'Kim Dong-yeon, Who Kept Two Promises Last Year, Announces "Caregiving SOS Project and AI Care Business" for This Year'

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is attending the Senior Citizens' Day ceremony on the 4th and taking a commemorative photo with the attendees.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon promised on the 4th, during an event held in celebration of Senior Citizens' Day, "Last year, I made two promises and kept them both," adding, "This year, we will also promote the Caregiving SOS Project and AI Care Services."

At the commemorative event held at Suwon Noblesse Wedding Convention, Governor Kim said, "Last year on Senior Citizens' Day, I made two promises to honor the elderly, who are the roots and center of our society," and explained, "The first was to implement ‘care for everyone,’ including seniors, in 15 cities and counties. The second was to increase the monthly support for senior centers' operating expenses from 155,000 won to 180,000 won."

He continued, "This year, I make two promises again. The first promise is to implement the Gyeonggi Province Caregiving SOS Project next year. As the first metropolitan local government to do so, we will provide caregiving expenses for about two months per year to low-income seniors," he explained.

He added, "We will focus on promoting AI-based care projects such as the AI Senior Care Town and Always Comfortable AI Care," emphasizing, "We will start this year to monitor whether seniors are in crisis and ensure there are no blind spots in care, and expand the project next year."

About 400 people attended the event, including Lee Jong-han, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Province Federation of the Korean Senior Citizens Association, Lee Seon-gu, Chair of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council Health and Welfare Committee, and heads of senior citizens' associations from cities, counties, and districts.

Meanwhile, as of the end of August 2024, the population aged 65 and over in Gyeonggi Province is approximately 2.218 million, accounting for 16.2% of the total population of about 13.67 million, marking its entry into an aged society (where the population aged 65 and over exceeds 14%). If this trend continues, it is expected to enter a super-aged society (where the population aged 65 and over exceeds 20%) by 2028.

Gyeonggi Province is currently conducting projects in four key areas to ensure seniors live healthy and happy lives: supporting healthy aging, strengthening comprehensive care, providing senior employment, and promoting leisure and cultural activities.

To complete the ‘360° AI+ Care Project,’ a key task in the second half of the 8th term of the provincial government, projects such as the ‘Gyeonggi Province Caregiving SOS Project’ and the ‘Gyeonggi Senior AI+ Care Project’ are being promoted.

The Gyeonggi Province Caregiving SOS Project plans to provide annual caregiving expenses of 1.2 million won per person to low-income elderly individuals, as the first metropolitan government to do so, to offer opportunities for restoring daily life and to alleviate the economic burden on families amid increasing hospitalization and caregiving demands among seniors.

Alongside this, the Gyeonggi Senior AI+ Care Project is promoting initiatives such as ▲ AI Senior Care Town ▲ Always Comfortable AI Care ▲ AI Senior Companion Service to alleviate social isolation and loneliness among seniors and prevent care blind spots through AI technology.

Furthermore, the senior employment project is moving beyond simple labor jobs to promote over 123,000 projects nationwide, including ‘Emergency Safety Guardians’ and ‘Toy Safety Protectors,’ enabling seniors to take pride as members of their communities and contribute to society.

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