Yeongjong-gu District (Mayor Son Hwa-jung) in Incheon announced on the 10th that it is fully launching the “Yeongjong-gu Neighbor Connection Corps,” a program designed to identify residents at risk of social isolation and lonely death at an early stage and continuously check on their well-being, further strengthening the local community’s safety net.
 [The Korean Today] Yeongjong-gu Neighbor Connection Corps in operation © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
The Neighbor Connection Corps is a project designed to build a standing human safety network so that the community can look after households that have difficulty accessing welfare services or have lost social ties and are therefore at risk of loneliness and isolation. The program began operating in August this year.
The district partnered with the Yeongjong-gu Senior Human Resources Development Center to select six participants in the senior job program as members of the Neighbor Connection Corps, assigning one to each of the six dong under its jurisdiction. They will operate on a pilot basis from August through November, and the district plans to expand the project in 2027 based on the results of the pilot run.
The Neighbor Connection Corps operates on the principle of checking on residents’ well-being by phone at least once a week, and when necessary, corps members accompany the responsible public official on home visits to directly check on the living conditions of the people concerned.
 [The Korean Today] Yeongjong-gu Neighbor Connection Corps in operation © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
If signs of social isolation or risk of lonely death are found during their activities, they immediately notify the relevant dong community service center and also help connect the person concerned to necessary welfare services.
Mayor Son Hwa-jung said, “Loneliness and isolation are not merely individual problems but social challenges that the community must solve together.” She added that she hopes “the Neighbor Connection Corps will serve as a link that delivers warm attention and care throughout the community, helping to prevent crisis situations and contribute to building a welfare safety net in which no one is left behind.”
The district plans to continue strengthening its community-centered system for preventing lonely deaths by consistently identifying households at risk of loneliness and isolation and connecting them with tailored welfare services through public-private cooperation.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
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