Why Has Gangdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center Served Over 2,000 People in 10 Months?

[Seoul District News] Gangdong-gu 1-Person Household Support Center Offers Various Programs and Projects Needed for Single-Person Households, Gaining Great Popularity Among Local Residents... Lee Suhee, Gangdong-gu Mayor, Promotes Installation of Escalators at Gil-dong Station on Line 5 for Transportation-Disadvantaged

Chuseok Special Cooking Class

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] According to Statistics Korea, as of 2021, the number of single-person households in Seoul was approximately 1.49 million, accounting for 36.8% of all households. This means that one out of every three households lives alone. Nevertheless, statistics over the past four years show that the number of single-person households in Seoul continues to increase.

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) ranks particularly high among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts in terms of the proportion of single-person households. To comprehensively support the growing number of single-person households each year, the district opened the ‘Gangdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center’ and operates various programs, receiving great responses from local residents.

Specialized Space for Single-Person Households... Over 2,000 Visitors in the Past 10 Months

Opened on January 1 of this year, the ‘Gangdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center’ is located on the 2nd floor of the Cheonho Aurem Center (297-5 Gucheonmyeon-ro). Reflecting the needs and preferences of single-person households, the center runs various programs and small group meetings, as well as providing psychological counseling services and convenience facilities. To date, about 800 members have joined, and the center is operating successfully.

The center features a ‘Smart Shared Kitchen’ designed to help improve the eating habits of single-person households who often consume instant and delivery foods. Equipped with a tablet PC, users can search for and follow cooking videos of dishes they want to try. Various cooking utensils such as pots and ovens are freely available, so visitors only need to bring ingredients. Diverse cooking programs are offered, including the ‘Solo Meal Making Project’ for beginners and cooking classes with popular chefs to learn baking and pastry skills, allowing participants to cook and enjoy meals together.

To foster social networks, the center supports small group meetings and self-development programs such as Pilates, home caf?, and personal color analysis, complementing internal growth. Additionally, convenience facilities tailored to the living conditions of single-person households are well-equipped, including a tool library where tools can be borrowed and a coin laundry service (targeted at low-income groups).

▲How to use tools that are difficult to handle alone ▲Bedding and clothing organization and storage methods ▲DIY furniture making ▲‘Using Studio Apartments More Efficiently Project,’ where professional organizers visit homes to provide space utilization and tidying consulting?these practical life education programs attract great interest from solo dwellers who want to enhance their independence.

A Sanctuary Serving as a Social Safety Net for Solo Dwellers

The center also provides services to serve as a social safety net for single-person households. For those at risk of solitary death, customized case management and psychological counseling services are offered. Additionally, the center supports the Women Guardian Project, which installs safety devices in the homes of women living alone, and provides accompaniment services to hospitals, helping ensure the safety of single-person households through various services.

Lee Soo-hee, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, stated, “We plan to pay close attention and carefully monitor single-person households, who are easily marginalized and often overlooked in welfare blind spots. We will continue to do our best so that they can live healthy and happy lives in harmony with the local community.”

The ‘Gangdong-gu Single-Person Household Support Center’ allows anyone residing in Gangdong-gu to use its facilities and services by registering as a member through a simple sign-up process, regardless of whether they live alone.

On the 4th, Lee Soo-hee, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, conducted an on-site inspection with officials from Seoul Metro to install escalators at Gil-dong Station on Line 5.

Gil-dong Station on Subway Line 5 lacks escalators connecting the underground first-floor concourse to the ground-level exits, and among its three exits, only Exit 1 provides elevator access through a private building adjacent to it.

Furthermore, Exits 2 and 3 require users to use stairs from the underground first floor to the ground level, causing ongoing complaints from transportation-vulnerable groups such as the elderly, disabled, infants, and guardians with infants.

To address this, the district is actively promoting the installation of escalators at Exits 2 and 3. In July, following the district’s request, the Seoul Metropolitan Government allocated 100 million KRW in the supplementary budget for a feasibility study on installing escalators at Gil-dong Station’s Exits 2 and 3. Seoul Metro is preparing to conduct this study in 2023.

Before the study begins, Mayor Lee personally conveyed residents’ inconveniences to Seoul Metro and requested proactive improvement plans. Together with Seoul Metro, she inspected the site and agreed to continuously cooperate to ensure that diverse and active alternatives are developed during the feasibility study for escalator installation at Exits 2 and 3 of Gil-dong Station.

Mayor Lee Soo-hee said, “Many elderly residents live around Exits 2 and 3 of Gil-dong Station, and with the Gil-dong Bokjori Market nearby, escalator installation is urgent. Upon inspecting the site, I found that the sidewalk width near the exits is narrow and private properties are close by, making it challenging to find improvement plans that comply with safety regulations. However, I will participate from the beginning of the study conducted by Seoul Metro next year and carefully oversee the process to ensure residents’ inconveniences are alleviated.”

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