150,000 Seoulites joined 'loner programs' last year, with plans for expansion in 2025
Korea's capital running multiple programs to aid growing number of one-person households
Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that the city-wide support centers for single-person households have provided counseling services and other forms of help to 152,461 people between 2022 and 2024.
The support centers have been operating in 24 of the captial's 25 districts since 2021, with the one in Jung-gu currently undergoing remodeling. They run programs for the solitary dwellers, which was surveyed to be 39.3 percent of all households in Seoul, South Korea's most-populated city.
The programs range from cooking programs such as making kimchi and low-salt food, to providing repair classes and renting tools.
One of the recently-launched programs is designed to help citizens aged 40-67 in Seoul to find dining companions. Held from April to November of this year, it hosts small-scale meetings of 10 or less to eat out, exercise, watch movies or do volunteer work together.
Another city-wide program for the same age group is consulting how to organize one's home.
Other programs launched on a district-level include "health challenge" by Guro-gu, which arrange 50-day diet and exercise groups for residents aged 20-59, and "alcohol lovers" of Yeongdeungpo-gu that invites 50 people on a one-off wine-making class, to be held on June 28.
The programs can be found at the Seoul Single-person Household Portal (https://1in.seoul.go.kr).
Loneliness, balanced diet a major issue for single-person households
In Seoul's latest survey of one-person households released in April, 40.6 percent of households with one person were comprised of people in their 60s, followed by 34.9 percent in their 20s and 30s. When asked what the biggest problem living alone was, the highest score was given to "balanced diet (4.79 out of 5)," followed by "dealing with medical emergencies (4.71)," "household chores (4.69)," and "social alienation and loneliness (4.43)."
Growing number of people said their solitary living was not by choice. Some 52.2 percent of the respondents said their intent was to continue living alone, down substantially from 66 percent in the previous year.
Over 3,000 people die alone, defined by the government as "death of a person who is socially isolated from one's family and friends, and whose body is found sometime after death." A Ministry of Health and Welfare report in October showed that 3,661 people died "lonely deaths" in 2023, which accounts for 1.04 percent of all deaths that year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Korea Herald
What's triggering Seoul's recent ozone concentration levels to skyrocket?
Experts warn ozone may pose greater immediate health threat than fine dust Ground-level ozone pollution is surging across Seoul, prompting health concerns and emergency advisories as experts warn it may bring heavier health hazards than fine dust. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Air Quality Information System, high concentrations of ozone — classified as 'bad' at levels above 0.0901 parts per million — were observed Monday morning. Monday was not the first time Seoul saw high levels of ozone concentration. Ozone concentrations in the capital city were also classified as bad Sunday, as well as Thursday and Friday, when ozone advisories were issued after ozone concentration levels reached an hourly average of 0.12 ppm. From May 26 to June 2, high amounts of ozone concentration were also observed for eight consecutive days, with ozone advisories also issued for four of the eight days. Ozone advisories in Seoul have been steadily rising in recent years. According to the city government, the 115 ozone advisories issued in 2024 were significantly higher compared to the number of advisories that were issued in the past. From just 29 alerts in 2019, the figure climbed up to 45 in 2023, making 2024's record a four-fold increase compared to the previous year. While ozone concentrations located 10 to 50 kilometers above Earth play a beneficial role by blocking harmful ultraviolet radiation, ground-level ozone forms when nitrogen oxides from cars and factories, and volatile organic compounds from fuel and other industrial processes react with sunlight, resulting in the formation of a harmful pollutant. According to professor Ha Kyung-ja from Pusan National University's Department of Atmospheric Science, high ozone concentrations can pose 'more acute health risks than fine dust.' 'While issues related to ultrafine and fine dust often dominate air quality concerns, pollution caused by ozone concentrations should not be taken lightly. They can actually be even more harmful,' said Ha. 'Ozone is a highly reactive gas that irritates the lungs and triggers inflammation. Even short-term exposure can cause coughing, sore throat, eye irritation, and in severe cases, breathing difficulties.' When asked the reason behind the rise in ozone concentrations in Seoul, Ha stated that it could be due to 'hot temperatures caused by global warming.' 'Due to climate change, summers in Korea have gotten longer and hotter, with a combination of stagnant air. More heat waves mean more electricity demand for air conditioning, leading to high energy use and more fossil fuels being burned that release the pollutants to form ozone when exposed to sunlight. Strong sunlight, mixed with stagnant air, is ideal in creating high ozone concentration,' mentioned Ha, adding that pollution from domestic and foreign industrial regions can also increase the chances of high ozone levels. In response to the high ozone concentrations, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has ramped up its ozone mitigation efforts since April 2025. The city government has conducted inspections at up to 1,056 businesses such as gas stations, laundries and car refinishing shops that emit large amounts of volatile organic compounds, and is actively developing policies to tackle ozone pollution in the long run.
