Mayor Lee Hyunjae: 2,000-Won Meals and Transportation Support... "Building a City Where Seniors Are Happy in Hanam"

Hanam’s Tailored Senior Welfare: Warm Meals for 2,000 Won and Joyful Learning
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Mayor Lee: "Committed to Learning, Health, and Mobility"… Hanam’s Senior Welfare Stands Out

As Korea rapidly moves into an era where living to 100 is becoming more common, Hanam City is accelerating its efforts to build a tailored senior welfare system encompassing meals, health, learning, and transportation, striving to become a "city where senior citizens are happy." The city’s approach to welfare is seen as comprehensive and practical, moving beyond simple livelihood support to policies that closely support healthy aging and social participation.

Hanam City provides welfare services encompassing health, culture, leisure, and education for the elderly, centered around the two main facilities: Hanam Senior Welfare Center in the old downtown and Misa Senior Welfare Center in the new town. Image of the free hair salon. Provided by Hanam City

According to Hanam City on July 31, the city provides welfare services covering the health, culture, leisure, and education of senior citizens, centered on two pillars: the Hanam Senior Welfare Center in the original downtown and the Misa Senior Welfare Center in the new downtown. In addition, the city is improving access to welfare with “Tong Hanam,” a transportation subsidy program for seniors aged 70 and above.

The Hanam Senior Welfare Center, which serves as the hub of welfare in the original downtown, is a representative support facility where an average of 400 seniors visit daily. The senior cafeteria here provides a well-balanced lunch for just 2,000 won. Amid rising dining-out prices, not only does this offer a warm meal at a low cost, easing seniors’ financial burden, but it also serves as a community space to prevent social isolation for those eating alone.

The center is also equipped with a range of amenities, including a free public bath, free hair salon, rehabilitation room, physical therapy room, fitness room, and a room for the game of Go. On the first floor, a free bathhouse—which can be used once a week—is maintained for regular hygiene. The free hair salon, operated once a month by reservation, provides seniors with grooming services thanks to dedicated volunteer barbers and hairdressers. The rehabilitation room, operated by medical specialists in coordination with visiting doctors on the first and third Tuesday of each month, offers professional physical therapy three times a week, serving as a reliable guardian of seniors’ physical and joint health. Senior citizens can also access the Go room and fitness area on the fourth floor, allowing them to benefit from both physical and emotional recovery services in one place.

There are also enriching opportunities for learning.

Hanam City provides welfare services encompassing health, culture, leisure, and education for the elderly, based on two main pillars: Hanam Senior Welfare Center in the old town and Misa Senior Welfare Center in the new town. A person is writing calligraphy. Provided by Hanam City

The welfare center operates 18 lifelong learning programs such as health training, yoga, silver dance, health exercises, Nanta drumming, choir, singing classes, guitar classes, Korean traditional dance, watercolor painting, calligraphy, Korean brush writing, as well as classes in Korean, English, and computer skills. These programs go beyond simple hobbies and are becoming spaces that foster seniors’ social participation and self-realization.

Digital education in particular stands out. On the third floor, Hanam City’s “Smart Senior Education” and Gyeonggi Province’s “Digital Learning Center” are jointly operated, providing systematic instruction on using smartphones, kiosks, and various digital devices. The focus is on narrowing the digital divide and enhancing seniors’ digital adaptability amid rapid digital transformation.

In the new downtown area, the Misa Senior Welfare Center, which opened last February, has established itself as a new hub for senior welfare. With modern facilities such as a senior cafeteria, physical therapy room, gym, and table tennis room, it offers programs in information technology, language, arts, culture, and health, supporting seniors in the Misagangbyeon New Town to enjoy a healthy later life.

Hanam City provides welfare services encompassing health, culture, leisure, and education for senior citizens through two main centers: Hanam Senior Welfare Center in the old downtown and Misa Senior Welfare Center in the new urban area. Transportation expenses support for seniors aged 70 and older. Provided by Hanam City.

Hanam City is also dedicating significant efforts to guaranteeing mobility rights for seniors.

The flagship policy, “Tong Hanam,” refunds up to 40,000 won per quarter and up to 160,000 won per year in transportation expenses for seniors aged 70 and above who use a G-PASS transportation card on village, city, or intercity buses passing through Hanam.

This policy significantly alleviates the burden of transportation costs, serving as a catalyst that allows seniors to leave their homes, meet neighbors, and more freely visit welfare center cafeterias, lifelong learning programs, and local cultural spaces. The city’s attentive transportation welfare lowers the barriers to going out, helping to prevent loneliness and isolation among seniors and underpinning the overall vitality of their daily lives.

Hanam City sees these efforts as boosting utilization of welfare centers and cultural facilities and expanding opportunities for social participation by reducing transportation costs. They explain that lowering barriers to welfare facility use also helps prevent loneliness and social isolation among seniors.

Hanam City plans to continuously expand the operation of senior welfare centers and customized programs so that seniors can enjoy health, learning, and leisure together, free from economic burdens.

Hanam City provides welfare services encompassing health, culture, leisure, and education for the elderly, centered around two main facilities: Hanam Senior Welfare Center in the old town and Misa Senior Welfare Center in the new town. Elderly people are seen having meals. Provided by Hanam City

Hanam Mayor Lee Hyunjae said, “A nutritious, warm meal, the freedom to travel without constraints, and dynamic spaces for learning and communication are the most fundamental forms of welfare that support a healthy and dignified daily life for seniors. We will continue to pursue field-focused, tailored administration—closely listening to the voices of our community—so that every senior citizen in Hanam can feel secure, respected, and enjoy the most vibrant life in a truly inclusive and prestigious city.”

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