Preventing Solitary Deaths Among Middle-Aged Single-Person Households in Yongsan-gu

Promotion of Smart Plug Support Project for 555 Households Aged 50-64

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seongjang Hyun) is launching a smart plug support project for 555 single middle-aged households vulnerable to health issues during the winter season.

The smart plug is a care system that incorporates Internet of Things (IoT) technology to detect daily activities by monitoring power usage. It is designed in the form of a multi-tap commonly used at home and connects to frequently used devices such as TVs, computers, and rice cookers.

Its major advantage is that it is easy to install and maintain, and unlike conventional motion detection devices, it causes less discomfort as the user feels less monitored. Additionally, it allows for non-face-to-face safety checks of the user.

If abnormal signals (no use or excessive use) in electricity consumption are detected after installing the plug for a certain period, a risk message is sent to the welfare planner at the local community service center. The welfare planner, having detected the anomaly in advance, can confirm the safety of the user through a phone call or visit and take appropriate measures.

Starting this month, the district plans to support smart plugs for 555 households aged 50 to 64, recommended by the local community service centers.

The district is also continuing to intensively identify households in crisis to address economic and housing vulnerabilities during the winter welfare blind spots.

The focused investigation targets individuals facing livelihood difficulties such as power or water cutoffs, business suspension or closure, unemployment, and health insurance premium arrears. Subsequently, a full survey will be conducted on housing-vulnerable groups living in rooftop rooms, goshiwon (small dormitory-style rooms), and jjokbang (tiny rooms).

When discovering individuals in need of assistance, the district will actively link public support (National Basic Livelihood Security, Seoul-type Basic Security Services, etc.), private resources (Hope Ondol crisis household support, welfare foundations, etc.), and integrated case management to help overcome crises.

Seongjang Hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, stated, “The middle-aged population is relatively distant from welfare systems, and the issue of solitary deaths is intensifying in this group, so urgent measures are needed. We will do our best to actively assist residents in crisis by incorporating various ideas such as smart technology.”

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