Songpa-gu Operates 'Social Dining' for Cooking Communication Among Middle-Aged Single-Person Households

‘Happy Table’ Program for Middle-Aged and Older Single-Person Households from April to November... Cooking Classes and Communication Programs

Supporting Healthy Eating Habits · Alleviating Isolation of Single-Person Households · Expecting Formation of Social Networks

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) is launching the ‘Happy Table’ program through the Songpa-gu Single-Person Household Support Center to support healthy eating habits for single-person households and create opportunities for interaction among them.

According to the 2021 Population Census by Statistics Korea, Songpa-gu has a total of 79,000 single-person households, ranking 3rd among the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul. Among them, about 40,000 are middle-aged and older adults aged 40 and above, accounting for 50% of all single-person households in Songpa-gu.

Accordingly, the district plans to run the ‘Happy Table’ project from April to November through the Songpa-gu Single-Person Household Support Center, targeting middle-aged and older single-person households in the area to gather, cook, share meals, and communicate together.

Seogang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District

‘Happy Table’ consists of a ‘Cooking Class’ where participants create healthy dishes using seasonal and nutritious ingredients, and a ‘Communication Program’ designed to foster relationships among participants, specifically for middle-aged and older single-person households.

In particular, the Songpa-gu ‘Cooking Class’ offers lessons tailored to the characteristics of middle-aged single-person households who need to improve irregular and unbalanced eating habits. A special class is arranged where participants visit local traditional markets to purchase seasonal ingredients themselves and cook using fresh ingredients.

Additionally, the ‘Communication Program’ provides food therapy and horticultural therapy programs to improve eating habits of single-person households, promote communication among participants, and support social relationships as well as emotional and psychological stability.

Middle-aged and older single-person households interested in participating can inquire by phone at the Songpa-gu Single-Person Household Support Center. Fifteen participants are selected each month, with sessions operated by group, and participation is free of charge.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “The ‘Happy Table’ program will be a great opportunity for middle-aged single-person households to gather, learn healthy cooking, and naturally interact with each other.” He added, “We expect this project to help single-person households develop healthy eating habits and restore social networks.”

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