Incheon City announced on the 4th that it will officially implement the 'Passport Civil Service Senior Helper Project,' which was introduced as a pilot project last year, starting this year.
The city will employ seniors aged 65 and older as passport civil service helpers until November, supporting citizens visiting the city hall civil service office through the entire process from guiding passport civil service documents to filling them out.
The helper personnel consist of three applicants from Namdong-gu Senior Workforce Development Center's 'Social Service-type Public Institution Administrative Support,' operating in a three-shift system per day (3 hours each).
Senior passport assistance volunteers are helping a citizen fill out passport application documents at the Incheon City Hall civil service office. Photo by Incheon City Hall
Through this project last year, 70% of the citizens who visited the passport civil service office completed their passport applications quickly with the help of seniors, and the satisfaction level was high.
Incheon City's passport issuance volume exceeded 300,000 cases for two consecutive years, recording 340,479 cases in 2023, the highest number since the endemic, followed by 319,812 cases last year. The city also provides passport services on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for citizens who find it difficult to visit on weekdays.
An Incheon City official stated, "The Passport Civil Service Senior Helper Project will contribute to providing new jobs for seniors after retirement in response to the super-aged society," adding, "We expect the seniors participating in this project to provide the best civil service administration with pride and vitality."
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