemblyman Kim Gyu-nam of the Seoul Metropolitan Council is being interviewed at the Seoul Metropolitan Council Members' Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, on October 22 last year. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

More than 1,300 Closed Schools in Seoul Alone

Hwayang Elementary School in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, which was the fourth school to be closed in Seoul last February. The school is located an 8-minute walk from Konkuk University Station, a transfer station between Seoul Subway Line 2 and Line 7. It is currently open as a resident-only parking lot and a community sports space. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, a total of seven schools have been closed in Seoul since 1990. After Ogok Elementary School in Ogok-dong, Gangseo-gu closed in 1999, there were no closures for 20 years, but the number has rapidly increased in recent years. In 2020, Yeomgang Elementary School and Gongjin Middle School in Gayang-dong, Gangseo-gu, closed their gates. In 2023, Hwayang Elementary School in Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, closed, followed last year by Dobong High School in Dobong-gu, Deoksu High School Haengdang Branch, and Seongsu Technical High School in Seongdong-gu, all closing one after another.

Among these, Ogok Elementary School is the only case where the school land was sold. 'Younggu Art Shim Hyung-rae' purchased the 6,800㎡ site in August 2003 for 2.73 billion won. The other six schools have no plans yet for how to use their sites. A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official said, "In other regions, closed schools are sometimes used as educational facilities like experiential learning centers or cultural facilities like campsites. In Seoul, since the path has been opened to use closed school sites for senior welfare housing, it is expected to become a new alternative."

The number of closed schools in Seoul is expected to increase at a faster pace than before. As of April last year, based on student numbers, there are 1,317 schools eligible for closure (elementary schools with 240 or fewer students, middle and high schools with 300 or fewer students), including 609 elementary schools, 390 middle schools, and 318 high schools.

A Seoul Metropolitan Council official said, "To close a school, parental consent is required, but there are cases where parents strongly oppose it or alumni associations and local communities block it, so some schools operate with fewer than 80 students. However, if student numbers continue to decline, these schools will not be able to avoid closure procedures."