Gwangju Seo-gu Receives Praise for Various Filial Piety Projects Including Hyodream Allowance

Published 21 Jul.2021 11:43(KST)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Seo Dae-seok) has been leading various filial piety projects for the elderly since joining the World Health Organization (WHO) Age-friendly Cities network in November 2019, receiving favorable reviews from local seniors and residents.

According to Seo-gu on the 21st, the first representative filial piety project is the ‘Hyodream Allowance.’

This project provides a 50,000 KRW ‘Hyodream Allowance’ every even-numbered month to children living in households where three or more generations live together with filial piety recipients aged 80 or older, aiming to promote a social atmosphere encouraging ‘hyo’ (filial piety) and to support families practicing it.

Since February last year, about 270 households in Seo-gu, Gwangju, have been receiving this allowance.

Secondly, since January last year, monthly commendations from the district mayor have been awarded to those practicing filial piety, such as dutiful sons and daughters.

Filial piety practitioners who quietly fulfill their duties are discovered through various channels such as senior centers, elderly welfare facilities, local autonomous organizations, and neighborhood community centers, and are commended to instill a sense of pride and fulfillment. So far, 35 filial piety practitioners have received commendations.

Since last month, Seo-gu has been the first local government nationwide to promote the ‘Gwangju Seo-gu Hyo Car Project.’

This Hyo Car project aims to alleviate mobility difficulties for elderly people who experience inconvenience in daily life by sharing cars equipped with wheelchair boarding facilities, expanding opportunities for families to participate in leisure activities together, and fostering harmony and communication between generations.

For this project, Seo-gu purchased two mid-sized vans, converted them into slope-accessible vehicles for the disabled, and shares them with seniors aged 65 or older who have difficulty moving without assistance.

On the 15th of last month, Seo-gu also opened the ‘Senior Park Playground,’ the first of its kind in Gwangju, as a leisure space for seniors to support a healthy and active old age through various outdoor cultural programs.

Additionally, Seo-gu is requesting Google account registration to launch the ‘Gwangju Seo-gu Anshim Donghaeng’ app, developed by KT, which sends a text message to registered emergency contacts if the smartphone user does not use their phone for 12 hours, facilitating rapid rescue.

Once approved by Google, smartphone users will be able to install the ‘Gwangju Seo-gu Anshim Donghaeng’ app and register up to three emergency contact numbers to quickly notify family members in crisis situations, enabling prompt response and greatly aiding in the prevention of solitary deaths.

In particular, Seo-gu is proactively promoting the ‘Community Integrated Care Service,’ which provides integrated necessary services such as medical care, caregiving, meals, and housing so that seniors can enjoy services tailored to their needs in their own homes and live harmoniously within the community, resulting in high satisfaction among seniors and local residents.

A Seo-gu official stated, “We are discovering and promoting diverse and efficient filial piety-related service projects and are becoming ‘the age-friendly city with the highest quality of life! A city where people want to live for a lifetime!’”