A space where residents who feel lonely or want to talk with someone can drop by to rest and receive counseling has opened in Seoul's Seongdong District. The city government's loneliness response policy, which had centered on phone counseling and individual programs, is expected to expand gradually into offline hubs where residents can meet people and rebuild relationships in their daily lives.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government opened Seoul Itda Place at Seoul Forest IPark River Fore in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, on the 23rd. The facility is the centerpiece of "Sotong Itda," the strategy focused on building relationships and interaction among people, one of the three pillars of the city's "Seoul Without Loneliness" initiative, along with "Hamkke Itda" and "Yeongyeol Itda."
Seoul Itda Place houses "Loneliness Hello 120," which provides 24-hour phone counseling, along with one-on-one counseling rooms where visitors can meet specialists in person and "Youth Mind Convenience Store," a rest area for young adults. The site also features "Baeum Forest" for healing and exchange programs, "Ullim Forest" for performances and cultural events, and "Sup Maru," an exhibition and hands-on space. The design allows visitors to access counseling, rest, interaction and healing all in one place.
Loneliness Hello 120, which had operated by phone, will expand into in-person counseling. Residents who feel lonely or isolated can receive counseling directly and be referred to psychological testing and in-depth counseling if needed. The first Youth Mind Convenience Store, aimed at isolated and reclusive young adults, will also operate at the site. The city plans to expand the Youth Mind Convenience Store to five locations, including near universities, private academy districts and subway stations.
The city government views loneliness not as a personal emotion but as a social problem the city must address, and announced "Seoul Without Loneliness" in October 2024. From April last year through August this year, Loneliness Hello 120 handled about 80,000 counseling sessions, while Seoul Mind Convenience Store, a space where anyone can rest and interact, drew a cumulative 164,000 users. Seoul Mind Convenience Store currently operates at 19 locations and will grow to 25 by the end of the year.
Seoul Itda Place will run counseling, relationship-building and daily-life recovery programs for young adults, middle-aged and older residents, and people who have experienced isolation or reclusion along with their families. General residents can also take part in garden prescriptions that draw on nearby resources such as Seoul Forest, as well as cultural and arts programs and social dining. The site will also serve as a citywide hub for spreading its programs and operating model to the 25 district offices and welfare centers.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who attended the opening ceremony, said he hopes Seoul Itda Place will serve as a center connecting various local spaces such as the Mind Convenience Stores and become a warm place where residents who feel lonely can visit comfortably at any time. "We will pursue policies to reduce loneliness and create connections in greater depth," he said.
