What Makes Sageun-dong, Seongdong-gu a Great Neighborhood for Young Single-Person Households?

[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Sageun-dong Builds Public-Private-Academic Cooperation System for Young Single-Person Households · From Single-Person Household Leaflets to Youth-Only Platforms · Hanyang University Living Lab, Administrative Expert Advisory Meetings, District-Specialized ESG Enhance Policy Effectiveness with Lively Field Voices ... Songpa-gu Holds Special Lectures on Financial Planning and Home Ownership for Young Single-Person Households ... Dongdaemun-gu Provides Safety Home Sets for Single-Person Households ... Geumcheon-gu ‘Youth Harmony Square’ Opens Online

Lee Jeong-hee, Head of Sageun-dong (person standing in front), is giving a lecture for 'single-person households' at Hanyang University Living Lab.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Sagun-dong, Seongdong-gu (Dongjang Lee Jeong-hee) is attracting attention with its unique policy for young single-person households.

Inside the community center, there is a leaflet titled ‘Is this your first time in Sagun-dong?’ for new residents, and on the Sagun-dong Community Center website, a platform exclusively for ‘youth’ has been established. The leaflet provides a comprehensive overview of living conveniences such as tool rentals, housing services including receiving a fixed date certificate and moving vehicle support, safety and environmental information such as support kits for single women households, use of secure parcel lockers, and methods for disposing of household waste.

The ‘Youth’ platform introduces housing and asset-building support projects such as youth monthly rent subsidies, housing benefits, and youth-exclusive Jeonse loan programs. It also gathers useful sites for youth, including the Seongdong Youth Support Center and Seoul Youth Center Seongdong Orang.

These various administrative services in Sagun-dong, which provide valuable information needed by young people, are notable for being based on cooperation among the public, private, and academic sectors.

Previously, to prevent safety issues and solitary deaths among single-person households, last year the district appointed managers of local goshiwons as ‘Honorary Social Welfare Officers’ and conducted enhanced training for community leaders to discover single-person households in welfare blind spots (August 2021). To alleviate housing cost burdens for youth, a ‘win-win agreement’ was signed in December 2021 between building owners and young tenants in Sagun-dong, and a ‘Youth Support Street Concert’ was held in collaboration with institutions such as the Seongdong Youth Support Center.

In February, an advisory meeting with administrative experts including the dean of Hanyang University Graduate School of Public Policy was held to discuss various support measures for young single-person households.

This year, especially, the ‘Hanyang University Living Lab’ course is linked with local administration, allowing students to directly participate in administrative service promotion for young single-person households under themes such as ‘leaflet production’ and ‘youth street performances.’ The leaflet contains essential information from the youth perspective and explores ways to actively promote the use of related information. Following last year, a ‘Youth Busking’ event planned for this fall will be organized with nearby merchant associations and professional groups, including events like store coupon sponsorships to revitalize the university area.

Sagun-dong has the highest proportion of single-person households in Seongdong-gu at 73%, with young single-person households accounting for 80% of that. With nearby universities such as Hanyang University and good accessibility to the city center, many young people reside here, increasing the need for tailored support projects for young single-person households that suit the characteristics of the area.

Accordingly, various meetings and unique service provisions for them are also being attempted. Following last year’s neighborhood meeting using the metaverse platform ‘Gather Town’ with young single-person households, this year a ‘Money Rush Coaching’ program will be launched to provide specialized financial education and youth financial project guidance for young adults and university students, helping their economic independence through this unique service.

Last year, Sagun-dong achieved remarkable policy effects with the ‘Data-based Diverse Class Coexisting Household Waste Reduction Measures,’ reducing waste output and illegal dumping by 28% and 49%, respectively. This year, the district plans to introduce the ‘ESG’ concept into local administration, build a data-based cleaning system, provide tailored support from youth to elderly, address diverse needs across social strata, actively operate a ‘Sagun-dong Elderly Group’ and a ‘District Specialized ESG Committee,’ aiming for sustainable regional development.

A district official said, “Sagun-dong, with many single-person households and a large youth population, is a vibrant area. We will continuously prepare policies with a sense of field and speed in cooperation with local resources according to their needs.”

Songpa-gu announced that it will operate a special lecture titled ‘You, Me Intersection’ for young single-person households residing in the district, with registration starting on the 25th on a first-come, first-served basis.

The district prepared the special lecture to help the trend-sensitive MZ generation and youth form a consensus in various fields, focusing on topics commonly of interest such as financial technology, home ownership, and hobbies.

The lectures will be held at the Munjeong Biz Valley Job Hub Center every Wednesday from 3 PM to 5 PM, from June 15 to September 28, totaling 16 sessions.

The detailed topics, based on a survey of visitors to the Job Hub Center, include ▲Financial Technology for Young People’s First Time ▲Home Ownership Guide for the MZ Generation ▲Stretching to Escape Turtle Neck ▲Life Photos Completed with a Smartphone.

