Gangdong-gu to Promote 'Saengjeonjeongri Service' Project... Business Agreement with SH Corporation and Others

A Project Supporting a Dignified End of Life

Seoul Gangdong-gu (District Mayor Lee Soo-hee) announced on the 20th that it signed a business agreement with seven partner organizations on the 19th to promote the life arrangement service project.

The life arrangement service is a project that supports elderly individuals living alone who receive basic living security benefits to reflect on their lives and prepare for the end of life with dignity. Gangdong-gu operates various programs including the ‘Advance Funeral Supervisor Intent Form’ project, ‘Well Dying education,’ and the ‘Advance Life-Sustaining Treatment Intent Counseling Center.’

Scene from the Memorandum of Understanding Ceremony for the Life Arrangement Service Partner Organizations. Provided by Gangdong-gu.

The agreement was attended by a total of eight organizations including Gangdong-gu, Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) Gangdong Residential Safety Comprehensive Center (Center Director Kim Jong-kwon), Gangdong-gu Comprehensive Social Welfare Center (Director Lim Jeong-baek), Seongnae Comprehensive Social Welfare Center (Director Lee Sang-hyun), Gangdong Senior Welfare Center (Director Sung Mi-sun), Seong Family Senior Welfare Center (Director Choi Eun-young), Haegong Senior Welfare Center (Director Hong Won-pyo), and the social cooperative organization Meotjin Insaeng Well Dying (CEO Kim Tae-geun), agreeing to cooperate across the entire life arrangement service project.

Among these, the Advance Funeral Supervisor Intent Form project was first implemented nationwide by Gangdong-gu in 2023. It is a project where single-person households aged 65 or older who receive basic living security benefits write an intent form designating a person to supervise their funeral in case of medical emergencies or death. As of 2024, the district has registered and manages a total of 1,118 cases in the Social Security Information System, and this year, the target age for the project will be lowered from 65 to 55 years old to expand the program.

In particular, through this agreement, the project will be promoted and assisted for single-person households living in rental housing managed by Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation, aiming to prevent solitary deaths among vulnerable groups and support smooth funeral supervision and belongings organization upon death.

The Well Dying education will be cooperatively conducted by five welfare centers in the district, ensuring substantial education from securing venues, selecting lecture topics, to recruiting participants.

Additionally, to continuously operate the ‘Visiting Advance Life-Sustaining Treatment Intent Counseling Center,’ which provides one-stop services including education on life-sustaining treatment decision systems, counseling, application, and registration of advance life-sustaining treatment intent forms, Gangdong Senior Welfare Center and the social cooperative Meotjin Insaeng Well Dying, both local registration institutions for advance life-sustaining treatment intent forms, will collaborate.

District Mayor Lee Soo-hee stated, “Building on this agreement as a foundation, we will create a stepping stone for elderly single-person households to spend their remaining lives more meaningfully and prepare for the end of life with a positive perspective.”