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Korea Herald
150,000 Seoulites joined 'loner programs' last year, with plans for expansion in 2025
Korea's capital running multiple programs to aid growing number of one-person households Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that the city-wide support centers for single-person households have provided counseling services and other forms of help to 152,461 people between 2022 and 2024. The support centers have been operating in 24 of the captial's 25 districts since 2021, with the one in Jung-gu currently undergoing remodeling. They run programs for the solitary dwellers, which was surveyed to be 39.3 percent of all households in Seoul, South Korea's most-populated city. The programs range from cooking programs such as making kimchi and low-salt food, to providing repair classes and renting tools. One of the recently-launched programs is designed to help citizens aged 40-67 in Seoul to find dining companions. Held from April to November of this year, it hosts small-scale meetings of 10 or less to eat out, exercise, watch movies or do volunteer work together. Another city-wide program for the same age group is consulting how to organize one's home. Other programs launched on a district-level include "health challenge" by Guro-gu, which arrange 50-day diet and exercise groups for residents aged 20-59, and "alcohol lovers" of Yeongdeungpo-gu that invites 50 people on a one-off wine-making class, to be held on June 28. The programs can be found at the Seoul Single-person Household Portal ( Loneliness, balanced diet a major issue for single-person households In Seoul's latest survey of one-person households released in April, 40.6 percent of households with one person were comprised of people in their 60s, followed by 34.9 percent in their 20s and 30s. When asked what the biggest problem living alone was, the highest score was given to "balanced diet (4.79 out of 5)," followed by "dealing with medical emergencies (4.71)," "household chores (4.69)," and "social alienation and loneliness (4.43)." Growing number of people said their solitary living was not by choice. Some 52.2 percent of the respondents said their intent was to continue living alone, down substantially from 66 percent in the previous year. Over 3,000 people die alone, defined by the government as "death of a person who is socially isolated from one's family and friends, and whose body is found sometime after death." A Ministry of Health and Welfare report in October showed that 3,661 people died "lonely deaths" in 2023, which accounts for 1.04 percent of all deaths that year.
Korea Herald
01-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Can a city cure loneliness? Seoul is spending millions to try
In Seoul, you can call a city hotline at 3 a.m. just to say you feel lonely. You can walk into a 'Maeum (Korean for 'heart') Convenience Store' to eat free ramyeon and talk with someone about the emptiness you've been carrying for months. These are not gimmicks. They are part of a sweeping five-year, 451.3 billion won ($330 million) effort by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to confront a crisis few cities have dared to name outright: loneliness. South Korea is facing a growing epidemic of social isolation, with Seoul at its epicenter. People living alone now make up over 35 percent of all households in the capital. A recent Seoul Institute survey revealed that 62 percent of single-person households reported experiencing loneliness, while 13.6 percent were socially isolated. A separate study by the city in 2023 estimated that approximately 130,000 young people between the ages of 19 and 39 are living in near-total social withdrawal, a phenomenon also discussed under the Japanese-derived term 'hikikomori.' 'Loneliness in Seoul is no longer a private burden,' said Lee Soo-jin, director of the Seoul Isolation Prevention Center, the country's first public agency tasked with identifying and assisting socially withdrawn residents. 'We are witnessing a mental health collapse across age groups. But for many, especially young people and older men, there's simply no obvious place to turn.' Lee has spent the past year building outreach systems that can identify high-risk individuals who are often invisible to the formal social safety net. Her team uses data-sharing agreements with welfare offices, utility companies and delivery services to identify signs of withdrawal, such as uncollected mail or repeated solo food orders. Once flagged, individuals are contacted through phone calls, home visits or digital channels and offered tailored support like counseling, peer mentoring or community group referrals. The city's broader initiatives include a 24-hour support line integrated into the existing 120 Dasan Call Center, a chatbot for those uncomfortable with phone calls, and an online platform called Toktok24 that guides users toward counseling and community programs. Still, scholars and ordinary citizens have questioned whether public policy can meaningfully address a condition as personal and complex as loneliness. 'Loneliness is not the same as being alone,' said Byun Geum-seon, a social welfare professor at Ewha Womans University who co-authored a major 2024 study on youth isolation. 'For some, solitude is freedom. For others, it's suffering. Governments can detect behavior. But the feeling of loneliness must be acknowledged by the person experiencing it.' Byun's study, based on the Seoul Youth Panel Survey of over 5,000 respondents, identified seven distinct profiles of social isolation and loneliness. These ranged from economically disconnected youth to emotionally isolated individuals embedded within family or employment networks. Her research found a strong correlation between loneliness and mental health problems like depression and suicidal thoughts, even among those who weren't socially isolated in the traditional sense. 'In some cases, people are surrounded by others but still feel they cannot speak openly or be seen for who they are,' Byun said. 'This is especially common among young women living alone, and among men who feel they've failed to meet social expectations.' Shin Hye-jin, a 28-year-old graduate student who moved to Seoul from Daegu five years ago, recalled how her first year in the capital felt more isolating than she could have imagined. 'I lived in a goshiwon (a small dorm-like room) near campus. I never met my neighbors. Even in class, no one talked unless we had to, for group projects,' she said. 'There were nights I realized I hadn't heard my own voice for days.' Shin later joined a neighborhood 'Silent Walking' group she found on Danggeun Market, also known as Karrot, a hyperlocal app popular for trading secondhand goods that now hosts thousands of hobby-based social groups. 'It sounds silly, but walking silently next to strangers helped,' she said. 'It felt safe. No one expected anything from me.' Since 2023, participation in Danggeun's neighborhood clubs has increased 20-fold, according to the company. These communities are often low-pressure and centered around shared identities or interests, covering niche topics from ADHD support to bread tasting. For many, they provide more sustainable social bonds than formal city-run programs. Director Lee Soo-jin recognizes the limitations. 'Seoul City knows it cannot manufacture meaningful connections,' she said. 'What we can do is build the scaffolding. We can give people options for what to do when they realize they're struggling.' Part of that scaffolding includes spaces like the Seoul Maeum Convenience Store, a cross between a mental health center and a cafe, where people can drop in anonymously for free meals, information or just a moment of calm. The city is also expanding peer support programs such as "Everyone's Friend," where formerly isolated residents are trained to provide outreach and emotional assistance to others in similar situations. Professor Byun cautioned against a one-size-fits-all model. 'What reduces loneliness is not just connection, but continuity. You need to feel that you matter to someone, and that they will notice if you disappear.' This is why the government's role is less about delivering relationships and more about making them possible. 'If someone walks into one of these city programs and leaves with a phone number or a reason to leave the house again next week, that's a small win that is worth the effort,' said Lee.
