Seoul senior centers to stay open until 9 p.m. for working older adults

Five Seoul municipal senior welfare centers will stay open until 9 p.m. on weekdays to serve older adults who cannot visit during the day because of work or other social commitments. Seniors will be able to use exercise, film screenings, reading groups and other leisure programs in the evening and at night.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Saturday that it will run a pilot program called "Bokji Ya, Nollja" — offering extended weeknight hours of up to 9 p.m. — at five city-run senior welfare centers through the end of the year.

The five facilities are the Gangseo, Gwangjin, Nowon and Seongbuk senior welfare centers and the Seoul Senior Welfare Center. Evening programs tailored to each center's strengths will be open to residents aged 60 and older.

The Gangseo Senior Welfare Center will offer classic film screenings, calisthenics, and tea-time and sleep-improvement sessions, while the Seoul Senior Welfare Center will host a moonlit reading club and literature programs.

The Seongbuk Senior Welfare Center will provide foot massage services alongside table tennis, baduk and a fitness room. The Nowon Senior Welfare Center will run healing yoga, conversational English with native speakers, and craft and reading clubs, while the Gwangjin Senior Welfare Center will offer yoga classes and peer support groups.

The city said it plans to support the evening programs as a springboard for peer mutual care — encouraging participating seniors to build relationships and check in on one another beyond simple leisure activities. It will gradually expand the number of centers offering nighttime hours based on the pilot's results.

Currently, 97 community welfare centers across Seoul run evening programs covering resident education, community exchange, and child and youth care. That number is set to grow to 100 next year. Programs at those centers range from professional certification courses to child and youth care and independence and sports programs for people with developmental disabilities.

On Tuesday at 6 p.m., a launch event called "Yaho! Senior Starlight Vitality Festival" will be held at the craft courtyard of the Seoul Museum of Craft Art to mark the extended evening hours. The event, open to all, will feature an acoustic guitar performance, a communal starlight dance and a professional reading performance.

"We will continue expanding nighttime operations at welfare centers so that seniors who find it difficult to get away during the day can still access leisure and care services in the evening," said Jeong Jin-woo, Seoul Metropolitan Government welfare director.