[Interview] Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, "Resident Participation in Filial Piety Meals: Customized Welfare Policies for Future Preparedness"

Preventing Malnutrition and Loneliness while Providing Health, Tax, and Legal Consultations All in One Place... Expansion of Hyo-do Bapsang to All Neighborhoods... Over 421 Recipients of Hyo-do Bapsang... Hyo-do Bapsang as a Model Senior Welfare Project Nationwide... Efforts for Nationwide Expansion

"I used to just mix water and eat kimchi alone at home. My body was weak, and living alone was really tough. But now, having a place to go every day and eating lunch together with neighbors feels so wonderful."

Gwak Ye-hui (80, pseudonym), who had difficulty preparing meals daily due to physical discomfort, has been relieved thanks to Hyo-do Bapsang.

On April 24, Mapo-gu announced the launch of the 'Hyo-do Bapsang for Residents Aged 75 and Over,' the first local government initiative to prevent malnutrition and loneliness among the elderly while providing necessary health, tax, and legal consultations all in one place through a one-stop service.

Initially, the district started a pilot project in 6 neighborhoods and 7 meal service institutions, providing a total of over 16,000 balanced lunches and administrative services to 221 elderly residents over four months.

Regarding this, Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, explained, "The Hyo-do Bapsang project is not just about providing food but operates as a one-stop integrated senior welfare service that manages daily life. Gathering at the dining place promotes communication, preventing depression and solitary deaths, while visiting nurses check basic health conditions such as hypertension and blood sugar levels. For seniors who are not visited, we provide local community-based welfare services by calling or visiting to check on their well-being." He added, "Not only the elderly but also their children living apart have expressed great satisfaction and gratitude for Hyo-do Bapsang. There has been an overwhelming demand from residents to open more Hyo-do Bapsang institutions."

In response, in August, the district selected 10 additional meal service institutions, focusing on neighborhoods that previously had no Hyo-do Bapsang facilities to benefit seniors who had not received these services.

With the expansion of the Hyo-do Bapsang project to all neighborhoods, more than 200 additional elderly residents will be able to use the service, bringing the total number of recipients to over 421.

Mayor Park Kang-su stated, "South Korea ranks first among OECD countries in elderly suicide and poverty rates, and the nation and society must no longer ignore this fact. The issues facing the elderly are not someone else's story but our own. As the ultra-aged society has already begun, introducing a universal senior welfare system is essential." He also said, "Improving community health levels through managing seniors' nutrition, depression, and loneliness will, on a macro level, reduce social costs caused by elderly poverty and health problems."

In July, the district had allocated an additional budget to establish a Hyo-do Bapsang cooking center to expand the project to 1,000 recipients, but faced difficulties after the Mapo-gu Council cut 378 million KRW from the budget.

Mayor Park Kang-su said, "Although the supplementary budget was cut, fortunately, support from residents and companies who understand and want to participate in the Hyo-do Bapsang initiative has continued, allowing us to expand meal service institutions. We will do our best to operate Hyo-do Bapsang as Mapo-gu's representative senior welfare project and as a model case for local governments nationwide."

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