Gwangju Metropolitan City, Launches 'Solo Together' Lifestyle Policy for Single-Person Households

【Financial News Gwangju=Hwang Taejong Reporter】Gwangju Metropolitan City announced that it will officially implement the customized single-person household policy 'Solo Together' from June, which reflects the characteristics of different age and gender groups to proactively address the issues of social isolation and care gaps in single-person households.
 According to Gwangju City, this project is being promoted together with Gwangju City and 5 autonomous districts, with a total project cost of 140 million won to promote 6 projects.
 Previously, Gwangju City received applications for the 'Solo Together Project' from 5 autonomous districts and family centers, and selected 6 final projects after evaluating the excellence, effectiveness, and appropriateness of project promotion capabilities.
 The selected projects aim to eliminate blind spots in the life cycle of single-person households and strengthen the safety net, and are composed of various programs tailored to the population characteristics of each autonomous district.
 First, projects focused on forming social networks for young single-person households will be promoted, including △Wise Single Life (financial and economic education) △Miracle (indoor sports) △Tasty Square (cooking together) △Value Activities in 6 Areas (cooking, home decoration, concerns, hobbies, sharing, self-growth).
 For middle-aged single-person households, projects focused on balanced meals and resolving living inconveniences will be introduced, including △Nutritious Balanced Meals (side dish cooking) △Art Travel Happy Steps (cultural experience) △My Heart Garden Cultivation △'Tick-Tock Talk' (economics, finance, home repair, and organization).
 For elderly single-person households, projects focused on health management and alleviating loneliness will be promoted, including △Ohnara (health life just for me) △Touch Touch Gardening Class and The Glory Humanities School △Programs with Pets.
 According to data from the Honam Statistics Office, the proportion of single-person households in Gwangju is 36.5%, exceeding the national average of 35.5%, and is continuously increasing. Accordingly, Gwangju City plans to continuously discover customized single-person household policies by life cycle to resolve various social issues such as isolation, crisis response limitations, and household burden faced by citizens living alone, thereby raising the happiness index through a stable life for single-person households.
 Lee Yeongdong, Director of the Women's Family Bureau of Gwangju City, said, "As lifestyle patterns change, single-person households are becoming the mainstay of daily life," adding, "In Gwangju, we will promote policies that citizens can feel, such as discovering projects that reflect the characteristics of each generation so that even if you are alone, you are not lonely and can enjoy a valuable life."
hwangtae@fnnews.com Hwang Taejong Reporter