How to Have Fun Living in Songpa?

Songpa-gu Produces Videos Showcasing Residents' Diverse Life Stories

Songpa-gu Creates ‘20 Minutes for Fantastic Songpa (Pansongi)’... Available on YouTube

A Housewife Who Studied Abroad at 60, Environmental Group Formed by Mother and Child, and More

Once a Month, Honest Stories from Residents Reveal the Various Joys of Living in Songpa

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok), boasting the largest population in Seoul with 660,000 residents, is capturing the unique characteristics of the district by producing videos that tell the diverse and candid life stories of its citizens, conveying the joys of living in Songpa.

The residents' stories are featured in ‘20 Minutes for Fantastic Songpa (Pansongi),’ a series produced by the district since last year, and are released once a month on the Songparun YouTube channel.

Ms. Oh Jeon-ok (66) from Munjeong-dong gained significant attention with her video titled “A Glamorous Cohabitation with English Started at Sixty,” which has over 1,300 views and numerous comments. (Photo)

Ms. Oh, a former full-time housewife, found herself feeling bored after her children got married. During a chance trip to Jeju Island, she met a German traveler and resolved to study English. She began learning English at the local community center and cultural center, and at 60, she even went on two language study trips to the Philippines. Sharing her experience of communicating with young people worldwide without letting age be a barrier, she inspired many seniors in Songpa and received great positive feedback.

Ms. Choi Ji-young (43) from Jamsil 4-dong is a mother of two and a culinary researcher. Having immigrated from Canada, she chose Songpa-gu, which has many parks and green spaces, as it resembles the environment she was used to in Canada.

After moving to Songpa and seeing her children enjoy environmental protection activities as play, she teamed up with close mothers to voluntarily establish the environmental group ‘Songpa Green Angel Club’ last year. Currently, 22 mothers and children participate in various environmental campaigns such as plogging and zero-waste challenges throughout the district.

Additionally, ‘Pansongi’ shares stories of 16 residents, including senior model Han Yong-nyeo, a former daycare center director who now walks the runway, and Yeo Jeong-min, a picture book author and cultural planner who has lived in Songpa for 20 years, sharing diverse lives and ways to engage in community development.

Residents who watched the videos left comments expressing strong interest and support, saying things like, “Songpa-gu, already a great place to live, will become even better,” “It’s wonderful to have such residents in Songpa,” and “The touching stories and challenges toward dreams make my heart race.”

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “I thank the residents who willingly shared their personal stories to promote Songpa as a great place to live,” adding, “We will continue to work hard to create a premium city, Songpa, by encouraging more residents to create happy life stories.”

Meanwhile, through the ‘Songparun’ YouTube channel, the district offers a variety of tailored videos that meet the needs of residents and the times, including university entrance exam briefings, high school credit system explanations, future education with Samsung SDS, as well as ‘Cooking Interviews’ on topics like the MZ generation, MBTI, and wine.

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