Seodaemun-gu announced Monday that its cooking program for middle-aged men — "Kitchen Independence for Men in Their 50s and 70s: Today I'm the Chef" — is drawing strong participation from men in their 50s through 70s. The program, designed to help men achieve household self-sufficiency and develop healthy eating habits, is proceeding with wide enthusiasm, district Mayor Park Un-gi said.
The program carries added significance as it was conceived through the 2026 Seodaemun-gu Participatory Budget, a process in which residents themselves proposed and allocated funding for the initiative.
As Koreans increasingly live into their 100s and men spend more time at home, the program aims to take participants beyond basic survival cooking and help them prepare balanced meals on their own.
It also seeks to build self-efficacy and a sense of accomplishment through cooking, while encouraging participants to share homemade food with family and neighbors to strengthen community bonds.
Run in partnership with a local cooking studio, the program offers a six-session weekday course and a two-session weekend course, with 30 male residents aged 50 and older taking part. Registration closed the moment it opened, reflecting strong demand for a program born directly from residents' everyday needs.
The "60s–70s Weekday Class" runs every Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. for six sessions, from June 17 through July 22.
Participants learn how to get comfortable with kitchen tools, prepare and cut ingredients, cook basic rice, make broth, prepare side dishes and one-bowl meals, and simmer jjigae — all the building blocks of a solid hansik spread.
The "50s–60s Weekend Class," designed with working adults in mind, follows a session held June 21 with a final session on Sunday, July 12, from 2 to 4 p.m.
That class focuses on protein-rich dishes using tofu and eggs, alongside easy yet nutritious recipes such as ham-and-cheese sandwiches and muffins.
"This program is all the more meaningful because it was created by residents themselves, who raised their voices through the participatory budget process," district Mayor Park said. "We will continue to expand resident-centered, hands-on lifelong learning opportunities."
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