Nowon-gu Celebrates Senior Month With Elderly Day Ceremony and Digital Quiz Contest

Seoul's Nowon-gu will hold a series of events throughout October to mark Senior Month, including a ceremony for Elderly Day and a digital quiz competition for older residents.

The events are aimed at encouraging seniors' social participation, strengthening their digital skills and supporting an active retirement.

The district will kick off the month with the 30th Elderly Day ceremony on Oct. 8, beginning at 10 a.m. at the main auditorium of Nowon Community Hall. The first segment, running until 11:30 a.m., will open with a fusion traditional music performance, followed by the district mayor's commendation awards for exemplary seniors, individuals who have contributed to senior welfare and meritorious organizations, and a trot music performance.

A second segment of side events will run from noon to 2 p.m. at Junggye Culture Park, where attendees can enjoy a warm meal for 1,000 won and nostalgic snacks for 500 won. Fourteen organizations, including community welfare centers, will operate activity booths offering sock-yarn keyring making, potted-plant crafting, OX quizzes and brain games.

The Senior Month festivities will continue with a digital skills competition. Nowon-gu will hold preliminary rounds on Oct. 16, followed by the finals of the "Nowon Senior Digital Golden Bell" on Oct. 27. First held last year, the Digital Golden Bell is a participatory contest in which seniors compete using digital skills they have picked up in daily life; buoyed by strong turnout, the event is now in its second year.

Organized by the Nowon Senior Employment Support Center and run by the Nowon Digital Instructor Corps, the competition will cover topics closely tied to everyday life — AI applications, kiosk ordering, smartphone use and general digital literacy. Going beyond a simple knowledge contest, the event is designed as a hands-on, experience-based competition to help seniors build confidence with digital devices.

The contest is open to Nowon-gu residents aged 65 and older. Applications can be submitted by phone or in person at the Nowon Senior Employment Support Center by 6 p.m. on Oct. 8.

As of August, Nowon-gu had 107,706 residents aged 65 or older, accounting for about 22 percent of the district's total population. The district operates 242 senior centers — the most in Seoul — and is expanding support across employment, emotional well-being, health and leisure through facilities including the Nowon Senior Employment Support Center, a senior counseling center, a dementia care center, a senior rest center and a senior sports center. In April, the district also opened a new multipurpose cultural complex for senior leisure and cultural activities in the Junggye area.

"We have prepared events where seniors can feel respected and enjoy themselves during Senior Month," Nowon-gu District Mayor Seo Jun-o said. "We will continue to pursue policies that connect generations and everyday life, so that we can improve the quality of life for our seniors and support their healthy participation in society."