Gangbuk Residents Take the Lead in Preventing Solitary Deaths

Customized Resident Networks, Community Service Centers, ‘Iut Salpimi’, ‘Iut Jikimi’, Linked with Welfare Centers... Strengthening a Dense Social Safety Net with Residents, Focusing on Preventing Solitary Deaths in Isolated Households

Welfare workers participating in laughter therapy, a program to prevent solitary death

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) is strengthening the safety net in collaboration with the local community to prevent solitary deaths among socially isolated households.

Based on the single-person household survey conducted last year, the district is closely monitoring the overall living conditions in vulnerable residential areas such as goshiwon and semi-basements. This is a preparatory effort to identify households at high risk of social isolation early and minimize the risk of solitary death. Considering that the proportion of single-person households in Gangbuk-gu has been increasing annually and now accounts for about 40% of the total population, the district officials explain that this effort is even more necessary.

The task of identifying high-risk households is led by the “Neighbor Watchers and Guardians,” a group composed of local residents. They consist of residents familiar with the local situation, community leaders, and volunteers.

In particular, social members who frequently interact with residents, such as landlords, mail carriers, and apartment management offices, participate to promptly observe, discover, and report households at risk of solitary death.

For the discovered high-risk solitary death groups, solutions through resident networks are provided integrally according to the promotion plan for each neighborhood. Gangbuk-gu, resident groups, and local welfare centers work organically to support “discovery,” “relationship building,” and “customized services.” For example, when the watchers and guardians identify a high-risk group, the neighborhood community center provides public support along with horticulture and laughter therapy to foster self-esteem and intimacy. Welfare centers encourage the formation of self-help groups for single-person households to help residents overcome social isolation on their own.

The district’s support projects go beyond providing daily necessities and focus on restoring social networks. They offer personalized services ranging from cultural experiences and hobby activities to psychological healing programs. Depending on the individual’s willingness for independence, job placement is also linked. This year, services will be expanded to nine neighborhoods, and specialized projects to promote entry into the local community will be implemented.

Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “The best measure to prevent solitary deaths is for the local welfare community to take the lead and respond as a unified system,” adding, “We will make even greater efforts to build a dense public social safety net.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.