Unconventional Initiatives for Single-Person Households:
Official Matchmaking Events and E-Sports Tournaments
Establishment of "Gwanak-Style Small Single-Person Household Support Centers" at Neighborhood Community Centers
One-Stop Support Services Right in Your Neighborhood
Gwanak District (headed by Park Junhee), which has the highest proportion of single-person households among Seoul's autonomous districts, has established the "2025 Gwanak-Style Single-Person Household Support Specialized Project Comprehensive Plan" and has begun full-scale support for single-person households.
This year, the district has launched universal single-person household policies that reflect local characteristics, aiming to ensure that all single-person households, including those in vulnerable groups, can enjoy a happier life.
The main projects include: ▲ "Gwanak, Solo," Gwanak District's official singles matchmaking event ▲ "LOLympics," an e-sports tournament for young single-person households ▲ and "Gwanak-Style Small Single-Person Household Support Centers" established at the neighborhood (dong) level.
The official matchmaking event "Gwanak, Solo" adopts a rotation-style dating format that has recently become popular among the MZ generation. The district has created a natural venue for single-person working households, who have fewer opportunities to meet potential partners, to connect with others.
The district plans to ensure safety and public interest by verifying the identity of all participants and conducting personality assessments, thereby presenting a new public model for interpersonal connections.
The e-sports tournament "LOLympics" is designed to help young single-person households with shared interests build and expand their social networks, providing opportunities for peers to form bonds.
Even those who apply alone will be placed into teams by the district based on age and skill level, and the event will include both a preliminary offline meeting and the main tournament.
Additionally, to overcome the limitations of the current integrated single-person household support center structure within family centers, the district has newly introduced "Gwanak-Style Small Single-Person Household Support Centers" at each neighborhood community center, greatly improving accessibility for residents.
Now, single-person households can conveniently access a variety of support services in their local neighborhoods, including education, leisure and cultural programs, health consultations, and small group activities, all in a one-stop format.
Other initiatives include: ▲ "Donghaeng Talk, Hamkke Talk," a single- and two-way online communication channel ▲ the "Single-Person Household Performance Sharing Event" involving the district, neighborhoods, institutions, and residents ▲ and the "One Neighborhood, One Single-Person Household Project," among various other programs.
Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak District, stated, "Because Gwanak has the largest number of single-person households, I believed that policies focused solely on vulnerable groups were not sufficient. Therefore, we have pursued practical, daily-life-oriented policies that reach both young and middle-aged adults, aiming to propose new forms of care," adding, "We will continue to create Gwanak’s future as a 'city where even those who are alone are not lonely and everyone is connected,' through initiatives that reflect Gwanak’s unique character."
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