First, the district noted that the current youth generation is more interested than anyone else in economic trends and financial technology such as stocks. Recently, more young people dream of becoming ‘FIRE’ (Financial Independence, Retire Early) by reducing unnecessary expenses and saving and investing while young to achieve economic independence and early retirement.

In line with this trend, the district invited Park Chan-jong, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) active as a Seoul City Young Tech consultant, to conduct three tailored financial technology classes for the 20s and 30s, covering understanding financial technology trends and finding products suited to investors’ preferences.

Additionally, Dr. Ko Hong, a real estate PhD, was invited to give two sessions on ‘Home Ownership Guide for the MZ Generation According to Changes in Real Estate Policy Trends,’ covering public support housing (station area youth housing), leasehold rights registration, and important contract items.

Moreover, to ensure youth do not neglect health management, hobby-related special lectures satisfying various needs of the 20s generation will be provided, including ‘Stretching to Escape Turtle Neck,’ ‘Life Photos Using Smartphones,’ ‘Making Interior Accessories,’ and ‘Pen Drawing.’

Any youth aged 19 to 39 residing in Songpa-gu can participate, and applications will be accepted online from May 25 for the ‘One-person Special Lecture.’ Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and closes two days before each lecture starts. More details can be found on the district website’s notice board or the Munjeong Biz Valley Job Hub Center website.

A district official said, “We hope this special lecture will bring together scattered young individuals through common interests as one intersection. We will continue to strive to create various networks and social safety nets to ensure young single-person households are not marginalized.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is promoting the ‘Protect Me Homes’ project to support safety equipment for improving the safe residential environment of single-person households.

‘Protect Me Homes’ is a project that provides safety equipment to vulnerable groups such as single-person households to prevent residential intrusion crimes and create a safe living environment. This year, the ‘Safety Home Set Support Project for Single-person Households’ and the ‘Safety Equipment Support Project for Stalking Crime Victims’ will be conducted together.

The ‘Safety Home Set Support Project for Single-person Households’ provides a safety home set consisting of four items: smart doorbell, auxiliary door key, window lock device, and portable emergency bell.

Eligible applicants are single-person households residing in Dongdaemun-gu with a monthly or yearly rent deposit (converted Jeonse price) of 150 million KRW or less, prioritizing young and middle-aged women single-person households, male single-person households who have experienced crime (submission of proof required), and single-parent mother families.

Additionally, to respond to the newly emerging social issue of stalking crimes, the district is collaborating with Dongdaemun Police Station to operate the ‘Emergency Safety Equipment Support Project for Stalking Crime Victims.’ Candidates are selected through recommendations from Dongdaemun Police Station, and upon selection, additional items such as smart doorbells, home CCTV, and door opening sensors are provided.

Residents wishing to apply can submit applications online through the Dongdaemun-gu Family Center website or by submitting the application form via the QR code on the promotional poster. After submitting the application, a copy or photo of the monthly or yearly rent contract must be sent via email or fax to complete the application. Final recipients are selected through a review committee, and applications are accepted until supplies run out.

For more details, contact the Dongdaemun-gu Office Family Welfare Division or Dongdaemun-gu Family Center.

Geumcheon-gu will hold the opening ceremony of the 2022 Youth Harmony Festival ‘Generation Empathy Festival - Friendly World 42 World’ at 4 PM on the 21st via live broadcast on the Geumcheon Youth Center YouTube channel.

Hosted by Geumcheon-gu and organized by the Geumcheon Youth Center, the ‘Youth Harmony Festival’ is the district’s representative youth festival where local youth can freely express their talents and creativity, with the youth planning group preparing and managing the entire process.

The opening ceremony includes pre-recorded videos of youth club cheerleading and traditional dance performances, along with generation empathy events such as ‘Guess the Cartoon Popular in the Past,’ ‘Guess the Celebrity’s Old Photos,’ and ‘Guess the Old Hit Songs Being Remade Nowadays,’ as well as introductions to Geumcheon-gu’s landmarks and various other events.

The 2022 Youth Harmony Festival will continue with various themes including summer festivals, career & 4th industrial revolution festivals, Halloween festivals, and a closing ceremony through November.

Additionally, the Geumcheon Youth Center is recruiting youth clubs to participate in the ‘Club Activity Support Project’ to encourage youth club activities in the region. Returning clubs will receive 1.25 million KRW in activity funds, and new clubs will receive 1 million KRW, with opportunities to participate in various festivals.

Yoon Jeong-hee, head of the Child and Youth Division, said, “We expect the Youth Harmony Festival to be an opportunity for young people to showcase their talents and creativity. We will continue to actively support youth so they can sustain their activities.”

For more information, contact the Geumcheon-gu Office Child and Youth Division or the Geumcheon Youth Center.

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