Opening of Seongdong-gu Yongdap-dong Senior Welfare Center & Opening of Songpa-gu Saemaeul Market Customer Support Center

[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Opens 3-Story Senior Welfare Center in Yongdap-dong on the 14th for Full Operation... Resolving Local Residents' Long-Standing Requests & 1st Floor Senior Citizens' Hall, 2nd-3rd Floors Senior Welfare Center as Leisure, Culture, and Welfare Shelter for the Elderly... Songpa-gu to Operate 3-Story Customer Lounge, Merchant Office, and Training Room from the 18th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it has built a three-story Senior Welfare Center in Yongdap-dong (inside Yongdap Flower Park) and held an opening ceremony on the 14th.

On the same day, a Yongdap-dong Residents’ Festival was held together with local residents, making the opening ceremony meaningful.

The proportion of residents aged 65 and over in Yongdap-dong is 18.6%, which is the second highest among the 17 neighborhoods, exceeding the Seongdong-gu average of 16.7%. However, the number of senior welfare facilities such as senior centers was insufficient, causing inconvenience for seniors in accessing welfare services.

Accordingly, Seongdong-gu completed a land exchange with Seoul City in October last year to build the Senior Welfare Center, a long-cherished wish of local residents, and started civil engineering work in December, completing construction in September this year.

The Yongdap-dong Senior Welfare Center has a total floor area of 637㎡, with one basement floor and three above-ground floors. The first floor operates as a senior center, a gathering place for local seniors. The second and third floors provide spaces for various leisure, cultural, and welfare programs. The second floor consists of a health promotion room and program rooms, while the third floor includes a cooking classroom for cooking classes, a multipurpose room, and an auditorium.

Here, diverse programs such as senior dance, yoga, singing classes, computer education, and smartphone education will be offered to satisfy the leisure and cultural needs of seniors. Additionally, the rooftop has been designed as a space for senior golf programs and more.

The center will immediately begin operations after opening by assigning experienced social workers and nurses to provide senior counseling, educational programs, and physical health support projects, delivering high-quality senior welfare services through community linkage.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Through the opening of the Yongdap-dong Senior Welfare Center, which will serve as a complex resting place for local seniors, we will strive for a happier life in old age. I express my gratitude to the seniors who have devoted decades to the development of Korea, and we will be a strong supporter for the latter half of life in the era of 100 years.”

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced that it will start operating the ‘Saemaeul Market Customer Support Center’ from the 18th to provide convenience to visitors to Saemaeul Market.

Selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ traditional market facility modernization project, the center was developed over a long preparation period to modernize facilities in line with changing consumer trends and significantly improve commercial functions to revitalize the local economy.

With a total investment of 1.7 billion KRW from national, city, and district funds, a new building with a total floor area of 155㎡ and three above-ground floors was constructed. The first floor houses the customer support center, the second floor includes a customer lounge and merchants’ office, and the third floor consists of an education room and meeting room.

In addition to providing rest spaces for customers and merchants, the center will actively serve as an educational space by operating a merchants’ academy to strengthen small business capabilities and offering programs for local residents.

Prior to this, the district carried out various environmental improvement projects at Saemaeul Market, including installation of rain shelters, fire alarm systems, firefighting facilities, and pavement improvements on market walkways, transforming it into a safe and pleasant market. The construction of the customer support center is expected to further enhance the competitiveness of the traditional market.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “The operation of the customer support center, which provides various events, information, and rest areas, will be an opportunity for Saemaeul Traditional Market to advance to the next level. We hope to provide a better environment for small business owners who have suffered greatly due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and for all residents visiting the traditional market, thereby revitalizing the local economy.”

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