Yeongdeungpo-gu Identifies 145 Hidden At-Risk Households, Connects 238 Welfare Service Cases

[Seoul District News] Yeongdeungpo-gu Operates 'Mobile Red Mailbox' & Uses KakaoTalk Plus Friend for Easy 1:1 Chat Reporting

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it has been operating the ‘Mobile Red Mailbox’ project since 2019 to actively discover and support reclusive crisis households who are reluctant to be socially exposed.

Recently, a tragic incident occurred where a North Korean defector in their 20s was found dead in a one-room apartment, making the operation of a simple reporting system where any resident can report neighbors in need even more urgent.

Since 2017, the district has been operating the ‘Red Mailbox’ using the recipient-paid postal system for the first time nationwide, but judged that the written submission method had limitations for prompt and immediate response. Therefore, since 2019, it has established the ‘Mobile Red Mailbox’ to discover crisis households from various angles.

The ‘Mobile Red Mailbox’ utilizes the widely used ‘KakaoTalk’ Plus Friend platform by residents to bring reclusive crisis households to the surface and serve as a welfare window for marginalized neighbors.

If you or someone in need is in crisis, you can search for ‘Yeongdeungpo-gu Red Mailbox’ in the KakaoTalk Plus Friend search bar, add the channel, and report. Anyone can submit stories through 1:1 chat, and receive simple application guidance and welfare counseling through keyword conversations.

The ‘Mobile Red Mailbox’ operates from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. If reports are submitted after business hours or on weekends, an automatic guidance message is sent and handled promptly the next day. After receiving the story, welfare officers at the local community center provide customized welfare services through direct counseling.

Through the ‘Red Mailbox,’ the district has discovered 145 households in welfare blind spots over the past four years since 2019 and connected them to 238 cases of public and private welfare services.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “We will actively discover reclusive welfare blind spots in crisis through the Red Mailbox and support them to start a new life. We hope those in need of help will report immediately through the Red Mailbox.”

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